Scion tC with M3 style mirrors
Scion tC is a compact car introduced by Japanese automaker Toyota in 2004 as a concept car under its recently introduced Scion brand name. The Scion tC was designed to appeal to the Generation Y market. They hoped to do so by making standard features numerous and optional features extremely easy to add. The Scion tC is generally considered Toyota's successor to the Celica whose production ended with the 2006 model year (2005 in the United States). Many modifications can be done to you Scion to make it look sportier and perform better.
Installing M3 style mirrors is one of those neat projects that can really add some spice to the look of your Scion without taking up too much of your time. The total install time for a pair of M3 style mirrors should be less than two hours.
Aftermarket mirrors are available in different materials, including FRP plastic, carbon fiber and fiberglass. Plenty of different styles are available such as D1 style, F1 style and M3 styles. You can also get them in manual or electric, and get them with or without LED turn signals built in.
The toughest part of the job is actually finding a set of mirrors that will match your body color. If your Scion is white or black, there are usually aftermarket mirrors available in those two colors. Any other color will need to be custom-painted to match your body paint.
Some aftermarket mirrors are manufactured with an additional lamp in the side. This can be wired to either to your parking lamps or your turn-signal lamps. Either one requires additional wiring to be threaded through the door, so I usually don't recommend this approach. Most of the cars I've seen with lamps in the side of the mirrors don't actually have them connected-they're just for show.
The Scion tC uses the chassis of the Avensis which is sold in the European market, and the Camry's 2.4 L 2AZ-FE I4 engine. Its low price (base MSRP of US$17,000 for the 2008 model) is a major feature, as well as the pure pricing marketing style that Toyota has adopted.
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