Gentex replacement rearview mirror

[jan]

Finding a ground...

A minor addition to the installation information from my recent experience
I have installed the Gentex autodimming mirrors in two different Jettas last weekend: 2006 Jetta TDI sedan and 2011 Jetta TDI Sportwagen. Neither car got the sunroof.

In the 2006 car, I could not find a grounded bolt so I ended up scraping off the paint around a pre-existing hole and then riveted the ground wire to it. Riveting was easier for me than trying to attach a screw with a nut in the tight space.

In the 2011 model, the overhead mounting screws are grounded so there was no need for paint-scraping and rivets . This mirror installation also helped me to fix an annoying rattle coming from the lining in the vicinity of the mirror: A cable bundle with a plastic clip was not attached to the roof (from the factory?).

 

[nhdoc]

I have found that grounding the unit to the mounting bolts in the overhead compartment is inconsistent so I scraped some paint off and drilled a hole for a self-tapping sheet metal screw and washer to ground directly to the chassis. Sometimes the ground through those bolts can be good and sometimes not. I think they screw into speednuts which probably explains the intermittent nature.

Also, I rewired mine so the homelink only works when the key is on, using the same hot wire the mirror uses, that makes installing it even easier. On my model it is a black wire with a green tracer in the harness above the light console. It works great that way and I don't have to be concerned if I leave the car on the driveway now that someone will be able to use it to open my garage door. Homelink does have flash memory and won't forget the codes without power.

 

[dubStrom]

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?

For what it's worth, auto-dimming doesn't work as well as the manual deflect tab. I got the autodimmer feature in a new car I bought last year. It was a Subaru. Everything about the car was superb (amenities). But I could not get more than 21 mpg and although the engine could make plenty of torque, the computer forced a downshift assuming I wanted to go to lightspeed everytime I wanted to pass anything or just speed up a little. I was hoping that I could trade it in on a boxer diesel, AND WOULD HAVE. But not going to happen, so I sold it.

The automated mirror dimming function was state of the art, but even when engaged, I manually adjusted the mirror. The glare is NOT eliminated. The sensor was excellent, but the subsequent 'dimming' was not. I was SO PLEASED to find that my Sportwagen didn't have this "feature". My assumption was that Volkswagen recognized this, and will not offer the "feature".

All I can say is that you will need to experience the actual product at night in the city before spending the money.

 

[frugality]

For what it's worth, auto-dimming doesn't work as well as the manual deflect tab. I got the autodimmer feature in a new car I bought last year. It was a Subaru. Everything about the car was superb (amenities). But I could not get more than 21 mpg and although the engine could make plenty of torque, the computer forced a downshift assuming I wanted to go to lightspeed everytime I wanted to pass anything or just speed up a little. I was hoping that I could trade it in on a boxer diesel, AND WOULD HAVE. But not going to happen, so I sold it.

The automated mirror dimming function was state of the art, but even when engaged, I manually adjusted the mirror. The glare is NOT eliminated. The sensor was excellent, but the subsequent 'dimming' was not. I was SO PLEASED to find that my Sportwagen didn't have this "feature". My assumption was that Volkswagen recognized this, and will not offer the "feature".

All I can say is that you will need to experience the actual product at night in the city before spending the money.

AGREED.

I had the auto-dimming mirror on a rental car, a Mercury Milan, and didn't care for it. Didn't dim enough in my opinion. I wanted the good ol' manual version.

I don't want to spend $435 for a Homelink visor, but wonder if you could pull the guts from one of these mirrors and rig it up to work through one of the blank switches on the console....

 

[TDIinMA]

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you both more. The auto-dimming option I have had on my last two cars is the only one I have truly missed (including HID Xenon lights, auto lights, rain-sensing wipers, memory seats, remote key, etc.)! I can't stand flipping the mirror up and not seeing anything. I much prefer the dark blue dimming which is plenty dim for my eyes. And for $159 bucks and an easy DIY install, you get this along with Homelink.

Different strokes.

If all you want is to open you garage door, I saw a mod where someone dissected their remote and stuck the circuit board inside the console under one of the unused buttons.

 

[nhdoc]

Wow, I couldn't disagree with you both more. The auto-dimming option I have had on my last two cars is the only one I have truly missed (including HID Xenon lights, auto lights, rain-sensing wipers, memory seats, remote key, etc.)! I can't stand flipping the mirror up and not seeing anything. I much prefer the dark blue dimming which is plenty dim for my eyes. And for $159 bucks and any easy DIYinstall, you get this along with Homelink.

Different strokes.

If all you want is to open you garage door, I saw a mod where someone dissected their remote and stuck the circuit board inside the console under one of the unused buttons.

I agree with TDIinMA 100%, I think the auto-dimming mirror from Mito/Gentex works great. Also, its homelink has better range than any tranmitter I have had. There are a lot of different brands out there and it seems the other people posting are talking about subaru and mercury and might not be exactly the same - or maybe theirs weren't functioning properly but I don't have any complaints about mine. When there are cars behind me it dims, when no lights are shining in it then it goes back to being more reflective. Just as it is supposed to.

 

[Clark Addison]

I had auto dimming mirrors on my last two cars and they worked great. It's one of the features I miss most from my Touareg.

What I don't miss is 14 mpg.

 

[sportwagen rick]

AGREED.

I had the auto-dimming mirror on a rental car, a Mercury Milan, and didn't care for it. Didn't dim enough in my opinion. I wanted the good ol' manual version.

I don't want to spend $435 for a Homelink visor, but wonder if you could pull the guts from one of these mirrors and rig it up to work through one of the blank switches on the console....

The OEM Himelink visor can be had for far less; I picked up a brand new one for under a hundred on eBay.

I was considering the Gentex auto-dim mirror with homelink, but I read some mixed reviews on the adapter for VW mount—they suggested a less than solid fit, which made hold off because a wobbly mirror would drive me crazy; then I got the good deal on the visor—the non-auto dim doesn't bother me; I find myself rarely needing it anyhow.

 

[nhdoc]

The OEM Himelink visor can be had for far less; I picked up a brand new one for under a hundred on eBay.

I was considering the Gentex auto-dim mirror with homelink, but I read some mixed reviews on the adapter for VW mount—they suggested a less than solid fit, which made hold off because a wobbly mirror would drive me crazy; then I got the good deal on the visor—the non-auto dim doesn't bother me; I find myself rarely needing it anyhow.

The adapter isn't perfect unless you shim it. I used about 5-6 layers of duct tape on it then trimmed it down with a razor so the adapter would fit snugly in the mount, then it was perfectly tight. No vibrations.

 

[jan]

The adapter isn't perfect unless you shim it. I used about 5-6 layers of duct tape on it then trimmed it down with a razor so the adapter would fit snugly in the mount, then it was perfectly tight. No vibrations.

I did the same for the two installations in my cars and there is no vibrations. I used the black Galfer tape instead of duct tape but it should not make any difference.

 

[sportwagen rick]

The adapter isn't perfect unless you shim it. I used about 5-6 layers of duct tape on it then trimmed it down with a razor so the adapter would fit snugly in the mount, then it was perfectly tight. No vibrations.

Git-r-dun! (mandatory whenever layers of duct tape are involved)

All kidding aside, nice that it was an easy fix. But bummer they just don't make the thing right to begin with. Does the base sit flush to the windshield? That was another thing I thought I read.

 

[dpg]

Git-r-dun! (mandatory whenever layers of duct tape are involved)
All kidding aside, nice that it was an easy fix. But bummer they just don't make the thing right to begin with. Does the base sit flush to the windshield? That was another thing I thought I read.

correct, the base doesnt sit flush, but i don't even notice it anymore

 

[nhdoc]

You could always remove the VW mount from the windshield and glue on one of the universal mounts and not even bother with the adapter, but I wanted the option to restore the car to stock if I decided to sell the car so I used the VW adapter...like dpg said you don't notice the fact that it isn't flush once it is up and mounted.

 

[dzcad90]

I really enjoyed the auto-dimming mirror that was on my '90 Eldorado. 20 years ago GM got it right, surprised that it's not standard on cars nowadays.

I think I'm going to put the one with homelink on my Christmas wish list.

 

[TDIinMA]

As the others have posted, the fix for the adapter is simple. I used some black self-adhesive padding I had lying around (I love to keep miscellaneous things for just such a little project). They really should have manufactured this better to ensure a snug fit, but so be it. I have zero vibrations and like the look of this mirror (which also matches my dash) better.

I never even noticed that it wasn't flush to the windshield, so I guess I don't care about that either.

The bottom line is getting a way to open your garage (without that clunky remote!) and automatically dim your rear view mirror for the same price as floor mats!

 

[hymato]

I'm thinking of getting this mirror but I dont need the homelink, Do i still have to run power to it? If so I'll get the home link anyway

 

[aenea]

Yes, even without homelink, it requires power.

 

[edgman]

Hi Guys,
New here. just got a 2011 VW Jetta TDI and was a downer when i found out that the homelink and autodim were not options.
I can install the rear view mirror with homelink my self (with all the stuff i have read here.. very helpful info...thanks in advance!!) but was wondering if the harnesses are the same or electrically will work on the 2011 jetta TDI model. (i.e. wire color code for power, ground, etc).
any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

 

[TDIinMA]

Hi Guys,
New here. just got a 2011 VW Jetta TDI and was a downer when i found out that the homelink and autodim were not options.
I can install the rear view mirror with homelink my self (with all the stuff i have read here.. very helpful info...thanks in advance!!) but was wondering if the harnesses are the same or electrically will work on the 2011 jetta TDI model. (i.e. wire color code for power, ground, etc).
any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,

The wiring can be a bit dicey. I found that the 2011 colorings appear to be different than the examples I was relying on with earlier models.

Here's a picture of the ones I used. There are several possible combinations you could use, but the way I have it here does exactly as I like. If you are the techie type, you my want to play around with a volt meter to find exactly what you are looking for.

Oh, and make sure you scrape the paint off the surface of the metal where you mount the ground. Neglecting to do that caused mine to fail to power up initially.

Good luck!

 

[edgman]

Thanks for the pics and info. I started poking around with a volt meter and did find the same location wires on the connector in the pics you have to provide the voltage required for power.
Thanks for the help!!

 

[Personne]

The wiring can be a bit dicey. I found that the 2011 colorings appear to be different than the examples I was relying on with earlier models.

Here's a picture of the ones I used. There are several possible combinations you could use, but the way I have it here does exactly as I like. If you are the techie type, you my want to play around with a volt meter to find exactly what you are looking for.

Oh, and make sure you scrape the paint off the surface of the metal where you mount the ground. Neglecting to do that caused mine to fail to power up initially.

Good luck!

Nice pictures. I recognize this mirror from my two previous Mazda 6 wagons (04 & 07). I am waiting for my first TDI ever, a Golf Wagon DSG.

With 7 years experience with the Gentex, I agree with some of the posts: the dimming never really goes completely dark, so the occasional dumbo with the headlights mounted upside-down can still "get to you". I would usually deal with this by shifting the mirror up manually and readjusting when the threat has disappeared.

But I find I could not live without it anymore as I have been driving a snow-banger while waiting for the Highline. I was quite disappointed to find a 1950-era mirror in this German-engineered car while pondering if I should subscribe to the satellite radio and opt-in for the SatNav system...

I am shopping around for a GENK41 right now and all your posts will be of assistance

 

[Tagus]

Gentex Help

I feel like the dumbest person on the face of the planet right now ...

I have a 2011 Jetta TDI Sedan.

So I installed the Gentex Auto Dimming mirror with Homelink. It all went just fine, I used the Red/Blue wire (pin 5) on the map light harness for both the Homelink and the Auto Dim. Everything works just fine while the car is on, but after the map light timer expires (~15 minutes), the Mirror's green light flashes in groups of 3 constantly. I have a volt meter and have tested the Red/Blue (pin 5) and seems to be a constant, but seems to drop to around 8-10 volts after the timer expires.

I would prefer to use a switched wire for both the mirror and the homelink (some people had expressed a desire to limit the use of Homelink to only when the car was switched on). The problem is, I can't seem to find a switched wire. I have looked for all the different color combinations people have mentioned on the forums to test for a switched wire, but I don't have any of the color combinations mentioned.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TDIinMA]

I feel like the dumbest person on the face of the planet right now ...

I have a 2011 Jetta TDI Sedan.

So I installed the Gentex Auto Dimming mirror with Homelink. It all went just fine, I used the Red/Blue wire (pin 5) on the map light harness for both the Homelink and the Auto Dim. Everything works just fine while the car is on, but after the map light timer expires (~15 minutes), the Mirror's green light flashes in groups of 3 constantly. I have a volt meter and have tested the Red/Blue (pin 5) and seems to be a constant, but seems to drop to around 8-10 volts after the timer expires.

I would prefer to use a switched wire for both the mirror and the homelink (some people had expressed a desire to limit the use of Homelink to only when the car was switched on). The problem is, I can't seem to find a switched wire. I have looked for all the different color combinations people have mentioned on the forums to test for a switched wire, but I don't have any of the color combinations mentioned.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Weird! I'm not sure why it would flash like that.

This is the post that helped me out with the wiring most--did you see this one?

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:

Quote: 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~

It's been a while, but I believe the OP of the Instructions thread above had it wrong, and it was actually the opposite of the colorings he used. But then again, it could just be the difference in years or models. Perhaps someone will chime in that has your car and also installed this mod...?

Good luck!

 

[Rob_MacCara]

Has anyone installed the auto dimming mirror that has a tinted windows? Does the sensor still work if the rear windows is quite dark?

 

[RoninTech]

Thanks to all the advice in this and other threads I just finished installing my GENK41A in our 2011 Golf TDI (with sunroof). Took a couple of hours with many trips from the garage to the computer. I hooked up both power leads to the red/blue wire off the overhead console light connector which appear to be switched with the ignition. So to open the garage door or autodim the mirror the key has to be on. I also added my own ground screw to a small drilled hole that I scraped clear of paint with an exacto knife. I found it easier to push the mirror connector through the gap between the headliner and mirror than trying to come the other way. I then just stuffed the excess wiring above the headliner.

Opener works from way further away than my old visor mounted opener. Looking forward to trying the dimming mirror on the commute in the morning.

 

[mcsenerd]

Has anyone installed the auto dimming mirror that has a tinted windows? Does the sensor still work if the rear windows is quite dark?

I'm pretty sure that the light sensor is in the front of the mirror, so rear window tinting won't affect its function. That being said though...if the rear is tinted heavily...doesn't that negate the need for a self dimming mirror somewhat?

 

[RoninTech]

Just to follow up, the auto-dimming feature is working very well on the newly installed mirror. Wife drove it this morning and she commented on how well it worked. We would both constantly be flipping the manual mirror and find the automatic mirror dims the bright lights very well. Excellent mod! Now if only we could find similar side mirrors...

 

[bgs02]

This may be a stupid question but what the heck...why do we need to buy a Genk041A model? if you get the adapter piece, shouldn't any old auto dim mirror work?

 

[xmac81]

I know this thread is old, but I'm installing an old Honda Odyssey (Gentex) dimming mirror in my car. I have a 2010 Jetta Sportswagon with sunroof. In the center roofline console area, I found a pigtailed wad of 4 yellow wires that has a black rubber cap on it. They are all crimped together. This is your ground point. No need to drill or remove paint to get a ground...

 

[msantram]

I have a Gentex with temp, compass, & Garage door openers installed on my SW w/pano. Works well and wired as you listed above. Another great mod and big improvement over stock.