 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
SWC7916
Member
|
#1 Posted: Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 20:23 |
|
For those who have the factory-installed towing mirrors: I have a 2008 GMC 2500HD SLT that came with the DL3 (non-towing) mirrors. These were power mirrors with power fold, turn signals, defrost, memory, and auto-dim (I think they make coffee too, but I haven't figured out how to enable that feature.) I replaced these mirrors with the OEM GMC towing mirrors and would like to know what features I gave up. They are power mirrors with the turn signals built in and I know that I don't have the power fold, but it seems that I also lost the memory and back-up feature. Should I still have the defrost and auto-dim features? Also, the detents seem to be different on the two mirrors; i.e. at the first detent the driver's mirror is angled out further than the right mirror.
____________________
Steve and Karen
2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT 4X4 Ext Cab/Std Bed Duramax/Allison
TRAILER: 2010 AF 25R on order, ETA early April
|
Shane
Member
| Joined: | Sun Dec 12th, 2004 |
| Location: | Near Spokane |
| Posts: | 741 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Mana: |    |
|
#2 Posted: Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 20:51 |
|
| Our '07 Classic has the factory towing mirrors. The must be pulled out for towing — not an electrical feature. They contain turn signals and can be electrically controlled for tilt. They may have defrost, but I am not certain of that. Otherwise, they seem to have no other automatic or electrical features — that I am aware of. Electrical features aside, I like the mirrors for towing.
____________________
Shane and Patty
Babe the Brittany
2003, 27-5L AF
Chevy '07 3500 Dooley 4X4 LT3, Crew Cab, D/A
Two Honda Eu 2000
|
sly old fox
Member
| Joined: | Tue Jul 26th, 2005 |
| Location: | Hillsboro, Oregon USA |
| Posts: | 1358 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Mana: | |
|
#3 Posted: Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 21:19 |
|
My 07 NBS has the towing mirrors - the main difference with the towing mirrors over the years has been the angle they sit at and the overall size. Early tow mirrors simply extended out, but their small heads and lack of spotter mirrors made them almost worthless except for boats. The mirrors they came out with in 06 were more like what Ford had done for years, a rectangular head with lower spotter mirrors that slid out on two supports. On the 06 and 07 classics the mirrors had a slight upward angle to them for the 07NBS and newer trucks the mirrors sit flat.
As for functions mine have the LED turn arrow, remote mirror controls for the main mirror, manual spotter adjustments, and defrost/defoggers.
You gave up auto dim, power fold, memory and backup features - but you gained a whole lot of mirror - and with the spotter mirrors and the large main mirror surface you don't need the back-up feature.
On my truck the detents are different - you probably never noticed it with the power fold mirrors, but I bet they were different as well. The reason is that on the passenger side your viewing angle is different that on the drivers side, they partially compensate for this by the angle of the entire mirror head
____________________
*Sly Old Fox
2005 AF 22H
2007 Chevy 2500HD 4x4 Ext Cab 6.0L 4.10 rear gears,6spd auto,Built-in brake controller, EAZ-Lift /w/1000lb bars
Avatar - camping at Wolf Creek County Park, Wolf Creek OR
|
SWC7916
Member
|
#4 Posted: Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 21:46 |
|
| Thanks. I never used the back-up feature, so I won't miss it. I purchased the mirrors from an eBay seller to save money, then ended up paying the dealer to fix the mess I made trying to install them (I dropped one of the nuts down into the door and couldn't find it.) When I first went to pick up the truck after the mirrors were installed, I tried all the functions including the memory recall. The mirrors shifted around and ended up pointing at the sky. Apparently, this is not a total DIY job; the computer needs to know that you now have trailer mirrors. Now only the seat and pedals move; the mirrors stay where they were. Adjusting the spotter mirrors will be a trial-and-error thing until I get them where I want them (I'm not sure where that is yet, but I'll try until I find something I like.) My left mirror looks level but the right mirror seems to sag a bit (to my eye, at least.) I've checked and it is mounted flush and secure; I guess that's just the way it is.
____________________
Steve and Karen
2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT 4X4 Ext Cab/Std Bed Duramax/Allison
TRAILER: 2010 AF 25R on order, ETA early April
|
sly old fox
Member
| Joined: | Tue Jul 26th, 2005 |
| Location: | Hillsboro, Oregon USA |
| Posts: | 1358 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Mana: | |
|
#5 Posted: Fri Jul 3rd, 2009 09:30 |
|
Yeah, GM wants a pretty penny for those mirrors if you buy them as an accessory - to get them as an option is now around $50 - I paid $232 for mine but back then if you ordered them on the LTZ version it was only $42.00 - I guess those fancy mirrors with the auto dim etc cost more than the ones they put on the LT trim so the cost difference is less. I noticed that for 2009 they made the camping mirrors the same for all trim levels.
BTW I set my spotter mirrors so that I can just see the rear tires of the truck on the lower inside edge. I find that this allows me to watch the wheels while backing and still see something beside me. This also works well when it the towing position as I can track the trailer tires on tight corners and curbs. I keep the big mirrors adjusted so that the middle of the mirror is looking at the top of the bed. I find that gives me enough information about what is behind and beside me.
I really like the fact that the right hand mirror is not all convex and objects are just as they appear.
____________________
*Sly Old Fox
2005 AF 22H
2007 Chevy 2500HD 4x4 Ext Cab 6.0L 4.10 rear gears,6spd auto,Built-in brake controller, EAZ-Lift /w/1000lb bars
Avatar - camping at Wolf Creek County Park, Wolf Creek OR
|
SWC7916
Member
|
#6 Posted: Wed Jul 8th, 2009 15:39 |
|
| Now that I've got the tow mirrors installed, I am finding that I'm beginning to like them. I have noticed a couple of differences: The main mirror surface is so big that vehicles appear to be closer than they did with the stock mirrors, and I've noticed a bit more wind noise from them.
____________________
Steve and Karen
2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT 4X4 Ext Cab/Std Bed Duramax/Allison
TRAILER: 2010 AF 25R on order, ETA early April
|
Current time is 12:43 | |
|
|
|
|
