They do get hot to the touch. At those temps it'll take 2-3 minutes starting with a clean mirror and the engine running for alternator vs. battery feed.

 

Doesn't anybody read their owner's manuals any more???

 

I had no idea either! I have 99 Limited, so I'm guessing mine are heated too? To be quite honest, I never knew they were even offered on the 4Runner models.

Hell, I feel real stupid seeing how I've owned 4 of these damn rigs.

 

SWEEEEEET!!!! Thanks Dude(tte)s. I didn't know my SR5 had heated mirrors, and they seem to be a pair of the few things which still actually work! Probably because they don't get much use....

Slightly less unhappy.

p.s. The seat heaters don't seem to work

 

This is so funny. I was just thinking to myself yesterday that I wish this beast had heated mirrors! After it had snowed quite a bit, it was a pain to have to try and clear the snow that'd accumulate on the mirrors, thus hindering my view. My 325i and Acura CL had 'em, I really miss 'em now that I have a much older vehicle. There's no way to have them added is there?

 

Well I knew I had heated mirrors but I was always wondering what triggered them. Now I know.

 

I do have them, I just never turn on the rear defroster with bad weather, but in today's ice storm they cleared my side mirrors in a flash.

Thanks

 

Figures that I need em but I don't have em!!!
Guess I'll have to wait to get another 99+ to have em them.
Sounds like the retrofit is expensive ($190 per side). :pat:

 

I think I've been 'robbed'. I have an '03 SR5, and I don't have heated side mirrors. After reading this thread, I checked today, and they don't heat up no matter what I do with the rear defroster. I reread all the info, including the original window sticker and the ad brochure, and the only mention of heated side mirrors were as part of the standard features on the sport and limited editions. They are listed as "Color-keyed heated power outside mirrors", according to the brochure, and are not listed as an option on the SR5. I assume this to mean that the mirrors are Color matched to the vehicle color. Mine are black and are power, but not heated. And I also checked the window sticker for original dealer info. Mine came in thru Newark, and was originally delivered to a dealer in NJ and later transfered to the upstate NY dealer I bought it from.

 

yeah I am not surprised, toyota has decided if you want a loaded new 4runner you have to go Limited. Dealers have admited to me that you cannot buy a leather SR5, no matter what the brochures say.

I cannot say I am happy with their new marketing ploy.

 

That is CRAZY! It's more of a safety feature if anything. I cannot believe. My friend has a 96 Dodge Caravan and it has them!!!! This is making me mad.

 

I found out about mine by accident one day. I was sitting there waiting for the car to warm up listening to a talk show, and I look out to my left and my friggin mirror is smoking!!!!! Or so I thought...lol It took me a second but I realized what it must be. Very cool feature. Comes in handy even when the mirrrors just have dew on them. A couple minutes in teh on position, and voila!! All clear. Now I just wish my damn rear defroster would work...

 

'04 SR5 purchased in November and I don't have heated mirrors. Not an option, only on Sport and Limited.

 

That is absolutely ridiculous!!!! I can't believe this. It's a safety issue, not one of those goo-ga options that you should have to pay for.

Can someone explain why any Dodge Caravan made in 96 has them? Ohh, is that a kid behind my left rear tire, YES. In my 4Runner, no more kid - he's under the tire now.

 

I agree. Even my '86 Syncro Vanagon has heated outside mirrors. It would be a real drag without them every winter.
Mike

 

It is! :cry:

 

I used to work for a military contractor where we used http://www.minco.com/ heaters for many different applications. These things were super easy to use. We got sample sheets with many different sizes and shapes on it. You would cut out the one you wanted, wire it up, and glue it to whatever you were heating. Super simple. Many come with built in thermostats. I think this would be a very easy mod to do, but I dont have acces to these heaters anymore to experiment. Maybe somone else does, or we could find a product that uses these to take apart.

 

Crap......the place I used to work we did experiment with em at one point.
I think they went on mirrors for a snowmobile.

Great idea man!!!!!!!!!

 

I just thought of something else we used to use, and its something I have acces to. It is a cooler/heater element that uses the Peltier Effect sp?. These are the things that go in the coolers you plug into a cigarette lighter that either heat or cool depending on polarity. I have some of the "chips" at home and an old cooler with them also. They are fairly small as I remember maybe 1" x 1" x 1/2" and run on 12V.

 

Peltiers are good but the main idea is to just change electricity into heat. the peletier is more often use for cooling (typcally used for CPU coolers and the like) even though you are right, they do add heat to the system. I would worry the inside of the mirror would get very frosty and ice up like a snowcone.

I wish I had a broken 3rd gen mirror I could see to view how Toyota installed a heater in there. I am sure they used a flexible kapton heater but it may be a special size or design which will be tough to duplicate.

Anyone have a broken mirror (99+) we can experiment with?