Power Folding Mirror Upgrade

sugarjohnson · February 15, 2015

I misunderstood.... looking back I thought we were talking tow mirrors...my bad. You are correct on the LTZ. I also examined the GM up-fitter manual when installing my 15 tow mirrors. Real pain in the ass.

1baddad · February 15, 2015

Yes, Sir I've installed tow mirrors in the past and I'm glad I don't need them on my 1500.

Rediculus · February 18, 2015

So...after receiving the gm part for power fold, it is not designed to plug into the exsisting harness on door. A new harness would be needed, but looks simple to install. Does not seem like programing will be needed. Everything has work with plug and play so far. I will attempt to track down that door harness and install the new switch and see what happens then.

1baddad · February 18, 2015

I'm betting you will need the passenger switch and BCM flashed to make it work.

robgrozell · February 24, 2015

Just wanted to see if there were any updates on this or if anyone has a definitive answer. I bought the powerfold tow mirrors for my 2015 GMC sierra 2500HD SLE with the basic mirrors. I also bought the driver's side harness and driver and passenger switches. I installed everything and this is where I'm at....the new drivers side harness had an extra connector on it that had nowhere to plug into(imag 1178), the passenger side switch (window switch) (imag 1176,1177) had an extra connector on it but the passenger side harness had no plug to connect to the new switch? I'm guessing that my truck is completely not wired for the powerfold option....Also, once I completed everything the mirror adjust doesn't even work, I'm assuming that the new switch will need to be programmed by GM.

As I see it right now it looks like there is another switch required for the driver's side with the extra connector for the extra plug out of the new harness and I need a new cable run from under the dash to the harness on the passenger side door as well as a harness from there with the extra plug for the empty connector on the new passenger side switch (window switch).

Any help or constructive comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

1baddad · February 24, 2015

I think they supplied you the wrong harnesses and or those tow mirrors are NOT power fold. Power fold DL3 mirrors have two plugs.

Also, If they used your vin number to order the harnesses then you won't have the right ones. You'll need a VIN off of a truck that has the DL3 RPO Code. Then you'll need it programmed using that VIN.

Edited February 24, 2015 by 1baddad

rdk1ll · March 31, 2015

Any updates on this? I have been researching on how to change my DL8 mirrors to DL3 so I can add powerfold and signals. Can this be done by just swapping mirrors, harnesses, and switch?

1baddad · March 31, 2015

Short answer, NO.

You can buy DL3 mirrors and the turn signal will work as will the heated and control to adjust. If you want them to power fold you have 2 options. Wire them in for about 75.00 and place a switch on the dash panel or spend about 3,000.00 on wiring, parts and dealer programming.

Diagram half way down.....

http://www.gm-trucks...t900-truetruck/

rdk1ll · March 31, 2015

thanKs for the fast response. Do you know if the security lights/puddle lights on the dl3 mirrors will work without cutting wires?

1baddad · March 31, 2015

No. They also need to be wired in.

Just my personal opinion but puddle lights to me are useless because once you open the door the light moves away from the area you want lit up.

Just do this and run the wires for the puddle lights to the same place he shows here.

Edited March 31, 2015 by 1baddad

Rediculus · April 1, 2015

Ok. So I had a chance to purchase everything that should have been needed for the mirror upgrade. Mirrors, switch, and new harnesses. The fact is, 2014 and up Silverado LT's are not wired for this upgrade. If you want OEM look and feel, which is what I like, you either have to have your vehicle main harness and fusebox swapped out (which ain't gonna happen), or wire everything yourself manually if you can figure out the wiring scheme of the mirrors, then hope you can hide all the wires added. I have the parts to make it work, just not the time. Power fold wiring is only included on the LTZ's and up. They have different body harness and different fusebox. I actually replaced the fusebox in my LT. Quick job, but hard to find the right parts. GMPartsGiant.com helped, along with another site I cannot recall right now. I have the most options on my LT, and still does not allow the upgrade. This includes many electrical upgrades, like the front collision detection. So if you have an LT, make time to experiment and wite yourself, or be content with the truck you have.

PS: I am looking to sell my upgrade items to anyone interested. Mirrors are on ebay, but I also have driver switch, button harness, and door harness.

Rediculus · April 1, 2015

Forgot to mention, the only option that were plug n play on the new mirrors were the default options I already had, power mirror tilt and heated mirrors. That is all the LT is wired for.

1baddad · April 1, 2015

So, When you plugged the mirrors in using the STOCK wiring the turn signal part did not work?

It is plug and play on my 2013. My 2013 had everything the LTZ has with the exception of the power fold mirrors.

I guess if i buy a new truck next year I'll make sure that is added to the package.

Installing the mirrors and using a momentary switch mounted in a clean place on the dash and such isn't as big a deal as it sounds. Just use the diagram provided on the 1st or 2nd page.

1baddad · April 1, 2015

Parts List: Here is a list of parts that you will need. It is a minimum. You can add things like crimp connectors, blade/spade connectors, solder, ect. I left that stuff out. You can connect your wiring however you want. I used solder for wire-to-wire, and blade/spade connector at the junction box.

1. Black wire, 16-18 gauge, 15’
2. Blue wire, 16-18 gauge, 15’
3. Yellow wire, 16-18 gauge, 15’
4. Red wire, 16-18 gauge, 15’
a. Wiring from Ace Hardware. Ace is the place.
5. Fuse holder, mini blade type
6. Fuse, mini blade, 10 amp
a. Fuse holder and fuse from AutoZone
7. Momentary Rocker switch, mini, SPDT
- a. Purchased on Amazonhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PNKF2E/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?%20%20%20%20ie=UTF8&psc=1
8. Relay, SPDT, Two of them
9. Relay wire harness, SPDT, Two of them
- a. The relays and harnesses can be purchased on Amazon for about $8 for everything. The package deal comes with a blade fuse holder and fuse. I didn’t use the fuse holder because I didn’t like it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0SATHE/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wiring Diagram: I found this online. It is about the only thing I found that was useful for getting the power fold to work. There is a lot of info DL3 installation, but not much on making the power fold work.

I used the relay harness from the parts list so that it will be easy to replace a relay if I need to. Connect your new wires as shown in the wiring diagram. I used liquid electrical tape on all soldered connections, and then I wrapped all the wires together with electrical tape to make it nice and clean and to protect the wiring. I grounded the relays to the metal tube that runs behind the steering wheel. The rocker switch is also grounded to this spot. The tube is accessible by removing the fuse panel cover. I just used a self tapping screw to secure the ground wires. While the cover is off, run the wires to the driver and passenger side of the truck. I also installed the relays by attaching them with a screw to the dash behind the fuse box cover. They are above the fuse panel so you can easily get to the fuses or replace a relay if needed.

Mirror Install: There is already a great DIY with lots of pictures on how to remove the door panels and replace the mirrors. I am not going to rehash all that. Here is the link for easy access. DL3 mirror "How To". I suggest removing the plastic covers on the old mirrors before you take them off if you plan on using them for the new mirrors. It is a lot easier to do it while they are on the truck. After removing the covers as necessary, remove the mirrors as directed in the referenced how-to and put the new mirrors on. Remove and replace the mirror covers as needed. Use the wiring diagram above to connect the new wires to the new mirrors. You will hook up your new yellow and blue wires to the light blue and yellow wires from the mirrors. These wires can be found in the pig-tail attached to the mirror that has the white connector on the end.

Switch install: Be sure to use a momentary switch! I put a piece of painters tape on the panel after removing it from the dash. (I didn’t want to us marker in the dash, but I later discovered that you can use a sharpie directly on the plastic and remove any left after cutting using rubbing alcohol.) Then I marked the location for the switch (about 1" below and centered from the fog light). I cut the whole small with a Dremel tool and then made it bigger a little at a time until the switch fit. If the hole is too small it will put too much pressure on the switch and it will not return to center. If it is too big the switch will fall out or you will see the edges of the hole. Mounting it higher would have hit the mount for the switches above the rocker, and lower would be too close to where the dash panel starts to turn back towards the dash. I centered the switch with the fog/dome switch the best I could. Be sure to connect your black wires to the switch before replacing the panel. Before you can replace the panel you will need to cut a hole in the dash to accommodate the depth of the switch with the wires connected. You will not see this hole after the panel is put back in. Be sure to connect your ground wire to the switch.

Power ON: We need power to get these babies to fold. You should already have the turn signal, power adjusts, and heat functions working. That is plug-and-play when you connected the black connector for the mirror. The location of the connector to the wiring harness is attached to the door panel. You can get power for the power fold from many places. I get it from the junction box that is located by your feet when you drive. There are options for power in this box: ignition on, accessory on, or always on. I chose to wire mine as accessory. This way I can move the mirrors for the ten minutes after the key is turned off but the doors haven’t been opened.

Conclusion: Your DL3 power folding mirrors are now completely functional. Push the switch one way to open and the other to close. I set mine up so that I push to the right to close and left to open. It is easy to switch this, just switch the wiring harness on the relays. Make sure both mirrors are open/closed before you operate them. One open and one closed will probably burn out the motor as one will move and the other will not. This project took about three – 2 hour sessions after work. I am slow, so someone that has a little more experience could probably do this in a couple hours max.

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Edited April 1, 2015 by 1baddad

Meny Venzor · April 1, 2015

I have a 2014 SLE sierra and I was wanting to upgrade to the new tow mirrors any advise in this I heard they are not plug and play is there a special harness or switches I have to purchase