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

 

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

 

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

 

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.