Inside Mirror

Has anyone taken the inside mirror off the windshield . . . .without breaking anything? :lol:

I'm thinking of removing mine to replace it with a mirror/monitor for a back-up camera and wondered how you remove everything except for the plate which is glued to the windshield - I don't see any set screws or anything and tapping it upward didn't do it

TIA,

Don

Yes, my windshield had to be replaced due to a huge crack in it. The mirror slides off the metal plate that is glued to the windshield. It also has a set screw locking it to the metal plate. I think their is plastic that covers the screw and the plate. The plastic just slides off.

I didn't see a screw anywhere and mine didn't seem to want to budge. I was thinking maybe you have to pull the socket out of the mount and maybe the screw is on the bottom of the socket?

Maybe I just wasn't hammering on it hard enough? :lol:

Don

Don said:

I didn't see a screw anywhere and mine didn't seem to want to budge. I was thinking maybe you have to pull the socket out of the mount and maybe the screw is on the bottom of the socket?

Maybe I just wasn't hammering on it hard enough? :lol:

Don

Click to expand...

I'm not positive there was a screw. It was like a year ago when they replaced it. They had to hammer it down to make the mirror stay on the plate. So yes most likely you weren't hammering on it hard enough.

There are third party mirrors that just attach to your existing mirror. For example I am using this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0091PBALS/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yes, 95% of the rear view mirror/camera monitors are the clip-on type - I'm specifically trying to avoid that clunky, 'tacked-on' look. I've found a mirror/monitor which replaces the OEM mirror completely and they offer six different types of OEM mounts to go with it. I just need to take my mirror off to ascertain which of those six fits my car

I'll try beating on it a little harder

Nothing on this car seems to come apart like things did in the old days - I'm also having trouble removing the light fixtures in the headliner. I'd like to gain access using both of them so I don't need to remove the entire headliner just to run a wire from front to back. Not sure what's holding them up there and I don't see any screws . . . . can't even manage to get the lens off the center one to have a look

Whatever I discover, I'll post it here for future reference

Don

Don said:

Yes, 95% of the rear view mirror/camera monitors are the clip-on type - I'm specifically trying to avoid that clunky, 'tacked-on' look. I've found a mirror/monitor which replaces the OEM mirror completely and they offer six different types of OEM mounts to go with it. I just need to take my mirror off to ascertain which of those six fits my car

I'll try beating on it a little harder

Nothing on this car seems to come apart like things did in the old days - I'm also having trouble removing the light fixtures in the headliner. I'd like to gain access using both of them so I don't need to remove the entire headliner just to run a wire from front to back. Not sure what's holding them up there and I don't see any screws . . . . can't even manage to get the lens off the center one to have a look

Whatever I discover, I'll post it here for future reference

Don

Click to expand...

I just shoved the wire up between the windshield and the plastic for the head liner with out removing any of that. The only thing that I had to open up was the windshield side pillar plastic and put the wire inside.

jjlink said:

I just shoved the wire up between the windshield and the plastic for the head liner with out removing any of that. The only thing that I had to open up was the windshield side pillar plastic and put the wire inside.

Click to expand...

Yes, I've gotta do that too in order to power the monitor

Since yours is a front facing camera, you didn't have to run a wire to the rear of the car for the back-up camera. I also have to get a pair of wires from the back-up lights into the tailgate to power the camera, but that part appears to be pretty easy

If I can't figure out how to deal with the interior lights, I guess maybe I can just run the wire along the edge of the headliner, under the rubber lip and not have to mess with going through the center

Back to messing with the darned mirror - If you hear bad words all the way over in San Francisco, you'll know I slipped with the hammer and hit the windshield!! :shock:

Don

Well, I got the mirror off successfully . . . . meaning the windshield isn't broken and neither is the mirror mount

The square plastic cover has a small clip on either side and using a small screwdriver, I got that released. Once the cover is off, there's a large black plastic tab hanging out the bottom. Press that tab rearward (away from the windshield glass) while pushing upward on the mirror base and it slides off the metal tab glued to the windshield

I'm glad I didn't keep hammering on it . . . .

Don

Post pics of your new rearview cam setup and what parts you used and where you got them.

MLucas said:

Post pics of your new rearview cam setup and what parts you used and where you got them.

Click to expand...

Will do - Though there are several hundred different combinations available to choose from on eBay. That's where I bought everything

Rear view mirror/monitors are available with 3.5, 4, 4.3, 5 and 7 inch screens in both clip-on (over the existing mirror) and OE replacement varieties. I didn't want a clip-on and I didn't want a mirror any larger than the stock one - It hides enough of the on-coming traffic as it is. So, I chose a replacement mirror with a 5 inch display

The rear cameras also come in dozens of different versions, with all sorts of different mounting options. Some have night vision infa-red LED's, some have added markings and lines which show up on the screen to guide you and aid in depth perception. The one I chose has all the above, but requires drilling an 18mm hole in the rear hatch to mount it - You can get some that mount above your license plate using the same screws, so no drilling required

If you want to keep the wiring to a minimum, you can buy a complete kit which includes a transmitter with the camera and a receiver for the monitor so the data is sent wirelessly from the rear of the car to the front. You still need 12 volts at the mirror and back-up light power for the camera, but you should be able to install a kit like that in one day and for less than $100. What I decided on may not be everyone's cup of tea, but there are enough choices out there that anyone can find what they want/need

Search for 'wireless mirror monitor camera' and narrow it down to the options you'd like. You can add 5" or 7" or whatever to your search string to narrow it down to just the monitor size you want . . . . and of you remove the 'wireless' from your search, you'll see you have a couple thousand options - More than that if you buy the camera and the monitor separately like I did

I still have parts on order which probably won't be here for another week or two and then the install will probably take another week or two after that . . . . we have company coming

Don

Got the back-up camera system installed today and it's working fine

Probably not a modification for the faint of heart, at least not the way I did it. My installation required drilling a 1" hole in the rear hatch adjacent to the license plate for the camera - The sheet metal there is incredibly thin. Other cameras are available which mount on the top of the license plate using the same two screws, or you could mount the camera in the rear bumper fascia instead of the hatch. That might make the wiring simpler

My installation required running a video cable from the rear of the car to the front, which was a bit of a hassle, but there are 'wireless' versions on eBay which do not require this cable . . . . those have a wireless transmitter as part of the rear camera and a wireless receiver as part of the new rear view mirror. Buy the entire kit from one vendor if you go this route

Regardless of how you go about it though, you will have to run a power wire (and in my case, a video cable) inside the rear hatch which is a bit tricky - I guess you *could* even eliminate that if you drilled the rear bumper and didn't opt to put the camera in/on the rear hatch. Regardless, you'll need to access the tail light wiring to get +- 12 volts from the back-up lights . . . . that's what powers the rear camera

The mirror will also need a switched 12 volt source, since the mirror is 'on' all the time, awaiting the signal from the rear camera which only comes on when in reverse. There are two distinct different types of mirrors you can buy. One type replaces the OEM mirror completely and the other type just clips onto the existing mirror. There's a cable which runs up into the headliner for power/video. If you had the wireless version, the receiver would also mount up in the headliner in front of the map light assembly. Removing that light is a bit tricky, as is getting the sun visor clips out, but it's all possible . . . . though a bit frustrating at times

You can select from a half dozen different mirror styles, with video screens from about 3.5 inches all the way up to 7 inches. some mirrors have two screens so you can watch your DVR while backing up at the same time :lol: Most all of them are set up for DVR use - They just over ride the DVR when you put it in reverse to show the rear camera instead. I chose a mirror with a 5 inch screen, centered in the mirror. I was expecting it to not be too great a mirror when the video screen isn't displayed, but happily it appears just as clear as the OEM mirror and there is no trace at all of the screen when it's not in use. My mirror has a menu which allows you to adjust Brightness, Contrast, Color and Sharpness just as you would on any TV - Not all of them offer this feature

I bought my parts from different Chinese vendors and put the system together myself. I 'won' the camera auction for less than $6 which included the camera which has 9 infa-red LED's for night use and it came with the video cable plus a 28mm hole-saw AND free shipping, all for the $6.
I bought this camera: http://www.ebay.com/itm/HD-9LED-Night-Vision-CMOS-Waterproof-Car-Rear-View-Reverse-Backup-Parking-Camera-/261447258631?pt=US_Rear_View_Monitors_Cams_Kits&hash=item3cdf789207
The mirror I bought is about half an inch taller than the OEM mirror and maybe 1 inch wider and cost me about $60. Mount #5 on most of the mirror auctions fits the slug glued to the Mitsu windshield - I bought 2 different adapters because nobody was sure which would work.
I bought this mirror: http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-TFT-LCD-Auto-Car-Reversing-Monitor-Rear-View-Mirror-For-CCD-DVD-VCD-Camera-/151275797000?pt=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item2338bd7a08&vxp=mtr

I think it's a worthwhile option, especially if you're still using the OEM 'billboard' rear headrests. I haven't used it much yet, but I think it will make maneuvering in tight spaces somewhat easier. Having the screen in the mirror puts it about 15 inches from your eyes and right at eye level, which I like. Since it's so close, buying a smaller mirror with a 3.5 or 4 inch screen might be a better option than the larger one I bought

I don't have an easy way to post pictures, but if you need any advice or have any question you think I might be able to answer, don't hesitate to PM me and I'll try to steer you straight

Don

Nice right up, thanks Don. I'll have to consider this modification. I just installed the parking sensors that I bought last fall and ran out of time to install them before winter arrived.