Electrochromatic mirror does't fit!! (?)

Hello!

I just bought the electrochromatic mirror from mazdastuff.com. I removed the old mirror painstakingly, but then - the new mirror doesn't seem to fit! The clip that's mounted on the windshield is just different shape. I have a 5-door 2005 Mazda 3s. I contacted mazdastuff.com but I didn't get any meaningful answer. Does anybody have this experience??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

-- Jan

Can you get a pic of it? If the part that connects is different then the original and mazdastuff didnt give you the right answer which should have been "were sorry for the confusion we will send you the right ones" if not keep contacting till you blow up there message machine. Or you could take the part off the old mirror that connects and switch it with the new one, dont know if that will work or how to go about it i dont have any exp. with mirrors, sorry.

Im sorry i wont be able to help you with ur problem but i had a question about the mirror. How does the wire installation look like? Is it something difficult or is it thorough and somewhat easy to do? I would like to put the auto-dimming mirror in my car but it would cost $450 including installation if the dealer did it and a mirror is not worth that much. I didnt know about mazdastuff.com and now i am interested, but if you are having a hard time with the company i dont know if i should go through with it. Please tell me if the wiring is no hassle. Thank you

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tracker

Can you get a pic of it? If the part that connects is different then the original and mazdastuff didnt give you the right answer which should have been "were sorry for the confusion we will send you the right ones" if not keep contacting till you blow up there message machine. Or you could take the part off the old mirror that connects and switch it with the new one, dont know if that will work or how to go about it i dont have any exp. with mirrors, sorry.

Thanks for the reply! I posted two pictures of the old and new mirrors on my website:
http://www.mit.edu/~vondrak/mirrors.html

The pictures should demonstrate that this thing just doesn't fit.
I'm also sending this link to the mazdastuff guys; let's see what they say.
If anybody has a similar experience, please let me know!!
Thanks a lot,

-- Jan

quote:


Im sorry i wont be able to help you with ur problem but i had a question about the mirror. How does the wire installation look like? Is it something difficult or is it thorough and somewhat easy to do? I would like to put the auto-dimming mirror in my car but it would cost $450 including installation if the dealer did it and a mirror is not worth that much. I didnt know about mazdastuff.com and now i am interested, but if you are having a hard time with the company i dont know if i should go through with it. Please tell me if the wiring is no hassle. Thank you

Hi! I'm sorry, I didn't get as far as installing the wiring. But I know people have done it and it's not impossible. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I received a different part by mistake... or perhaps it's some difference between 2005 / 2006 models. In any case, mazdastuff.com doesn't seem to be very concerned about this issue.

-- Jan

after seeing the pics, you cuold shave the plastic down a bit. If the plastic is soft enough to push a fingernail into, a razorblade can shave it down, if the plastic is hard, take something like acredit card and fold (low grit count for sanding, then a fine grit for smoothness)sandpaper around a corner of the card and hold it firmly and at an angle, try and get the plastic to match up.

i was of think of that but then i thought if he messes up then he cant blame it on anybody but himself so i say just send it back, plus how bad would it make Mazdas look hes driving down the road and the mirrors fall off, i almost got hit by somebody who didnt have mirrors and we were going 80mph

quote:

ORIGINAL: Tracker

i was of think of that but then i thought if he messes up then he cant blame it on anybody but himself so i say just send it back, plus how bad would it make Mazdas look hes driving down the road and the mirrors fall off, i almost got hit by somebody who didnt have mirrors and we were going 80mph

Hahaha! Thanks guys for your input. Fortunately, I won't have to hack around. I sent the same two pictures to mazdastuff.com, mentioning I also posted the story on the forum and the response was very quick. "Very sorry, it was a mistake, sorry again, we are shipping the correct mirror immediately, you can return the old one at no cost". So, now I know what to do next time...

Thanks for your help!!

-- Jan

For those who asked, YES it's possible to install the electrochromatic mirror. I did it, finally, with a little help from a friend and it took us good 4 hours. It's a lot of fun, and/or pain, depending on your perspective. If you're a DIY type, then go for it - otherwise you might be better off getting it installed for another $200.

Let me just tell you that the biggest challenge was installing the thermometer wire. The manual explains in detail how to do that, and at one point there is an important picture saying "shown on vehicle without antilock brakes". Well, I do have antilock brakes and the difference is that the hole through which you're supposed to guide the thermometer cable is almost perfectly blocked by the ABS mechanism. This was the most painful part of the operation which alone took at least 2 hours. But, as I said, it's possible.... HAVE FUN!!

Haha congrats on the install and everything working out like it should have. Sorry about the hassles but it sounds way worth it.

Yeah, getting the thermomether through the firewall is absolutely the hardest part. That's one nice difference with the 2006.... the temp. display is on the dash and not on the mirror, so you only have to hook up power to the mirror and you're done.

the panel on the inside roof, does that have to be taken off? how do you see and get under it? My dad doesnt want me to do any kind of work to the car that will ruin the appearance of the car and if i do he will KILL me. i would like to know if the roof will look the same after the installation process.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lev

the panel on the inside roof, does that have to be taken off? how do you see and get under it? My dad doesnt want me to do any kind of work to the car that will ruin the appearance of the car and if i do he will KILL me. i would like to know if the roof will look the same after the installation process.

Go here for a really good walkthrough on how to install the auto-dim mirror. You'll have to pull the kickpanel and A-post from the driver's side of the car to access power wires, and to run the wires for the mirror. The walkthrough is for a homelink mirror on a pre-'06 car, so they had to run the temperature sensor too. That right there is the majority of the work you would need to do, however if you have an '06 then it should be really easy. don't worry about it being a homelink mirror if you have a standard one as the power needs should be the same.

Thanks for the instructions. I have an 05 so I will have to do all that work. I was not expecting the installation to look like that, but it is something i am now willing to attempt.

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Thanks for the instructions. I have an 05 so I will have to do all that work. I was not expecting the installation to look like that, but it is something i am now willing to attempt.

Not a problem, I'd just been reading a similar thread on the mazda3forum so I was thinking about it. I actually had the dealer install my mirror, but that's just because I negotiated the install for free with the purchase of the car. If I'd had to pay them I would've installed it myself.