Do keep us updated when you have the mirrors installed and don't forget pictures please.

 

Well, more concerning news....

I spoke (again) with the dealer on the mirrors and it appears (to them) that they are not a "plug-n-play" system. In fact, the mirrors are actually just the housing shell (no guts, base mount, nada, nothing else). The turn insert is in it - but nothing else. In further talking with the guy, they feel that wiring would be necessary to make them work, but nobody can see for sure one way or another. In a nutshell: It's a pre-painted case (that is NOT in my color and costs $400) that requires to be re-painted to match my car color (another $125-$150); adding wiring and wiring into the turn signal system of existing vehicle.


I guess the only good news is that I find this out BEFORE opening up the box like a kid on Xmas morning, only to find a pair of sox! Functional - but not what i expected. The upshot of all this is that this great forum (awww, you guys - and gals too) offers the knowledge and wisdom and wit (not dim or nit either) to make me want to tackle the wiring part. I'm not the most handy in the garage but It may be something for me to consider since no other Camry's on the road (that I know of) have this feature and it'd be cool to be the first out there to try/do it (that we know of).

With my dumb luck though - Toyota will roll out an '08/'09 Camry that HAS these turns built into the mirror (like the '07 HCH already has - Boooo ).

I'll mull it around for a couple of days and se if my adventure spirit kicks in (along with my wallet!) and see - again - about making a commitment (seems to be a guy thing i guess....) After all - there is the MUTH mirror install I could use as a guide for finding and splicing the control wire for the mirror. problem is I do not know what the light at the mirror has to work with. I just wish these babys were a bit less $ to experiment with. I'll stay in touch and let you guys know.


(donations can be sent to me via P.O. box . . . . . . . . )

 

Warning: Thread resurrection!

Brian,

Did you ever get the mirrors?

John

 

Good: Looks and function. Totally different look to the car I think. They also will fold in (they have a “power fold” feature as well. Can be hardwired for ignition “on-out”, ignition “off-in”; or on a switch for manual control, or left alone and can be “hand folded” when desired. They came painted to match car color so no extra cost for matching paint (factory painted). Not seen any others out there yet. All features still work good (power control, heat, etc). They fold in well for parking areas (like the airport) so boneheads don’t plow between your car and tweak your mirror.

Bad: Here we go. “CHA-CHING”! Initial cost of the mirror housings was about $450. It’s a JDM part so it comes from overseas. At that time I thought not a bad price for a cool feature and look since I have not seen any others out there. The plot thickens. I asked about install and was assured they would fit. When I got them, they did not, but they will – as long as you have the correct base mount. US Camry’s do not. Since it was an EBay item and recovering money spent overseas seemed almost impossible to me I opted to have the seller locate the base mount. In fairness, they were good at working with me but tuff to communicate effectively with. They located the proper mounts - $500 – and they came with the mirrors as well (which was good because you do need them). A complete mirror, just minus a dress cover (which the turn mirrors replace). Anyway, the process of making my now $1,000 mirrors work was to merge parts from the two to make the correct mirror. Wiring was required (not a plug and play) so I had a shop do it all. Took about 4 hours and ran about $150. Since these were a JDM thru eBay, I know I was taking a chance but had not seen them anywhere else. Even a site online (Toyota of Orange in CA) listed them, but could not get the mounts as part of the package. I saw one other pair out there on eBay and the seller was in NJ and said they pair he had fits the “Allure” version exactly (Europe maybe?) and said no mods (other than wiring) was required. Of course I had already spent the money on mine and he never really responded completely about his set.

Ugly: Install a bit more than a simple DIY. I had a custom shop do it since it required a bit more time and tools than I have. Also, you have to remember that these are original for Japan cars, and the mount angle/view is different since the driver is on the right side (not the USA left). So, the drivers mirror is mounted a bit more tilted in than normal. Even with the glass powered out as far as it can go, still does not catch the left lane enough to be safe (I put a little blind spot mirror on the driver side and it pretty much cured the issue – just had to get used to looking into it for lane changes). Passenger side is out a bit so you need to draw in the mirror almost all the way to align with the car for viewing. Not as bad as the driver, but not a lot of flex to work with.

Overall: If I had to do it again I probably would not due to the cost. Although, I like the looks a lot. Even the dealer I go to for service was impressed. Along with the other mods I have done (halo headlight rings, amber fogs, gold plate emblems) the car stands out different from other Camry’s (not just Hybrids) on the road. So, if you have extra $$ to toss around maybe consider it?

I’ll try to get some pics up with the different looks.

 

OK. Got a few photos of the lights and the mirrors (blurry, tried to catch it between blinks and at dusk).

 

Very impressive.
I'm glad you got them to work, but ouch.
For $600, I might have done it, but for $1100 I probably won't have it done myself.
Thank you for the information and pictures.

 

It looks good Brian. Thanks for taking one for the team!

 

wow, looks fantastic!