GENTEX51 autodim mirror Install (pics!!)

well i couldnt get my new X with the autodim mirror, the one they found had everything else but this so i took it. I asked the dealership if it could be installed and they said no. well i was disappointed. I saw a thread on here about a guy who did it in his 05 fronty. well i contacted him and got the same one he did from the same guy(great guys). I did the install today and will have pics and write up tomorrow. this has even more features then the stock offered one and is about the same price as that option. It has autodim,compass,temp sensor, and three HomeLink Buttons(garage door opener,etc.) Looks and works great. Like i said pics and write up tomorrow.

Awesome, I want to do the same and look forward to your write up.

Do you mean Gentex?

oops yup i do, it was kinda late sorry haha. itll be up this afternoon.

Hey Beetle,
were did you mount your temp sensor?

give me a little while i just uploaded pics.

Ok so like i stated earlier i had wanted this, was told i couldnt get it or have it installed,went and did it myself.It cost $256.99 with shipping (FEDEX)and trim piece included. Email Rob Farrell at info@brand-new.us . Got the idea from this guy http://www.reverendbiker.com/ Pretty simple steps. In addition to what comes in your box, grab some more zip ties if you want a cleaner install. Youll need a little waterproof grease to run around the seal for the temp sensor. And a torx bit to fit the new mirrors screw. they said #120 i used a #25 and tightened it hand tight. popping off panels can be unnerving but the pop is just the panel detaching.I hate reprogramming stations and didnt want to have to redo a blinking airbag light, i left the battery connected. also to verify everything with my multimeter.

1. remove the old mirror. youll need a thin,long flat hear screwdriver or equivalent. it will slide between the mirror and the glass mount(red arrow) to push up on the locking tang(green arrow)Rock back and forth, voila.

2.pull the panels. unscrew the handle with a #3 cross tip. Pop up and out the upper panel. Next the small panel just under the upper one. then the door sill panel. now pull the black plastic piece holding the kickpanel to the carpet in the front of the foot well. removed the kickpanel and then the reinforced panel behind it. place these nicely somewhere where they wont get damaged. Note you will have to work the weatherstipping on the door frame off the panels as they sit under it on the outer side. itll look something like this.

3. run the temp sensor. i didnt want the sensor exposed like ive seen on other set ups. i wanted to keep it away from direct wind and radiator heat.start applying a small amount of grease to the seal on the sensor, next open the hood and drop it down right behind the light assembly. under the X you will see the front left body mount it should attach to that.there is a small hole you can put it in.(red arrow). Zip tie it a coulple inches back to the mount. so you can remove it if need be later and to secure it better. for reference, the green dot is the underside of the front bumper.

4. now run the covered wiring along the driver side of the engine bay, zip tie it to the existing harness that runs under the airbox inlet.(red arrow shows the harness for the sensor)

5.slice a slit into the firewall and run the two wires thru(red arrow). be careful, the terminals are on the end and can bend easy. if that happens it will be crappy getting them into the mirror plug.

6. run the wires up the left side of the foot well and the a pillar and leave them on the dash for now.
7. Use the supplied terminal splices to splice into your 12 volt constant and switched. (red arrows) the pictures show you were. Kick panel is switched and a pillar is constant.


8. You will need to good ground. there is no ground bolt on the A pillar (like the 05 fronty) in the X. i had to look elsewhere. the kickpanel was home to a good ground with a bolt that did nothing.(red arrow) it is 12mm

9. the supplied terminal end was too small for this bolt so i spliced in one of my extras in my wiring kit. fit great.

10. run the wires for the power down the a pillar and into the foot well. you will have to peel apart the three wires to allow them to go to different spots. The black/white is switched, the outer black is constant and the inner with the lug is obviously ground. Dont zip tie anything yet. you should now have both the temp sensor wires and the power wires on the dash.
11. Mount up the new mirror. just slide it on and tighten down with the torx bit. 1 ft/lbs torque is enough by hand.
12. Attach temp sensor ends into the mirror plug. youll need pop up the white lock so they can slide in. use the lower left two spots. either way is fine. then lock the white piece back down. snap into the back of mirror.
13. run the wires into the headliner starting at the mirror left. use a credit card or ID. leave enough for the mirror to move and wires to remain against glass. unclip the wire clip(green arrow) and put wires uner it. Use optional 6 dollar trim piece to hide wires(red arrow).

14.Plug the wires into the respective places and screw in ground. test mirror out.
15 mirror should remain off until key is in on postion(if not switch your power wires)then should diplay temp,and a direction with CAL next to it. the center green light should be lit and should turn red upon pressing each homelink button. the N button will turn off display. Cover front(front of car side) photo sensor with tape or finger. shine a light in the rear. the mirror should dim accordingly and the display should dim.
15. Ok i left the tails on the zip ties for these pics so you could how many i used. theses are the wiring routes.The large amount of temp wiring excess is wound up and tied off just it enters the foot well behind the firewall. I didnt shorten it for fear of if i splice it or soldered it, the resistance values might change something.
A PILLAR

KICK PANEL

FORWARD FOOTWELL

UPPER FOOTWELL (red arrow is brake mechanism)

16. make sure everything is away from where it might meet plastic and rattle or might short out on.
17. Snap all plastic back in opposite the way you took it out. Remember the weather stripping goes on the left edge of the peices. except the kickpanel and sill panel which rest on the seal. use the passanger side as a guide. if you have trouble getting the stripping over use a flat blade screw driver and angle it on(two pics). dont slide it against the plastic, we all know it mars easy.use your fingers to work it over. do this till it look s like you never touched anything. Note the colder it is the stiffer the rubber will be, try performing in a garage or warm part of the day for best results.


18. follow the rest of the instructions for garage door openers and compass calibration.(you can drive it around and it will learn the direction after you input the magnetic zone your in)
19. ENJOY your stock,stealth,pimp,top-o-the-line addition to your X. wont your friends be jealous.

Dude, U R awesome. (I'm impressed.)

why thank you. Im in the process of figuring out a way to have heated,signal mirrors like the kind most big SUVs have. I have contacted Muth, a major manufacturer but they dont have enough demand for current gen Xs or Frontys. So im trying to figure out if i can mod an existing kit or convince one of these companies to get on the ball.

ok after driving at night it worked great. one thing to note is the auto dim function in city driving. you will have headlights coming at you alot and center highway lights shining on your windshield. this cuased the mirror to be less dim then normal if a car is behind you. my solution will be one of two things. i could open up the mirror splice in a interupt switch to the front photocell to cut its light sensing off. or somehow rig a small hatch or something to cover the sensor. Its definetly not a big deal. i just wonder if i could rig this up.

Wow, nice write up...I will order mine soon. Gentex should pay you a nice sum so they could incorporate your directions into theirs for other X'ers! ;o)

-Matt

That's a great write up...

Very nice write up. One of the most detailed ones I have seen and kudos on all the reference pictures.

thanks guys. if anyone installs one ill field any questions they have.

Great write up...wiring looks pretty simple too. I was going to ask about the tape on the top of the window behind the mirror..but then realized it's a DOD sticker

sure is, but im ETSing tomorrow so its gettin peeled off.

Here's a question: What's the purpose of the front sensor then? Why not just stick some electrical tape over it?

the front sensor allows the mirror to know its dark out. the problem is when you get too much ambient light in the front like i said. it still dims but not as much as im used to. manual mirrors are very dark all the time. the front sensor is the base light the mirror uses to decide to dim or not and how much to dim. the rear takes in headlights. a comparison is made and dimmed accordingly. if you put tape on it, then it would dim in daylight and your direction/temp display would dim also.

So, the front sensor is only for dimming the display of the compass/temperature, correct? Or does it also dim the mirror? If it also dims the mirror, why? Shouldn't dimming the mirror be left to the rear sensor and not the front?

Basically the front (side closes to the windshield) sensor lets the mirror know if it's day or night. The rear (the side facing you) sensor let's the mirror know if there is a car behid you.

If it is day time. The mirror will not dim because it does not need to. If it's night and there are no cars behind you, it will not dim because it does not need to. When someone pulls up behind you at night the mirror will dim to prevent it from blinding you.

If it's a good quality mirror it uses the front and rear sensor to adjust how much it dims depending on how bright it is outside and how bright the lights behind you are.

mukizmans got it.

beetle, how long ago did you buy the mirror on ebay? It doesn't appear to be listed there any more.

nicely done

i didnt get it off ebay. i ran into the same problems you did. the fella i mentioned in the post sells them off an electronics site also. i emailed him and worked the deal out to the price i mentioned. just email him and mention the price I got and the write up. He will give you a link to a checkout from the site. it might say higher shipping but he dosnt charge you for it. very nice guy to work with and very helpfull.

I actually bought onr from them today, I called them directly 1-866-350-3229, due to not seeing it on EBAy, I was told he couldn't list it on EBay due to Homelink (Johnson Controls) not allowing it. So give him a call, I was quoted $250 shipping included.

Beetle,

How many connections were on the plug connecting to the back of the new mirror? I have a 2005 Xterra, and it came with the Dim and Compass, but I also want the Temp and Homelink, so I was seeing if I could use the existing connector on my mirror, and just add the temp sensor. The current plug I have has 7 connections on it, with only the first 2 (from left to right)having wires connected, which should be switched power and ground, so I will still need to add a constant power if that is the case. Please let me know.

eist1, that price sounds right. im assuming you didnt get the wire trim piece since you already have a similar set up from stock. the plug you have on the previous mirror is a 7 pin while the new one is a 10 pin. the only way you could use the existing wires would be to do some extra work. im a helicopter electrician so wiring is my forte haha. anyway you would need to pop off the 7pin connector. one of your two wires is ground the other is 12V switched.the power should have a white stripe on the wire if not do this. Take a paperclip and make it straight. insert the paperclip into one of the slots. use a mulitmeter or one of those power finders with a bulb in the handle. use the paperclip lead and find somewhere to ground. now turn the car on. if it didnt light or show volts, turn it off and try the other. one should give you the power.mark the power wire with tape. now this is the pain in the butt. pull the paperclip. unlock the plastic lock on the connector, unocking the metal connectors on the end of the wires inside. they wont just slide out. you will need to use a paperclip again or something similar. with a keen eye find which of the four sides on the little metal inserts at the end of wire has the locking tang.your going to use your paperclip or something thin to push between that tang and the plastic connector housing. when you do that (from the front of the connector, not the back where the wires go in)youll have unlocked it. gently pull the wire from the back. do this for both. when you get you gentex51 you will need to find and remove the same two wires that you already have. When you get the new harness for the power, peel off the two wires from the main harness and take them out of the plug like before. your basically just swapping two wires you have to the new 10 pin. hope that helps.

Why not just cut, solder and shrink wrap the wires?

Thanks for the info beetle, it might just be easier to use the wiring that comes with it, and then have a switched power and groung available above the mirror for future accessories, such as a radar detector.

you could cut and solder. but, maybe its from working on helicopters, i dont like cutting original wiring unless i have to. and to me, people cant see it but ill know its there. anywiring i do in my vehicles must be done as close to factory looking as i can. visible or not. maybe its an OCD thing.

oh and normally anyone who asks basic wiring questions most likley dosnt own a soldering iron. thats just from what ive seen.

Can any of you tell me what is the difference between MITO Heavy Duty Wiring Harness and the one provided with the Gentex Mirror? I went to the EBAY Store that beetlebailey got his mirror from. I noticed that the ones with MITO Harness are $20 more, and state that it is for easy install. What is the advantage of having the MITO Harness over using the original one? Any help is greatlly appreciated.

Also, I attempted to program the homelink on my lexus for the garage door. Considering that the instructions were followed properly, are there any exclusions to what the mirror can work with, as far as garage doors go? Is the Gentex Mirror Universal for any Garage doors?

Thanks again and Happy New Year.

first im not sure in the difference with those harness choices, but id say stick with what comes with it. it was plenty long enough and thick enough. As far as programming goes you just follow the instuctions and itll catch whatever signal your transmitting. ive never heard of a gentex having too much trouble doing just that.

Nice writeup, beetle. If I didn't already have the auto-dimming mirror, I'd follow your specs--I dig the thermometer (not sure why Nissan didn't put that in the X's as they did the Pathfinders). Well done.

And is that a CAC card I saw on the dash? Don't lose that thing--it's a bitch!

I too want a temp reading in my X. The compass only display just doesnt cut it for me....looking on ebay I found a Gentex GENK21 that has autodimming, temp display, and compass, no homelink...it is $159 shipped on ebay. Thinking about going this route as I do not need the homelink.

Thanks for the info. I ordered my GENK60 on Thursday and received it yesterday. Installed it today and it is AWESOME. Homelink, autodim, compass, temp, and map light.

how much was the GenK60? Did you order through the same route as beetlebailey?

You have PM

Eist1,

Do you know which Gentex model number you purchased? Did you end up having to cut the xterra plug off, or the mirror plug? Thanks.

Hey guys,

Getting quite a few PMs about my Gentex GENK60 mirror.

I bought mine from These Guys

I ordered it over the phone:
1-877-349-5891

He sold it to me below what his normal price is because he said he was a bit overstocked on that model at the time. I ordered mine on Thursday morning and it was shipped USPS and I recieved it on Sat - they ship out of IN and I am in MN.

for reference, you need the longer of the two wire covers that runs from the mirror base to the headliner. You won't need any adapter to fit the mirror to the windshield, as the mirror fits on the existing mount.

this thread provides all the info you need on installing it. I did not hook my map light to the door switch. the light operates separately from the oem map lights via the switch on the mirror itself.

dude that is awesome...
but too much work...
fo sho...
nice tho
how much did it all cost...

i would have bought that version if the X didnt already have decent overhead lighting. to me it just looked a little bulky. but cool deal if thats what you guys want. Just make sure you guys get that wire cover, it really pulls the clean look of the install together.

I just won a new Gentex Homelink, temp, compass, auto dim on eBay. I didn't need the additional map lights either. Man, I can't wait until it gets here.

LOL bulky. It looks identical to yours. I didn't plan on buying the 60, just that he said he would sell it to me for 20 bucks more than the 50, so I went for it. Now that I have it, I am glad I bought the one with the light.

i guess the dimensions are the same. the picture on the site i bought from made it look bigger. hmmm. anyway...

I just ordered up a GENK40 - just homelink and autodim - for my beater protege. I will have a Gentex mirror in every vehicle now.

Thanks again for the install walkthough beetlebailey.

I had a few hours to spare this evening, so I went ahead and instaled a GENK50 mirror in my '06. The process was very straightforward, although it did take a few hours, and now I can finally pull my extra garage door remote out of my glove box where it's been rattling around for the last few weeks.

A couple of notes from my install:

- I think I received the "heavy duty" harness with my mirror package, which added 2 inline fuses to the power connections, and a 2 inch wide quick disconnect approximately 6" from the mirror plug. The disconnect took a little extra work to get pushed under the headliner, but there was plenty of room for it. I opted to not use the inline fuses however, since they were going to be next to inaccessable once everything was installed.

- On my '06, the rubber gasket around the drivers' door was not glued in place, and easily pulled off and pushed back onto the door frame. Instead of using screwdrivers to slip the gasket around the trim pieces, I simply pulled it away from the door while working on the trim.

- I was finiding it difficult to push the temperature sensor plug through the firewall gasket, so I ended up finding a rod of approximately the same diameter (in my case, a screwdriver extender), pushing it nearly all of the way through the hole I put in the gasket, then pushing the rod the rest of the way out with the plug for the temperature sensor. This allowed me to get the sensor plug/wire through the hole without damaging it, while keeping the hole itself as small as possible. I also added some black general purpose caulking around the hole to seal it up further.

- As others have mentioned, definitely get the plastic wire cover (3"-6" expandable version) to finish off your install. It's trivial to install, and gives it a very nice look in the end.

Now I just need to find an empty parking lot to do a couple of 360 degree turns to calibrate my compass without everyone looking at me funny.

DB.

you pushed the plug through the firewall? why not mount the temp sensor first then run the small wires through and keep the hole even smaller? Then you connect the wires into the back of the mirror connector.

I think described this a bit awkwardly, so let me take another shot.

I mounted the temperature sensor below the headlights, per your instructions, and ran the wiring back along the right side of the engine bay (zip tying it to the existing wiring) to the drivers side firewall gasket. To get a hole in the gasket, I pushed a pocket knife through it twice, making an "X" approximately 3/8" wide for each cut. I then pushed the disconnect plug (the end that connects to the green wires from the wiring harness), and the plastic cable shroud through the firewall gasket, using a metal rod in the fashion I described previously. The cable shroud snugged up against the hole nicely, and with the extra bit of caulk, it's pretty much completely sealed.

I didn't cut the shroud off in the engine bay, since I didn't want the wires inside to be a stress point for vibration, and would have had to make the cut for the hole the same size anyway to get the plug through. In thinking about it a bit further though, I should open up the kick panel again and cut off the extra length of cable shroud inside of the cabin, and seal up the cut end of the shroud. (it was getting late when I finished up, so I simply coiled up the wiring with the shroud on it)

DB.

Installed mine yesterday. No problems at all. Much easier when you already have the autodim compass mirror. The temp display is so cool and the homelink is so convenient.

I highly recommend this mod. Much more so when you do it yourself. Much more gratifying.

My mirror stopped working last week. Randomly enough, it died right after going to the local car wash, which made me think that something had shorted out, probably due to someone spraying windex directly into one of the light sensor holes.

Having thought I had isolated the problem to the mirror being dead, I went ahead and ordered a replacement unit.

Taking a second look at the wiring with the multi-meter a few days later, it turned out that my ground connection was flaky. There was enough factory paint in and around the bolt hole to make the ground connection unreliable, unless the terminal connector was positioned just right. Knowing that if this didn't survive a few days on paved roads, it would never survive long term use, especially on gravel roads, I needed to find a permanent fix other then repositioning the connector and tightening the bolt

To fix this, I scraped off some paint immediately surrounding the bolt hole, and added a toothed lock washer between the terminal and the frame, before torquing down the bolt. This seems to be the permanent fix I needed, as it survived 3 days in Death Valley, with a full day on the rough gravel roads in the park.

In hindsight, the original terminal connector I removed from the ground wire had a toothed interior ring. Since the replacment connector I added had a smooth hole, I should have known to add a toothed washer in the first place.

DB.

PS: If anyone's looking for a new GENK50 mirror, look for my posting in the for sale forum. (selling the unneeded replacement I bought)

Dave, did you already have the autodimming mirror? I did and I used the ground wire that was left when I pulled the old mirror. If you didn't have the autodimming mirror, then what I just said is moot.

No, my xterra did not come with the factory autodimming mirror. The grounding point that beetlebaily pointed out works great ... once you scrape off some paint and use a toothed washer.

DB.

I'm pretty new to car wiring.

This write up is very good, but I am a little fuzzy on where/how I am supposed to attached the red +12V supply wire (I have a 2005 X).

Can someone give me some advice?

Hey all - thanks for all the info on mirrors and installation. I will be purchasing a gentex 21 (autodim, compass, and temp) soon and will probably not be installing it myself. I have an 05 X w/o auto dim mirror, so it will be tougher. I am very novice when it comes to wiring. Does anyone have any recommendations as to where I could possibly get this mirror installed? I was thinking a stereo place, or maybe cartoys...but I wasn't sure. The truth is, any of those places would probably do a better job than I would. If anyone lives in the northwest, I'd be happy to pay for installation. Any advice would be appreciated...Sorry for being such a n00b!

It'd help to know where you live.

It's on the lower driver's side kick panel. You have to peel off a section of the weatherstripping. In the front is a plastic nut that you have to remove and remove the kick plate. The kick panel should come out easily then.

The 12v wire is in there as outlined in beetlebailey's writeup.

OK... I just completed my first ever car mod. Thanks for the holding my hand through it BeetleBailey!

For the most part everything went very smooth. The problem I encountered (becuase I'm a total novice) was not knowing how to attach the 12V wire to the main wire harness. My kit did not come with a T-splice so after a little Googleing I found a site that described how to solder a splice. That's what I ended up doing and it worked great.

Funny story... I just got the car a few weeks a go so I'm still learning how things work. I got everything hooked up and working in about 3 hours (it took me awhile becuase I'm a total novice). I was happy and I went driving around and things were great. The next morning I drove my car down the street and a load beep went off and a warning light came on. I was totally freaked out. The first thing that popped in my head was "what did I do!?" I thought for sure I screwed up my car somehow during the install. I checked the manual for the explanation of the light... and in my haste I mistook the tire-pressure light for the brake warning lamp (yeah... I know... dumb move). Anyway... I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to figure out how my wiring job had shorted out the brake system...
BeetleBailey was very gracious in helping me troubleshoot. Then, just when I had lost all hope and resolved to take the car to the stealership... I discovered that it wasn't the brake light that was on... it was the low tire pressure light... and sure enough the rear diver side tire was low on air.

So moral of the story: RTFM (more carefully).

does an installation of an aftermarket mirror void any warranties? also, will Nissan do a good job of installing a gentex? they said they would do it if they had directions - I may print off beetles write-up and take it to them. thx

I doubt the dealership would even notice the mirror.

can someone show me what kind of grease to use for the temp sensor and exactly where to grease? i dont fully understand...

the dealership complimented me on my clean install. they didnt even notice till some was confused why the others didnt have garage door opening buttons haha. That grease is to protect the sensor in its shell. there is a rubber squash gasket that slides over the sensor and then the cover is put on flush against that gasket as it snaps in place. you could use dielectric grease or regular automotive grease you will find at any auto parts store.

oh and you want to put the grease on both sealing surfaces of the squash gasket. this will effectively seal out the environment from getting in and ruining the sensor

mine came with the rounded plastic shell already on, so I should take the plastic shell off and put grease on the gasket then put the plastic over it again?

roger that

One of best write ups I have seen here! Nice trick over-riding the picture post limit! LOL I tried that but if said Can't post so soon. So I trashed it all. Anyways.

To do heated Mirrors, all you need is a switch, relay and any heater element. It's just a stretch of heat element stuck to a section of foil. You kinda have to know what is there now as far as room and match it up with any other replacement heat element. You just can't cut the element wire or it's toast. And, it must touch mirror in all places or it will burn out. Stick it on, run the wires to a relay and on to a switch, you are done! Sounds easy huh?
MC

Didn't I read somewhere that Canadian models have heated mirrors? I think that we were waiting from our Canadian brothers to check on pricing.

Wow! I am very impressed! This is just the information that I was looking for. I wanted to upgrade to the auto-dimming mirror but only thought it would be worth it if the temperature would be displayed as well as compass. You have shown me it can be done! Way to go. Nice clear instructions.

Here it is! The mirror install was easier than I thought it would be. It went without any complications thanks to your write up.

glad it helped.