BrianDye
I'll have another...
- Joined
- March 1, 2009
- Messages
- 6,170
- Reaction score
- 17
- City, State
- Monroe, MI
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2006 XLT
Level of work required: I would say 4/10. Removing the upper console and hiding the wiring probably took the longest.
Time: About 30 minutes, give or take 10.
This is on a 4th gen, but should be the same on a third or even second, with the exception of finding another power source for the mirror. The 3rd gen mirror will fit the same, but is more curved, where the 4th gen mirror is more boxy. Same 3 pin wire harness but different colors. Still only need a ground and switched 12v.
My XLT lacks a lot of features, hence the reason I've been swapping so many "nicer" OEM parts in. It was terrible was going from a vehicle with the auto-dimming rear view mirror, to one without it. (First world problems, right?)
I pulled the wiring diagrams & found the three wire pinout. One is a switched 12v, one ground, and one 12v with reverse lights.
All you need is the +12v and a ground. The +12v when in reverse is to tell the mirror not to dim so you can use it to back up. I typically turn my body/use the side mirrors, so this feature wasn't important to me, and made this A LOT easier of a swap.
I picked up the mirror on eBay for under $30, I think $28 shipped. Tons of them on there, but they ranged from $20~ to $100+ for the SAME mirror. If you cant find a cheap one, just postpone until you can, or go to ao junkyard and nab one, and then you can grab a lot of the harness with it.
The two different OEM mirrors:
What you'll need:
-Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror
-Wiring harness for mirror, only need at least an inch, not the whole harness
-Small gauge wiring, about 4' just to be safe (18+ gauge is fine)
-Wire cutters
-Phillips screwdriver
-Utility knife
-Zip ties recommended
-Electrical tape
*I am not responsible for any damage you may cause, or injuries. This is how I did it*
1. Open up the upper console where the garage door opener would go, theres one screw in there. Remove it. The front of the console just has to snap connectors, so just pull, but don't yank, as theres some wiring to disconnect. (I have rear HVAC, so I have more than you if you don't have that)
Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of this, but I have the aftermath:
2. Remove the OEM mirror. I used a small pick, just push it up into the bottom of the mirror mount, and push while pulling up on the mirror with your other hand. (See video I found on YouTube below) You will also need to pop the compass module off. This is a little black box snapped to the mirror mount, with a small wire harness going to it.
3. Pop your A-Pillar cover off. This is the easiest spot to tap into the existing wiring. We're going to use the power and ground from the compass module.
I cut some of the rubber tape covering the wiring. You can do it higher or lower, doesn't matter.
4. You're going to tap into the BLACK wire for the ground, and the GRAY w/ORANGE STRIPE wire for the switched 12v. (I would highly recommend double checking with a test light or DMM to verify. Mine is a 2006, but sometimes they change wire colors through the years)
I used some quick splices. These aren't my favorite, but they're on the inside, and wont be exposed to water or weather, so they'll be just fine.
5. Now I had already done this part inside where its nice and warm, but you'll need to connect the corresponding wires to the mirror harness. Like I mentioned above, there will be THREE wires in that connector, you only need two. I used a little pick and pushed the un-needed connector out to keep it clean looking. I wrapped it with electrical tape, as thats how it was from the factory anyways.
For my 2006 it was as follows: BLACK= Ground, GRAY w/ORANGE STRIPE= 12v
6. Once you have the wires connected, TEST IT! I slid mine onto the mount loosely, turned the key on, and because it was daylight outside, it wont dim, you'll have to put your finger over the sensor on the back near the wire harness. If you turn the mirror around, you cant miss it. The mirror should get pretty dark depending on brightness outside.
Key on, but not dim:
Key on, finger covering the daylight sensor in back, success!
Now, clean everything up, hide the wires, zip tie excess, put your A-Pillar back on, etc. Plug your compass module back in, snap it back on, I opted to put my wiring inside of the little black plastic loom that comes down from the headliner with the compass wiring. It fit perfectly. Looks OEM as can be. Best $30 mod ever!
Before: (Wiring was already hanging down)
After:
*Notes: This doesn't HAVE to be a 4th gen mirror. Mine was from a 2008, but even a 3rd gen mirror works. I believe its the same pinout as well, but if not, its the same process.
They make a ton of aftermarket mirrors as well that display the compass/temp and have homelink built in. I was going to go this route, but they are $90+ and I really like the look of the 4th gen mirror best.
I had a 3rd gen mirror in my cart for $30 before I found the 4th gen mirror that popped up even cheaper. The 3rd gen mirrors are more curved, if thats the look you want.
This also works as a guide if you were wanting to install one of those mirrors with a built in screen/camera etc but I would recommend a better power source for that.
Time: About 30 minutes, give or take 10.
This is on a 4th gen, but should be the same on a third or even second, with the exception of finding another power source for the mirror. The 3rd gen mirror will fit the same, but is more curved, where the 4th gen mirror is more boxy. Same 3 pin wire harness but different colors. Still only need a ground and switched 12v.
My XLT lacks a lot of features, hence the reason I've been swapping so many "nicer" OEM parts in. It was terrible was going from a vehicle with the auto-dimming rear view mirror, to one without it. (First world problems, right?)
I pulled the wiring diagrams & found the three wire pinout. One is a switched 12v, one ground, and one 12v with reverse lights.
All you need is the +12v and a ground. The +12v when in reverse is to tell the mirror not to dim so you can use it to back up. I typically turn my body/use the side mirrors, so this feature wasn't important to me, and made this A LOT easier of a swap.
I picked up the mirror on eBay for under $30, I think $28 shipped. Tons of them on there, but they ranged from $20~ to $100+ for the SAME mirror. If you cant find a cheap one, just postpone until you can, or go to ao junkyard and nab one, and then you can grab a lot of the harness with it.
The two different OEM mirrors:
What you'll need:
-Auto-Dimming Rear View Mirror
-Wiring harness for mirror, only need at least an inch, not the whole harness
-Small gauge wiring, about 4' just to be safe (18+ gauge is fine)
-Wire cutters
-Phillips screwdriver
-Utility knife
-Zip ties recommended
-Electrical tape
*I am not responsible for any damage you may cause, or injuries. This is how I did it*
1. Open up the upper console where the garage door opener would go, theres one screw in there. Remove it. The front of the console just has to snap connectors, so just pull, but don't yank, as theres some wiring to disconnect. (I have rear HVAC, so I have more than you if you don't have that)
Sorry, I didn't get any pictures of this, but I have the aftermath:
2. Remove the OEM mirror. I used a small pick, just push it up into the bottom of the mirror mount, and push while pulling up on the mirror with your other hand. (See video I found on YouTube below) You will also need to pop the compass module off. This is a little black box snapped to the mirror mount, with a small wire harness going to it.
3. Pop your A-Pillar cover off. This is the easiest spot to tap into the existing wiring. We're going to use the power and ground from the compass module.
I cut some of the rubber tape covering the wiring. You can do it higher or lower, doesn't matter.
4. You're going to tap into the BLACK wire for the ground, and the GRAY w/ORANGE STRIPE wire for the switched 12v. (I would highly recommend double checking with a test light or DMM to verify. Mine is a 2006, but sometimes they change wire colors through the years)
I used some quick splices. These aren't my favorite, but they're on the inside, and wont be exposed to water or weather, so they'll be just fine.
5. Now I had already done this part inside where its nice and warm, but you'll need to connect the corresponding wires to the mirror harness. Like I mentioned above, there will be THREE wires in that connector, you only need two. I used a little pick and pushed the un-needed connector out to keep it clean looking. I wrapped it with electrical tape, as thats how it was from the factory anyways.
For my 2006 it was as follows: BLACK= Ground, GRAY w/ORANGE STRIPE= 12v
6. Once you have the wires connected, TEST IT! I slid mine onto the mount loosely, turned the key on, and because it was daylight outside, it wont dim, you'll have to put your finger over the sensor on the back near the wire harness. If you turn the mirror around, you cant miss it. The mirror should get pretty dark depending on brightness outside.
Key on, but not dim:
Key on, finger covering the daylight sensor in back, success!
Now, clean everything up, hide the wires, zip tie excess, put your A-Pillar back on, etc. Plug your compass module back in, snap it back on, I opted to put my wiring inside of the little black plastic loom that comes down from the headliner with the compass wiring. It fit perfectly. Looks OEM as can be. Best $30 mod ever!
Before: (Wiring was already hanging down)
After:
*Notes: This doesn't HAVE to be a 4th gen mirror. Mine was from a 2008, but even a 3rd gen mirror works. I believe its the same pinout as well, but if not, its the same process.
They make a ton of aftermarket mirrors as well that display the compass/temp and have homelink built in. I was going to go this route, but they are $90+ and I really like the look of the 4th gen mirror best.
I had a 3rd gen mirror in my cart for $30 before I found the 4th gen mirror that popped up even cheaper. The 3rd gen mirrors are more curved, if thats the look you want.
This also works as a guide if you were wanting to install one of those mirrors with a built in screen/camera etc but I would recommend a better power source for that.
