Gentex replacement rearview mirror

Clark Addison

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Sep 2, 2010
Location
California
TDI
2010 Sportwagen TDI
I'm thinking about replacing the stock rearview mirror in my 2010 JSW TDI with a Gentex. It offers self dimming and homelink.

Has anybody installed this in their JSW? How does it work, and how hard is the installation?
 

nhdoc

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Dec 14, 2009
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Nashua, NH
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'01 GLS NB TDI 5 Speed
I installed one in my Cup Car last month and am very pleased.

The only thing I found was the VW adapter plate which I bought wasn't thick enough to hold the mirror without wobbling up and down so I had to thicken it with about 6 layers of duct tape on the back (cut with a razor to the shape of the plate) at which point I could gently tap it down over the plastic mount on the windshield and it was good and tight then.

Got mine from this place:

http://www.brandnewauto.com/AUTO-DIM...-p8051612.html
 

TDIinMA

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Sep 1, 2010
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Plymouth, MA
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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
I installed one in my Cup Car last month and am very pleased.

The only thing I found was the VW adapter plate which I bought wasn't thick enough to hold the mirror without wobbling up and down so I had to thicken it with about 6 layers of duct tape on the back (cut with a razor to the shape of the plate) at which point I could gently tap it down over the plastic mount on the windshield and it was good and tight then.

Got mine from this place:

http://www.brandnewauto.com/AUTO-DIM...-p8051612.html
Would you mind posting some details about your install experience of the wire harness? Any issues arise like the thickness of your adapter?

I am going to be tackling this job soon and am thinking the best bet is to tie in at the upper console that my sunroof utilizes.

Thanks!
 

nhdoc

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'01 GLS NB TDI 5 Speed
Would you mind posting some details about your install experience of the wire harness? Any issues arise like the thickness of your adapter?

I am going to be tackling this job soon and am thinking the best bet is to tie in at the upper console that my sunroof utilizes.

Thanks!
I ran the wires into the overhead console and found switched and constant power sources in there. You can also run the wires down the A-Pillar and into the fuse box. There's a lot of information if you search on the MKV board. I don't particularly like to use the wire tap connectors supplied with the kit but did. If they prove problematic it isn't a big deal to splice the wires more securely with solder.

Here's a post I found particularly helpful (including his photos which are linked to):

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2794265&postcount=32

And this post gave some good follow-up:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=2811377&postcount=40

and if you prefer, read the entire thread:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=243114
 
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TDIinMA

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Sep 1, 2010
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Plymouth, MA
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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
Awesome!

Many thanks nhdoc. This is precisely what I need. Now I feel a lot more confident about this project and may add one to our B6 Passat as well. :cool:

PS: I used to live in Nashua, nice area. ;)
 
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TDIinMA

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Sep 1, 2010
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Plymouth, MA
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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
I have this in place now, but NO POWER. :(

The wiring in the example thread is a bit different than my car. Does anyone know how to determine if a given wire has ignition power, battery power or none? I think I have the hot wire correct, but finding the ignition wire is proving to be more difficult.
 

Moltenburn

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May 28, 2010
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Denver
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2013 B7 Passat 2.0 TDI
I have this in place now, but NO POWER. :(

The wiring in the example thread is a bit different than my car. Does anyone know how to determine if a given wire has ignition power, battery power or none? I think I have the hot wire correct, but finding the ignition wire is proving to be more difficult.

Volt meter my good friend. $30-40 well spent and can be used for future projects.
 

TDIinMA

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Location
Plymouth, MA
TDI
2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
There are a bunch of different models of mirror. Which one did you guys install?
50-GENK41A

I was following these instructions too.

As stated, I think I have the "hot" wire spliced correctly into the red/blue map light, but I did not find the green/yellow one described here and tried a couple others with no success. My wires for the other lead look a little different than the ones in these photos.

Thanks

EDIT:

I read through that thread I posted above and I think I may know what's wrong. Several people ran into trouble when the ground wasn't properly connected. I slid this under one of the existing screws and the plastic molding and fastened it to the metal underneath, but most seem to have drilled a new hole and made sure the paint was scraped off to make this work.

I also found this to be the best advice on how to choose which wires to tap into:

the red with blue stripe on the map light harness is switched +12V and the brown with purple stripe (2nd in from the end) is the constant +12V. ... I also drilled a small hole and then scraped the paint away and put a screw in to specially hold the ground wire.
Other than the wiring learning curve, the install was very easy.

Cheers~ ;)
 
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TDIinMA

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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
Ok, this is working now. Whew! :)

The problem with no power was the GROUND. I had to scrape the paint off the metal and drill a new hole to get this to work consistently. I also used the wiring recommendations above and it works flawlessly. The constant power for the Homelink (white striped wire) actually goes out after a while, but this is not an issue because power is returned the moment the car door is opened and the map light fires up.

Another hurdle I faced was a subtle vibration, caused by the mirror adapter and OEM mount not being quite as snug as they should be. I got around this by using some self-adhesive foam padding on the back of the adapter. I then forced this onto the existing mount and trimmed away the excess that squeezed out the sides with a utility knife. I also used the flat locking screw that came with the adapter to tighten this as firm as I wanted it.

So now I have an auto-dimming, larger mirror with Homelink and it cost me less than $200 and the install was pretty easy, in hindsight. :cool:

This mod is a NO-BRAINER.
 
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nhdoc

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Nashua, NH
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'01 GLS NB TDI 5 Speed
Another hurdle I faced was a subtle vibration, caused by the mirror adapter and OEM mount not being quite as snug as they should be. I got around this by using some self-adhesive foam padding on the back of the adapter. I then forced this onto the existing mount and trimmed away the excess that squeezed out the sides with a utility knife. I also used the flat locking screw that came with the adapter to tighten this as firm as I wanted it.
Yes, I mentioned the same issue with the adapter. I did basically the same thing by building up layers of duct tape on the back and cutting around the edge with a razor. It took about 6-7 layers to make it snug so I could just tap it down and into place. Now it is nice and tight.

The other thing is that I plan to rewire it so both of the wires go to the switched power source. I actually like the idea of the homelink only working when the key is in the ignition since I sometimes leave my car out on the driveway and would prefer it not to be a key to my house for anyone who happens to break into it and press the opener button. Now that I know it stores the codes in flash memory I will probably rewire it so the mirror and homelink are both switched off when the key is off.
 
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TDIinMA

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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
Yes, I mentioned the same issue with the adapter. I did basically the same thing by building up layers of duct tape on the back and cutting around the edge with a razor. It took about 6-7 layers to make it snug so I could just tap it down and into place. Now it is nice and tight.
I do remember you writing that, and I thank you for the tip. ;)

The whole thing was just a little loose and wobbly, but now it's firm.
The other thing is that I plan to rewire it so both of the wires go to the switched power source. I actually like the idea of the homelink only working when the key is in the ignition since I sometimes leave my car out on the driveway and would prefer it not to be a key to my house for anyone who happens to break into it and press the opener button. Now that I know it stores the codes in flash memory I will probably rewire it so the mirror and homelink are both switched off when the key is off.
LOL, I like having the convenience of it in case I lock myself out! I also hate carrying keys. Different strokes I suppose. :cool: We live in a very remote area so I am not too concerned about folks getting in.

One thing I have noticed is that my Homelink is currently on switched or ignition power, when I thought it was constant (according to the poster in the older thread). I think the manual either got the wiring wrong (i.e. white stripe goes to autodim and not Homelink), or he did. I noticed this because when I opened my door to come to work tonight, the green light came on showing the mirror was powered, but when I pressed the Homelink button, it did not turn red and the door did not open. This leads me to believe that I currently have the autodim on a switched wire (red/blue) which goes to 0V after a given period of the ignition being turned off and also comes on when the door is opened or the car is unlocked and Homelink is on the ignition (brown/purple). I plan to experiment with this, but I would like it to work so that the autodim is on the ignition and the Homelink is on the delay 0V and powers up when I open the door. So it might be as simple as swapping the wires from the mirror.

Whew! ... hope that makes sense.

I have become quite proficient at opening the overhead console! ;)
 
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nhdoc

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Location
Nashua, NH
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'01 GLS NB TDI 5 Speed
Maybe the wagon and sedan have different wiring so I can't give you any answers about specifics. I recall mine being wired the way the post said to, with the "always hot" wire coming off the lighting circuit and the "switched" wire being brown and some colored stripe off another harness.

With those wires mine works as it is supposed to with the mirror going on and off with the ignition and the homelink working anytime I have tried it. Now it is possible that after some period of time the power to the homelink is shut off, as I have not sat in the car for an extended time to try it- I just know that I can go out now and open the car door and hit the homelink button and it will function, but it would do that if opening the door turned the power back on. Like I said, my consideration is in making it necessary to have the key in the lock to open my garage. That's the way every car with homelink supplied came and it always made sense to me to have it that way - but if you have no reason to have the extra security then the "always on" wire would be fine.
 

TDIinMA

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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
Like I said, my consideration is in making it necessary to have the key in the lock to open my garage. That's the way every car with homelink supplied came and it always made sense to me to have it that way - but if you have no reason to have the extra security then the "always on" wire would be fine.
Huh, go figure. Both my '00 Land Rover Discovery and '07 Mazda CX9 had homelink built into the mirror and both would function without the key in the ignition (?)

I suppose I have just gotten used to having that convenience and that's why I want it that way.
 

nhdoc

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Huh, go figure. Both my '00 Land Rover Discovery and '07 Mazda CX9 had homelink built into the mirror and both would function without the key in the ignition (?)

I suppose I have just gotten used to having that convenience and that's why I want it that way.
Mine have been from Mercedes and Cadillac and both were switched on with the key - Like many things in life there is no "right answer" :D
 

govegan

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Joined
Jul 7, 2010
Location
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
TDI
2010 Golf TDI
Anyone have any before/after pictures taken from the driver's seat? I like the idea of the auto-dimming feature and ditching my garage door opener, but I'm curious to see what they look like installed.
 

TDIinMA

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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
Anyone have any before/after pictures taken from the driver's seat? I like the idea of the auto-dimming feature and ditching my garage door opener, but I'm curious to see what they look like installed.
I took some, but they are too large. I'll try again tomorrow with a smaller image size.
 

TDIinMA

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2011 JSW 6MT; Black uni, Cornsilk
I took some, but they are too large. I'll try again tomorrow with a smaller image size.
Got around this by cropping. ;)

Enjoy...

http://pics.tdiclub.com/showgallery.php?cat=5000

I like the way the black matches my dash. The OEM mirror was beige, and I didn't care for the look. I also like the fact that this Gentex mirror is about a half inch wider on each side and covers the rear window better. It's also slightly taller and I can see my kids better. :)
 
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nhdoc

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'01 GLS NB TDI 5 Speed
Nice photos.

In general I love this mirror in my car. I don't know what the LED on the right does as it never lights up - I figured it was just unused and was for another model but the directions are crap and don't tell you what it does or doesn't do.

Also, I wish the green led wouldn't be on all the time. It's distracting at night. They would have been smarter to just eliminate the on/off for the mirror altogether as I can't understand when you would ever want to shut it off. Also, it would have been nice if they lightly backlit the homelink buttons so you could see them in the dark. But other than those small criticisms it is a really great addition to our cars.
 

TDIinMA

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Also, I wish the green led wouldn't be on all the time. It's distracting at night. They would have been smarter to just eliminate the on/off for the mirror altogether as I can't understand when you would ever want to shut it off. Also, it would have been nice if they lightly backlit the homelink buttons so you could see them in the dark. But other than those small criticisms it is a really great addition to our cars.
Hmm, I notice that the green light dims as the mirror dims. At a certain point, it fades to also black. I wonder if you are not driving in conditions that dark or if this can be adjusted??

All my Homelink mirrors have had the same exact buttons, but your suggestion is a good one. I have always used the "Braille" method when coming home at night. ;)
 

nhdoc

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Hmm, I notice that the green light dims as the mirror dims. At a certain point, it fades to also black. I wonder if you are not driving in conditions that dark or if this can be adjusted??

All my Homelink mirrors have had the same exact buttons, but your suggestion is a good one. I have always used the "Braille" method when coming home at night. ;)
I have to admit I have only driven the car in the dark a couple of times and can't swear if the green light dimmed or not but it is easy enough to check. Maybe mine does and I never noticed or maybe there's something wrong with it.

My other homelink mirrors had the buttons protruding from the bottom edge, not on the face of the mirror so you could see and feel each one with your finger. I guess if they backlit the ones on the front it would be a little distracting too so, like you, I have learned to feel for them.

I like the fact that the mirror has a very firm ball/socket mount so you don't have to hold it while you push the buttons. If it was not this way then pushing it would cause the mirror to swing out of adjustment every time you opened your garage door and that would be annoying.
 
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govegan

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2010 Golf TDI
Thanks for the pictures. I'll have to think about it. I'd like the autodimming, the garage door opener and it seems like the larger size would be nice, but I can picture myself botching the installation.
 

nhdoc

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Thanks for the pictures. I'll have to think about it. I'd like the autodimming, the garage door opener and it seems like the larger size would be nice, but I can picture myself botching the installation.
It's not too bad but you can probably find a local car stereo shop who might do it for you too.
 

TDIinMA

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I like the fact that the mirror has a very firm ball/socket mount so you don't have to hold it while you push the buttons. If it was not this way then pushing it would cause the mirror to swing out of adjustment every time you opened your garage door and that would be annoying.
Yes, that is a necessity. I also like that I don't have to readjust. Just set it where you like and leave it. Of course, it helps when you are the only one who drives the car.

Sometimes I wish I got DSG, so my wife could drive this as well, but this is not one of those times. ;)
 
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TDIinMA

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Thanks for the pictures. I'll have to think about it. I'd like the autodimming, the garage door opener and it seems like the larger size would be nice, but I can picture myself botching the installation.
No sweat.

I read in another thread that a guy has had a couple of these installed for about $40 and in 20 minutes. I was hesitant too, but it's like anything else, once you try it you realize it's not brain surgery -- unless of course, it really is brain surgery. ;)
 

nhdoc

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Hmm, I notice that the green light dims as the mirror dims. At a certain point, it fades to also black. I wonder if you are not driving in conditions that dark or if this can be adjusted??
I noticed last night the green light did seem to dim in the dark, though it never went completely out or even near being completely out. It's not so bothersome when dim but I'd be curious to know if yours actually goes all the way out?
 

TDIinMA

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I noticed last night the green light did seem to dim in the dark, though it never went completely out or even near being completely out. It's not so bothersome when dim but I'd be curious to know if yours actually goes all the way out?
It just dims -- I made a typo. I meant to write that is goes "close" to black (and at first I thought is had turned off). But it takes a very dark environment to get it to actually go this dim. Just put your hand over the sensor to test it.

You might want to rig something to cover the sensor at night, although that may be a pain too.
 
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nhdoc

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Thanks, I am used to it already (I'm easy that way) but just wondered if yours actually ever went out or just dimmed down. Sounds like ours are working the same way, thanks for the reply.
 
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