Cheap, universal fit heated mirrors

[oil pan 4]

After last Ice storm and not being able to use the mirrors hardly at all, on and off for 3 days I thought it might be time to find a heated mirror.

After some searching around and not finding anything I found an post that got bumped on dieselplace referencing this: (I think these guys nailed it)
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/...mirrors.15958/

Only problem I see is heated hand grips can get really hot, might bust the glass. Trimming the voltage might be a good idea.

The heated hand grips I have had on ATV and snow mobiles when I lived in maine would only need about 8 seconds to melt some ice.

With my big mirrors just cram 2 of them in there and wire in series or one heat pad with resistor.

[SDMCF]

I saw someone who just ran a small wattage bulb hidden inside the mirror housing to de-ice the mirrors. Supposedly it worked well but I don't know any details like time to de-ice or temperatures reached. Could be an even easier fit though.

[Ryland]

$1 bottle of 99% isopropyl alcohol and a spay bottle would clear the ice without touching the mirror.

[oil pan 4]

99% alcohol and a lighter, I like where you are going with this.

[me and my metro]

We have International trucks at work. The 03+ have nice factory heated mirrors. The spot mirror is about 5" by 5" and is also heated. The grid looks like it will fit the factory GM truck mirrors. The wires would fit up the pipe and hide in the doors nicely. Just a thought someone out there makes these small heater grids.

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by me and my metro

Just a thought someone out there makes these small heater grids.

Do they look anything like this:

(these are not the ones I bought. The ones I picked are bigger, have water proof connections at the wire to grid sheet junction)

[Ryland]

My boss had the heated mirror on his Saab burst into flames a while back...

[oil pan 4]

Originally Posted by Ryland

My boss had the heated mirror on his Saab burst into flames a while back...

That's the OEMs for you.
Take a good idea and stuff it by cutting corners, getting "it" to work as cheaply and usually as inefficiently as possible.

With my heaters I was planning to trim the voltage down to the point where it was just enough to melt the ice and put them on a timer, so they turn off after a few minutes. If the mirrors ice up again then I hit the switch again.

I hear that some OE mirror heater make the mirror hot to the touch, might be why they catch fire.
I am trying to run an alt delete, not fry an egg on my mirror, so the less power my mirror heaters waste the better.

[SDMCF]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

If the mirrors ice up again then I hit the switch again.

Good & simple plan, but I doubt if you will ever need to do that. I have had heated mirrors that switch on & off with the heated rear screen. Once the ice on the mirrors was melted they never iced up again after the mirror heating went off.

[Xist]

People do not want to wait for their mirrors!