Heated Mirrors Kit - Interest / Update Thread (pic heavy)

Sounds good. I will be patiently waiting. How long for install for someone that is somewhat electrical stupid

 

Well electrically you have no real worries as I've made it as simple as it can get. Mostly it comes down to routing the wires properly so they are concealed. If I had to point out two areas that might take a little bit of extra time I would say the first one is running the wires from the cab to the door through the rubber boot. Through numerous attempts I've learned both the easy way and the hard way to do this. The hard way would probably have you swearing like a drunken sailor whereas the easy way (the way I will show lol) will range from not so bad to a minor annoyance.

The other part would be running the wires into your mirrors. I thought it might be possible to fish them through but it is not so you end up pulling apart your mirrors to get the wires in... not too big of a deal though, it's just a matter of a few screws.

I can pretty much knock this off in an hour to maybe an hour and a half but I've also done it a number of times now. For the first time I'd say you might expect somewhere around 2 1/2 hours to do a nice and tidy job of it. None of it is really hard or complex work.

 

Will be working on the instructions today. Plan to post them up tonight or tomorrow

 

waiting on instructions AND close ups of the wiring before I commit

 

Sounds good, I'm actually writing up the instructions now. To be honest I've been putting it off a little knowing it takes a lot of time to format clear instructions with pictures.... But they are in the works

 

sub'd

 

Well you are going to put me to task lol. A little challenge never hurt anyone though...

Instructions now available at the bottom of the OP along with terms of sale

Below is the specialty relay used for the Under the AC option. This thing is far more capable than a standard automotive relay. You can adjust both the trigger time (how long one must hold in the push button to activate the heated mirrors) and you can also adjust how long the relay cycles for once it is activated. This is a very nice feature, for example if you order it and request a 5 minute timer only to find out you wish the mirrors stay heated just a little longer... not a problem. There are adjustment screws on the back side of the relay that would allow you to adjust how long the mirrors keep heating. Also note all the connections are labeled for you and I've used fully insulated nylon terminals.



Below is the switch connector for the Under the AC style switch. For the two illumination wires I've colour coded them the same as Toyota to eliminate any guess work.



Below is the connector for the Left of Steering Wheel switch. Once again wires colour coded for easy installation.



Below is a picture of the 4 way wire to wire connector. This is one point where a lot of the electrical connections occur. Almost like a small circuit but without the circuit board.



I've designed it so that the harness can be separated into two pieces. This comes in quite handy as it allows you to separate the wire runs between the driver and passenger mirror. Having the ability to separate the harness provides the ability for a LOT more wire slack when working on the mirrors so that when you are routing the wiring to the mirrors you are not wedged up tight against the truck trying to work.



Below are a couple pictures of the relay on the left of steering wheel option. The relay is rated well above the amperage draw of the mirrors... it's pretty much having a nap while your mirrors are heating lol. The harness does use a relay connector so just in case the relay ever does fail down the road it is as simple as replacing the relay then slipping the connector onto the new relay and you are back in action in just a matter of a minute or two.



The wires that hook up to the mirrors use a dual wall adhesive lined shrink tube. What this means is the shrink tube is stronger than traditional, but more importantly is water proof. Note the two liquid looking rings at each end of the shrink tube, that is the adhesive that activates when the shrink tube is heated up and shrinks around the wire and terminal. As I've stated in the instructions I would recommend a dab of dielectric grease and the end of the connector and you will have essentially created a connection that water will never penetrate short of directly hitting it with a pressure washer.

Hope that helps

 

Also for those of you who have been waiting for the instructions, they are now available at the bottom of the OP for the left of steering wheel option. I still need to format some for the Under the AC option, luckily most steps are the same with just a few minor changes.

The instructions are probably MUCH longer than they needed to be. But I decided to cover both the cable routing through the rubber boot and also the routing through the mirrors in great detail with a ton of pictures. I did it this way so that anyone who considers themselves to be not so handy, can still do this mod provided they can follow detailed instructions. There is a more abbreviated version of wire routing available in Benson X thread which is linked in the OP.

 

Holy shit , I just checked the OP , nice job on the instructions

 

Thanks... Yeah it was a bit of a daunting task covering it in so much detail, but I figured better to over explain than not include enough detail

 

I have the Muth mirrors on my truck with the arrow indicators and heating element and installed their switch in one of the dummy buttons on the left side of the steering wheel. I wonder if I could used one of your switches with the Muth mirrors? The Muth mirrors have a Amber button that lights when turned on then starts to blink after 15 minutes. I like your switches better. Thanks.

 

I'm just going to repeat what Oz said. Holy shit nice job. Hope to get this done within the next 2 weeks

 

Well done OP! Looks pretty easy actually... Its a bit of a TLDR but id rather have all the info possible instead of being confused. Good stuff.

 

It could work with the mirrors no problem, it wouldn't work with whatever supplied harness they have made though unfortunately. At least not without modifying their harness. I don't suppose you have a schematic of the muth harness? I could have a look and let you know if it would just need a minor tweaking or a lot of work.

Thanks! It was one of those things where it took way longer to write it up and explain everything then to just do it. It's my hope that being thorough will result in this being a straight forward install for anyone who gets a kit. That will be cool when you get yours hooked up. There is always a good sense of accomplishment when pulling off a good mod like this. Also super handy when the cold weather hits. I think being in Alberta you may actually need them a good month or so before me lol

 

Thanks and I actually fully agree with you on that one. I suspect a lot of people will just skim it and then reference back if they actually run into any issues. Hopefully they are not so long that people take a glance and figure it's a beast of an install because it really isn't.

 

The instructions are perfect , in depth enough for people that aren't electrically literate to feel comfortable to take it on , and anyone who knows what they are doing can just skim them

 

Hey Up2NoGood, just came across your heated Mirror mod.....Fantastic...!!!!!! Read the list of material you supply and read the install write up, Wow great job....Sold....Sold....Sold....Okay so it will be Left side switch (amber in color),5min timer. Willing to purchase now so you can have the funds for the September orders, if that's okay.

 

Hey glad you like it! That should be okay... I'll fire you a PM in a couple of minutes

 

Message sent

 

I'm out of town now, will look for the schematic when I get home. It has been quite a few years when I did the install. I'm not looking for a special harness, if you could sell me the switch and point me in the right direction into splicing the switch into my wiring I would be great full. If a special harness would be easier that would be great also. Just let me know the cost. Thank You.