One of the most attractive ways of putting side-mounted turn signals on your tow vehicle is to install a mirror with built-in signals, and Muth's Signal Mirrors are some of the best-looking products on the market. With the LEDs hidden behind the mirror glass, this concept makes the turn signal almost invisible whenever it's not illuminated. Furthermore, by selectively etching the mirror surface and pointing the LEDs away from the driver, the light produced by the signal is bright and unmistakable to adjacent motorists, but just barely noticeable from the driver's position.

Muth makes a broad selection of custom Signal Mirrors for specific vehicle applications, but we decided to install the company's small Universal Wide-Angle version on our compact pickup, our favorite tow vehicle for pop-up campers. Available in red ($149 plus shipping) and also in amber ($169 plus shipping) colors, this model provides an easy method of adding a very towing-friendly fish-eye view to most factory and aftermarket mirrors. The kit includes one left and one right-hand Wide Angle Signal Mirror assembly, wire, connectors and installation instructions.

Although the installation process isn't for the faint-hearted, and Muth recommends professional installation, it's something that most experienced do-it-yourselfers can probably handle. The new mirrors are attached with OEM-grade adhesive foam tape. The LED wires can either exit from one edge of the Signal Mirror (the easy way) or through the back after removing a small section of the old mirror. Removing part of the existing mirror involves scoring the surface with a glass-cutter before breaking it away. Although it's possible to crack the mirror during this process, replacement glass is relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Note that removing a section of original-equipment mirrors that are heated or self-dimming is not recommended.

Each mirror connects to one of the two wire harnesses included in the kit, which is then routed through the old mirror housing, behind the door panel, across the door-hinge gap to the front pillar, and under the instrument panel or side floor-kick panels for connection to the vehicle's existing turn-signal wires. If your vehicle already has power door locks, windows or other electrical devices located inside the doors, it's sometimes possible to route the new mirror wires through the existing door-harness conduit, thereby avoiding the need to drill any new holes in the door or pillar. If not, the new mirrors come with a complete hardware package that also includes grommets for dressing up any holes required by your particular application.

Each mirror draws less than 0.2 amps, which means that no upgrades to your flasher or turn signal wiring are necessary. The life expectancy of most LEDs is conservatively rated at many tens of thousands of hours, so you'll probably never have to worry about bulb burnout. - J.D.

Muth Mirror Systems, (800) 844-6616, kwmuth.com. Circle 218 on Reader Service Card.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Apr 2005
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

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