The holy grail. The thing tens of thousands of HD owners are looking for but fucking no one seems to make... a pre-2014 power folding tow mirror.
I have searched for years for this and it flat out doesn't exist as best as I can tell.
So who here has tried to modify their DL8 tow mirrors with DL3 motors to get them to fold? I know one of you crazy genius bastards has to have figured this out!
I just don't get the desire of the fold...do you park in the city or something? I have these on a few cars and never use them... power extension I could see being a nice feature.
As far as I know, no one has created one yet....China is good at making knock offs, but they aren't so good with the engineering piece.
Edit: Muth Mirror makes the mirrors for GM, maybe find someone and shoot them a email about the possibility of an aftermarket project?
I've never parked in the garage before because my truck is too tall. Building a new house right now so I had them do an 8' tall door so I can park in the garage. It's a 1-car (wife got the 2-car) so it's only 8' wide as well. I never realized it until I tried to pull in the other day and my truck is 8'2" wide with the mirrors folded out (not telescoped). I'll have the fold the mirrors in everyday to pull in and fold them out after I pull out. That'll suck to have to do that everyday.
Ahhhhh I got ya, didn't think about garage parking...
So I just looked on LinkedIn, this guy Dan Mathieu at Muth Mirror is the director of aftermarket products. I can shoot him a note and see if they have a no-compete contract with GM and if they'd be interested in producing something aftermarket for our trucks. Maybe a universal mount for all years and specific bases for each chassis.
The trouble is wiring in such a system, as we don't have the wiring for power fold-in. It would probably have to go through the Body Communications Module (BCM) if you want it fully integrated.
I looked at Muth but they did not have a "standard" solution. If you know the guy and can reach out to him, that would be outstanding. Doing a google search for this shows thousands of people with pre-2014 chevy/GMC HD looking for the exact same thing.
My truck actually did have a power fold option, just in the smaller "car style" mirrors. Because of that, the door panel control modules with the appropriate wiring is available. Remote fold (control from the key fob) wasn't an option so I don't think it would require a BCM or ECM reprogram, just the OEM door control panels. That's assuming the solution uses the same/similar folding motor as the factory DL3 mirrors.
If you're interested, I'm sure you could probably get the DL3 function on the +15 tow mirrors to work on your 2011 with a little modification. May need to move pins in the sockets or something or need to modify complete newer truck harnesses (the door wiring harness and possibly the additional jumper harness). The jumper harness may be enough, who knows. It may not be cheap but I would look into the newer mirrors and making them work. I love the little LEDs that GM added to illuminate down the side of the truck/trailer, they've helped me tremendously at night. A guy I know put them on his 800 series truck but I don't know if the DL3 function works.
I definitely think it's worth investigating because I added regular DL3 mirrors to my 2010 LT. Since GM changed some things electronically between 2009 and 2010, it took A LOT of ingenuity and cloning a BCM from a different truck and then reprograming my VIN into it as GM wouldn't modify my LT BCM to operate like an LTZ because of "Liability Reasons" (yank me). I did the modifications to my 2010 because GM said it couldn't be done and I knew they were wrong. I also added Denali door panels and a few other things that my LT didn't have so that was part of the headache. With yours being a Denali, you shouldn't have those issues. If you don't already, you'll need DL3 window switches for sure and then maybe door harnesses and a BCM reprogram. That is all I would think you would need besides some of the 2015+ parts I mentioned above.
I'm actually not a fan of the newer mirrors. I don't like them painted and hate chrome. Most all of the chrome is removed from my Denali. I am also not a fan of the amber side marker or rear LED. Makes them look like Ford mirrors to me, not my taste. I love my plastic basic tow mirrors, they fit the truck perfectly in my opinion. I found a 2010 Yukon Denali in a local junk yard. Yard owner says it still has the mirrors and door panels in it. I plan on grabbing those and gutting a set of DL8s to see if I can shove a DL3 motor inside. The 2010 Yukon had heated glass and turn markers in the glass so the wiring should all be there to do what I want.
I would agree that the new mirrors are very Ford like which I also don't care for. It would be nice to have the power telescoping like Fords but then again I guess they would actually be Ford mirrors then. They would be better if the amber lens were smoked like the roof markers. I also agree the older mirrors do match your truck better. I thought the early 2015s looked weird with the previous model mirrors because of how the new body style is more rigid/blocky looking and the previous model mirrors are more rounded for that generation. If the mirrors from the 2010 Yukon Denali don't work out, maybe you can "re-skin" the new DL3 mirrors with the previous DL8 mirror coverings & glass and do some rewiring. Good luck.
I'll get together some pics. It's nothing extravagant as I just basically turned my nearly base 2010 1500 LT into an LTZ but with the LT dash. My LT had only 3 options with the most important being the NHT (Max Trailering Package) which included the 6.2L (w/o AFM) and 14-bolt differential with 3.73 gears. When I bought it, my criteria was a black on black LT 4-door 4x4 with the NHT. Budget was a huge factor at the time of purchase but looking back, it definitely would have been easier and probably cheaper to just buy an LTZ with the NHT and put in the LT dash as I personally preferred the LT dash. After I was done with everything, it was a true one-off truck. I wish I still had it but for me to be able to afford my Duramax, it had to go. I see what I can get together for you.
Nice job!! That looks way time consuming and above my skill set. Let me know if you get around to making or offering a finished product you can sale and actually make money on! I'd be interested for sure. Would it be easier to retro-fit the power folding option into the Boost Auto Parts mirrors?
Boost Auto Parts posted a story on their instagram last week showing a 2011-2014 Denali HD that was power folding the new style tow mirrors using a factory door panel switch. Really glad they’re finally doing this, as I figured they eventually would. Kinda doubtful they’ll make it an add on kit to those who already bought Boost Auto mirrors but pretty cool nonetheless.
With that said, if there’s enough interest, maybe they’ll eventually develop power folding for the old style tow mirrors like you’re wanting
Here is a thread by a guy who made it happen. You may find it interesting, but I think the project is beyond the scope of most on here. (that DOES include me too!)
I noticed these power fold tow mirrors that will fit my '11. They are the old style, though. I contacted the company to ask if they plan to offer this feature on the new style mirrors. They said yes, but don't know when they'll be ready yet.
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