I installed a new set of Kool-Vue towing mirrors this past week and thought I would share a few tips of how to install them.

Step One
Unscrew the 3 phillips screws holding the door panel.

Screw 1


Scew 2 & 3



Step Two
Pry out the 13 door panel clips to free the panel. I used a big screw driver and long needle nose pliers to free the clips. None broke!!




Step Three
Remove the foam insulation stuffed in the mounting hole.Unscrew the three 10mm nuts on the factory mirror assembly. Disconnect the mirrors wiring harness, pop out the wire grommet and remove mirror.





Step Four
Fitting the Kool-Vue Mirror to the door.

Heat the wire grommet with a hair dryer to help with installing it in the door. With it warm it slips right into the hole.

Be EXTREMELY CAREFUL on how you route the wiring in the mirror assembly before tightening the mirror to the door. You will know if your wiring harness is in the way as the mounting studs on the mirror will appear to be too short. I pinched my driver side mirror wire bundle and had to do a minor repair. It also blew a fuse when testing. The fuse that went was the IOD fuse in the fuse panel located inside the truck. When it blew the radio, interior lights and power mirrors quit working. IMO this is one of the disadvantages with these mirrors. Kool-Vue could have done a lot better with routing of the wiring harness in the mirror assembly.


Step Five
I re-used the foam insulation to fill the hole. You will need to drill three holes in the insulation so the mounting studs can fit through.


If re-using the factory foam insulation you will need to trim down the foam backing on the new mounting plate. I trimmed off about half the foam.



Step Six
Feed the wiring harness through the mounting plate and install and tighten the three 10mm mounting nuts fastening the mirror in place. Plug in the wire harness and test the mirror before installing the door panel back onto the door.



Step Seven
If the test is good, install the door panel and do the same for the passenger side!

 

Before








After

 

Good job and good pics, I have the factory ones and they work pretty good, just wish the passenger one was out a couple more inches, but they work great for towing.

 

Fantastic writeup with pics. Thanks for taking the time. I'm bookmarking this thread.

Where did you get the mirrors from btw. Did they come with the bigger backing plates too?

 

Hey CORed

I ordered the mirrors from Fenderworld. They will also supply the mounting brackets as well.

http://www.fenderworld.com/DODGE-RAM...-p5241830.html

 

That looks like an easier way to do it. When I installed mine, I just removed the top screw and pried the door panel back, not entirely removing it. Worked alright, but awful cramped. Looking back I think I'll just take the whole door panel off if I do this again.

 

wow, that didn't take very long to get them on and pics up!

nice write up.

where in alberta are you?

 

Sweet! Saving some cash for the non-power units. They're pretty cost effective compared to Dodge. I'm totally psyched now!

 

Located 20mins east of Edmonton.

 

Good lookin mirrors my man.
I donno about you but hardest part for me was gettin that door panal off.
Those little snap clips are a major pain in the butt!
Good lookin upgrade though thats for sure.

 

If they include the mounting brackets with the mirror kit then that is good! I'll have to keep them in mind when I upgrade mirrors!

 

Nice write up! I have done a couple of these installs but didn't have a camera at the time to be able to take pics. I love those towing mirrors!

 

to those that have the kool-vues. i have heard they can be a little unstable at highway speeds compared to the stock mirrors.

anyone have any trouble with these mirrors being a little 'loose', or 'sloppy' at all? or are they just as solid as a stock mirror when installed correctly?

 

I have OEM towing mirrors on the 05 and the Kool-Vues on the 01 and have not noticed any difference between the two. They both vibrate slightly at highway speeds (mirror glass), but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I am concerned. Certainly not enough to blur vision in them.

 

good to know, thanx for the feedback!