toy4speed

Wow, just wrote a long explanation of what I am trying to do, added pics, and boom! it all disappeared! Maybe the pics were too large and bumped out all the written stuff?
Anyway, I have these 1A Auto tow mirrors for my 2018 F150 XLT, 3.5 eco, max tow, fx4, with blis. Want tow mirrors but Ford has nothing, but 1A Auto has these mirrors, pretty much exactly what I need, except they don't list 2018 as an application. Probably due to the AIT in the passenger side mirror on the 2018 trucks.
So, I am trying to figure out the wiring differences between the connectors on the 2018 mirror and the 2017 1A Auto mirror. I see two wires in my stock harness not going to a pin on the 1A Auto connector. I am guessing maybe those 2 wires go to the AIT. I tried connecting up the 1A Auto mirror on my truck, got the power mirror glass to move, puddle lights worked, parking lights seem to work too. However, check engine light came on. Made sense since no AIT connected. The blis was turned off too. I cleared the code for the check engine light (AIT issue), put the stock mirror back on, gotta get ready for a trip tomorrow. Hope to play with this more next week. Will try to post some pics separate from my written stuff.

toy4speed

the mirrors I am trying to adapt, from 1A Auto: https://www.1aauto.com/2015-17-ford-...1/i/1amrp02002

toy4speed

The stock mirror connector has more pins than the 1A Auto mirror connector.

toy4speed

The 1A Auto mirror connector, couple less pins than stock mirror connector.

toy4speed

If this isn't too much of a effort to get to work on the 2018 trucks with blis, it will give lots of owners in a similar dilemma as me a good option. The Snap and Zap clip on mirror extensions are ok, and I have been using them, but I really miss having nice big tow mirrors. Regardless, loving the truck, getting it set up better for towing every trip, as I keep adjusting the WDH, truck suspension.

smokeywren

Nonsense! Ford parts has numerous different tow mirrors with different features for 2018 F-150s. I suspect what you meant is that Ford has nothing you want to pay for. Here's one for the right side of your XLT:
Power, with trailer tow, with telescoping, with blind spot monitor, with rear camera, without front/side camera-chrome trim.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...MtNWwtdjYtZ2Fz

But If that's not the exact one you need, then check out the others that are available, and order the matching left-side mirror too.
https://parts.autonationfordwhitebea...e-mirrors-scat

Digging through the Ford parts catalog can be frustrating and confusing. But any decent Ford parts counter man can give you the part numbers for exactly what you need. Then check out those part numbers on a discount Ford parts website. Then ask your Ford parts manager if he can match the price. Mine can and will.

toy4speed

Hey smokeywren, thanks for the response, but I had checked out those mirrors, and the left side ones too ($700+ each). It was a while back, when I bought my truck, around august I think, but was told those mirrors won't work in my truck. Can't remember why. Maybe it had something to do with the power folding, or telescoping. I will have to go back and check my notes. Perhaps they needed to open the door panel to modify some wiring, or add switches, not sure. Even at $600 each, I buy them if it indeed would work on my truck, in a plug and play way. Only issue I have is the BLIS system, seems to limit my mirror choices. If anyone has found a Ford tow mirror, that fits onto a 2018 XLT with BLIS, I'm ALL ears!

toy4speed

Here's the link to the original thread I posted, back on July 5th this year about getting tow mirrors for my 2018 XLT with BLIS. Some good info here, and one of the reasons I gave up on finding a Ford mirror that would work for me.

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/retro...18-xlt-420569/

toy4speed

FINALLY got around to adapting my 1A tow mirrors (part# 1amrp02002), listed for a 2017 F150, got it to work on my 2018 F150 XLT. I have to say, it is so nice to drive with tow mirrors again! Much better and safer view of the side, back, blind spot on side too. The convex mirror on the bottom portion of the housing really does a nice job of seeing that side blind spot area.

Just to recap, my 2018 F150 came as a XLT, 302A package, 3.5 EB, max tow, side mirrors were manual fold, spotlights, puddle lights, heated glass, BLIS. As many know, getting a "easily" bolt on tow mirror that maintains all the existing features, that manually extends, manually folds, and has the correct AAT sensor on the RH mirror is quite the issue. I tow a car trailer. Tow mirrors are essential. Snap and Zap were ok, but really wanted normal tow mirrors. Nothing from Ford was available as a bolt on. Others have gone into the door wiring, adapted tow mirrors of higher end models of the F150, and resulted in having tow mirrors that did everything, and now also had power extend/power fold. Lots of work, and I doubted my ability for that much effort.

Back to these 1A Auto, Trail Ridge Mirrors. Apparently my part# is not currently listed by 1A Auto. Mine were around $600/pair, did all the functions listed above (of my stock mirrors), and included "upgrade" kits to wire a F150 to have spotlights, puddle lights, and side marker lights (led) if not already optioned on the truck. Mine has these, so it was plug and play for me. Even the marker lights were apparently wired into my body harness so the tow mirror markers worked without modding. Looking at the 1A Auto website, seems the most reasonable kit, similar to mine is: https://www.1aauto.com/2015-17-ford-...6/i/1amrp01947. This part# 1amrp01947 also has the upgrade kit for the spot/puddle/marker lights, and noticeably less expensive than my mirrors. These mirrors also have the 22 pin connector as mine, and as my stock mirrors.

What I needed to do to get the RH mirror to function as stock, was wire in a 2 wire AAT sensor into the body door harness connector (that connects to the mirror). It would be the #2 and #6 wires on the connector. I will have a picture below. I used a T-tap connector for each wire, to a Ford AAT sensor I purchased (not the same shape or style as the stock sensor out of the mirror), and for now it dangles inside of the passenger door. Not currently measuring ambient air temp of outside, but rather inside cabin temp by the mirror. I wired it just to see if it would work, and seems fine, temperature is appropriate, no CEL, or issues, and BLIS works fine. I just need to find a place to mount this sensor (or another sensor if I can find a smaller sensor) in a spot on the mirror assembly such that it gets outside air. I have a few ideas, but likely will not mount it under the mirror housing as the stock unit. I'm concerned about trying to open the tow mirror housing body, and breaking the tabs holding the cap and such together. I don't have auto a/c (wish I did), so the AAT accuracy for me is not critical, but I'd like it to work as intended. Likely will just mount the sensor somewhere on the black triangular plastic part of the mirror that mounts to the door framing.

May need to fold the mirrors back in tighter parking lots, otherwise I will just get use to the added width of the truck. No doubt gas mileage will decrease too, oh well.

More pics on next post.

toy4speed

The #2 and #6 wires from the connector pulled outward to prepare for the T-taps.



The 2 T-taps on the wires, and connected to the pigtail/connector that attaches to the sensor.




This mirrors manually pull out, can manually fold back to be fairly flush with the truck, and can fold forward slightly if they are bumped.



Extended they provide a very nice view.

The BLIS is as visible as the stock mirrors, and although the mirror is supposedly heated, I'm not sure if only the top mirror is heated or if also the lower mirror also is heated.