My Genuine Toyota Signal Mirrors Are Installed!

I took the pins out of the connector and relocated them to work on the right hand mirror. After grounding and powering the module (and sending power to the "reverse" wire) the module clicks and the mirror controls are now locked out, but the mirror doesn't move. I think the module can be turned on and off by holding down the down button while in reverse and off by holding the up button. I'll have to look into this.

I don't think this will be a problem to get this working, but be warned, the pins are all wrong for the USA (it's not even wired properly for the LH mirror right out of the box).

Pics and tips to follow for any other buyers in the USA.

Be warned, I don't yet have this working, so perhaps waiting on this would be prudent.

I think I paid over $110 for this module, but I combined the shipping and the friend's patience so I don't know what it takes to get it to the USA.

Just a note, this installation looks to be very easy on the USA model (once the pins are rearranged). Some of the wiring is swapped side to side, but other wiring is not, so I think the whole thing could be done under the driver's kick panel, pulling reverse from the NAV wire (if you have NAV). Keep in mind I don't have this working yet, so who knows for sure.

Nate

 

Thanks again Speedracer! I think I'm very close on the auto-tilt. The wiring diagram is very good; I will try again soon. Yes, I am very lucky; lucky to have a friend like you!

Nate

 

Oh, don't bother with the outlet . It's 100 Volts, not 110. (Japan is lower). I think it's 50 Hz too, so there's no way. Go for an aftermarket solution instead.

Nate

 

Just a note, I realized the reason the mirrors are skewed is because they are mounted at different angles. You can tell if you stand directly in front of the car. Some people may find this objectionable on their US model.

Nate

 

For those of you who keep asking, I paid $467 for the mirrors and tilt module delivered. I don't know the actual breakdown of each part.

Also, I wanted to remind people wanting to do this mod that you need to run wires down through the doors, through the flex tube, and back up under the dash. You will also have to lay out another $100 or so for four connectors and eight pins, then solder these onto the wires, then plug them into the mirrors and included harness.

Either that, or you will have to cut the wires on the mirrors and on the harness and come up with your own splicing solution (aftermarket connectors, crimping, soldering, whatever).

In addition, I compensated for some of the skew by purchasing three 1/4 inch thick nylon spacers from lowe's which I then had to buzz down (the girth, not the thickness) with a grinder to fit behind the mirror motor assembly. This effectively moved the glass (and motor assembly) 1/4 inch out and made the view a bit more satisfactory.

A new little quirk, the flashing is a bit out of sync with the rest of the turn signals. I realized why: LED's light up and go dark immediately relative to power being supplied and cut, whereas light bulbs have a delay before lighting and a delay before going dark. It's not enough to not want the signal mirrors, though!

So, to recap, the quirks are:

1. Mounting angle is more acute on right side than left. Somewhat pronounced if you pay attention. I suspect it won't bother most people, but since I'm tall, I used 1/4" nylon spacers from Lowe's to push the motor assembly further out of the housing.

2. The wiring is not there in the doors. You will have to solder and splice wiring and run it deep inside the door. This isn't that easy, I recommend some wire lube for this. If you want factory equivalent wiring, you'll need over $100 worth of connectors and pins, and you'll have to solder.

3. The LED's are not super bright. Still visible in full sun, but not impressive.

4. LED's light up and go dark a bit quicker than bulbs, and are just a hair out of sync with the regular bulbs. Not enough to get fussy about, but not perfect. (Replacing all T/S bulbs with LED's may solve this problem.

5. The new mirrors make the car almost 2 inches wider. Be prepared if you have a really tight garage or something.

6. The changeover is very tedious, the mirror is almost completely disassembled and reassembled. It takes time, and be careful. Be especially careful removing the pins for the mirror heater.

I'm not trying to make this harder than it needs to be, but I want to give you fair warning.

Nate

 

Just a final note on the mirrors, since the doors have no wiring for the turn signals, I had to run two wires to each mirror inside the door, through the boot, and out under the kick panel. The wires also had to be secured inside the door to avoid interference with the window. This was not easy. I suggest that you do this as a first step if you are considering this mod. A very thin gauge is all that's needed since the power for LED's is very low (20 gauge is what I used).

Nate

 

Good tip. I would cut the end off of the zip tie before fishing it through, though. Also, I used wire lube I bought at home depot to make it happen. The number of wires in the driver's door are just astounding. To make it easier, unplug the harness under the kick panel, and pull the boot out of both the door and the door jam. Run the wires from the door side of the boot TO the jam side. (Small hole to big hole). If you use a wire tie, securely fasten (electrical tape) and LUBE the tape with wire lube, then use the tie as a "fish tape."

The driver's side has way more wires to deal with. Heated mirrors, the lock switch, seperate tweeter wires, the SKS, the mirror and extra window controls all make the driver's side that much harder than the passenger side.

I personally used wire ties to tie the new pair of wires to the existing harness at several places. (Cut off to avoid interference with the window).

I wish I had pictures, but it was impossible to get the camera angles that showed anything useful.

Nate

 

Just a note on these mirrors, I lost my how-to photos when my hard drive crashed.

If someone does buy these mirrors and wants to install them, just follow the japanese pictures carefully; you can skip the part about removing the motor assemblies from the pivot assembly, but pretty much everything else is required.

Here are a few tips that will not make sense without the instructions:

-Remove the electrical tape holding the wiring to the large mirror grommet. You can't slide the harness through otherwise. (Retape it when you are done)

-You WILL have to remove the outer "shell" from the power mirror connector. Use two very tiny flathead screwdrivers or scribes (like a dentist pick, available at Sears or other places). Save this piece, you will need it later to plug everything back in.

-If you are all done and they don't light up, reverse two of the wires. The lights are LEDs, so they must have the right polarity in order to work.

-The wiring to tap into is located behind a metal panel on the driver's side on the left. (Take the lower dash panel off, then remove the metal panel (three nuts). There are three wires; I will help identify them for you when you get that point. (This picture I took sucked anyway).

Nate