Another Kia Mirror Convert

[Mark S.]

Following advice and information from tburner--thanks Troy!--I purchased and installed an auto-dimming mirror with a compass and Homelink. I ordered the mirror from Kia World Parts (link in Troy's post) using a VIN I copied from an ad for a Kia Optima on Autotrader. The mirror was under $13, and with shipping it was less than $30. I also ordered the mirror extender (Advent Gentex Mirror Extension Mount GENMM5) from eBay.

I started by prying the cover off the Copilot 360 components above the mirror. You have to give a really good tug to get it to release. I would not pull down in the middle; the attach posts are on either side, so pull there. Once you get the cover off you can loosen the screw that holds the OEM mirror in place and remove it.

My car did not have an OEM dimming mirror, so there was no connector under the cover. I snipped the connector off the back of the mirror and installed the female side of a Molex 4-pin connector. Next. I installed the mirror extender, then the mirror. For the wiring I followed Troy's data on the mirror's wire leads. I had some different colored wire lying around which I used to fabricate a wire bundle. You'll only need two wires (power & ground) for your wire bundle. I installed the male side of the Molex connector to my wire bundle, with the power lead connected to pins for the mirror green & white wires, and the ground lead connected the mirror ground. After connecting the two halves Molex connector together, I routed the wire bundle along the headliner, down the passenger-side A-pillar, and behind the door trim pieces to the passenger-side fuse panel. I had already routed wiring for a dashcam along this route, so it easy the second time.

With the wiring bundle routed to the passenger-side fuse panel I spliced the power lead into the same piggyback fuse connector powering the dashcam, and the ground lead into the ground connection used by the dashcam.

Thanks again to Troy for doing all the legwork and making this job much easier!

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[Tom 5778]

If it was a standalone option for $150 to $250, it would be on almost every BS sold. But that’s not how it works. Want self-dimming mirror? Or fog lamps? Or interior hatch release? Or keyless entry? Buy the OB.

And it’s not just Ford. On both my BS and my BRZ/FRS I looked at the features I wanted, and most of them were minor like the self -dimming mirror or HomeLink, and then looked at which model gave me those things.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Following advice and information from tburner--thanks Troy!--I purchased and installed an auto-dimming mirror with a compass and Homelink. I ordered the mirror from Kia World Parts (link in Troy's post) using a VIN I copied from an ad for a Kia Optima on Autotrader. The mirror was under $13, and with shipping it was less than $30. I also ordered the mirror extender (Advent Gentex Mirror Extension Mount GENMM5) from eBay.

I started by prying the cover off the Copilot 360 components above the mirror. You have to give a really good tug to get it to release. I would not pull down in the middle; the attach posts are on either side, so pull there. Once you get the cover off you can loosen the screw that holds the OEM mirror in place and remove it.

My car did not have an OEM dimming mirror, so there was no connector under the cover. I snipped the connector off the back of the mirror and installed the female side of a Molex 4-pin connector. Next. I installed the mirror extender, then the mirror. For the wiring I followed Troy's data on the mirror's wire leads. I had some different colored wire lying around which I used to fabricate a wire bundle. You'll only need two wires (power & ground) for your wire bundle. I installed the male side of the Molex connector to my wire bundle, with the power lead connected to pins for the mirror green & white wires, and the ground lead connected the mirror ground. After connecting the two halves Molex connector together, I routed the wire bundle along the headliner, down the passenger-side A-pillar, and behind the door trim pieces to the passenger-side fuse panel. I had already routed wiring for a dashcam along this route, so it easy the second time.

With the wiring bundle routed to the passenger-side fuse panel I spliced the power lead into the same piggyback fuse connector powering the dashcam, and the ground lead into the ground connection used by the dashcam.

Thanks again to Troy for doing all the legwork and making this job much easier!

Just pulled the trigger as well! Thanks to all for the legwork.

 

[Mark S.]

ant self-dimming mirror? Or fog lamps? Or interior hatch release? Or keyless entry? Buy the OB.

Or you make alterations…

 

[tburner]

Happy to help! It's still so crazy to me that a car built in 2020+ doesn't have HomeLink, adding HomeLink aftermarket is generally insanely expensive, and these mirrors are basically dirt cheap. In fact, how cheap the Kia mirrors are makes how expensive aftermarket mirrors are even more insane.

But this is, in my opinion, easily in the top three <$50 mods out there.

 

[Osco]

AT’s pretty cool. Looks like an easy mod.
I’ll stick to flipping my night vision toggle on the mirror as it works just fine for me.

 

[Mark S.]

AT’s pretty cool. Looks like an easy mod.
I’ll stick to flipping my night vision toggle on the mirror as it works just fine for me.

Nothing wrong with old school cool.

 

[Big Kahuna]

I must be blind, my rear view mirror doesn't seem to have a tab to manually dim the mirror.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

I must be blind, my rear view mirror doesn't seem to have a tab to manually dim the mirror.

And that’s probably why! Maybe left off with the lower dash panel!

I’m still trying to understand how they left off the shadow black paint off my Badlands roof!

 

[Mark S.]

Just pulled the trigger as well! Thanks to all for the legwork.

Zip me a PM if you run into problems.

 

[tburner]

I must be blind, my rear view mirror doesn't seem to have a tab to manually dim the mirror.

Then you likely already have an auto-dimming mirror. I'm not sure which packages they do and don't come in.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Zip me a PM if you run into problems.

Thanks!

 

[Big Kahuna]

Then you likely already have an auto-dimming mirror. I'm not sure which packages they do and don't come in.

Okay, I just so happen to have access to the Baby Bronco today, and took a few pics.

There seems to be a little sensor in the top of the mirror (kind of difficult to see in the pic), and a larger front facing sensor on the back.

Please excuse my ignorance, but could this be the auto dimming mirror? I can't say that I've notice anything when driving at night, although that has been very limited. Usually these things have LED indicators that show they are on, and buttons that allow you to turn them off, as with the auto dimming mirror in my Nissan.

There is no mention of an auto dimming mirror on the window sticker for the Bronc.

 

[Mark S.]

I must be blind, my rear view mirror doesn't seem to have a tab to manually dim the mirror.

Do you want one? I happen to have one I'm not using...

 

[Escape2Bronco]

That’s for dimming the headlamps. The mirror will have it in the front.
Edit: Yes the small round one is for auto dim of the mirror. Couldn’t see it at first. My Lightning did not have an indicator or switch. Just like what you show on the mirror.

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