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DIY Power Folding Mirrors: a journey
- Thread starter stanleywinthrop
- Start date
- Watchers 9
CatBus
Senior Member
Some things I learned during this install which are specific to the F Kit (and may apply to other kits)
- The green wire has a different connector on either end. Make sure you do not plug the wire in backward because depinning these connectors can be a PITA
- Tighten your screws all the way down or else your mirror will wobble, and you will have to live with that wobble or revise the install. I had to remove the mirror again and partially disassemble stop the wobble. With that said, do not over tighten the screws or you can strip the plastic like another member of this forum did
- If you switch out the mirror glass, when you reinstall it, make sure the tilt motor sticks are properly aligned. They are ball and socket joints but there is a little notch that must align. If you do not align the notch, the ball will break off
- Wear gloves when you remove the glass. Even clean hands are greasy. Also white lithium grease is behind the mirror to prevent plastic squeaking. It will get all over your hands, or gloves if you are wearing them
- Take more pictures than you need to to ensure putting things back together is easier
- The green wire has a different connector on either end. Make sure you do not plug the wire in backward because depinning these connectors can be a PITA
- Tighten your screws all the way down or else your mirror will wobble, and you will have to live with that wobble or revise the install. I had to remove the mirror again and partially disassemble stop the wobble. With that said, do not over tighten the screws or you can strip the plastic like another member of this forum did
- If you switch out the mirror glass, when you reinstall it, make sure the tilt motor sticks are properly aligned. They are ball and socket joints but there is a little notch that must align. If you do not align the notch, the ball will break off
- Wear gloves when you remove the glass. Even clean hands are greasy. Also white lithium grease is behind the mirror to prevent plastic squeaking. It will get all over your hands, or gloves if you are wearing them
- Take more pictures than you need to to ensure putting things back together is easier
stanleywinthrop
Member
- Thread starter
- #65
Well, it's finally time I come back and close the loop on this. About a year ago, my A Spec was totaled, but luckily I was fine. I mourned that car for months and refused come back here and revisit that day. Because of the car market last winter and other life circumstances, I elected to find a reasonably priced used CRV to replace the integra. At the time of the wreck, I had installed my rebuilt mirrors on the A spec, but I was awaiting new mirror switches, which leads me to my primary point: Don't do what my thread started out to do. I only discovered late in the process that I would need separately source window switches and that pushed my costs up to the point that it made no sense to do what my first 5 posts in this thread attemped to do. Just get the C or F kit.
The good news is that finally got back into the game a couple of weeks ago and purchased a 25 Si. I went ahead with the F kit and got power mirrors installed. I made a quick video of the install for anyone interested.
TL : DR Don't do what I attempted to do in this thread. Just get the F kit, and watch this:
The good news is that finally got back into the game a couple of weeks ago and purchased a 25 Si. I went ahead with the F kit and got power mirrors installed. I made a quick video of the install for anyone interested.
TL : DR Don't do what I attempted to do in this thread. Just get the F kit, and watch this:
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CatBus
Senior Member
So my driver side mirror was riddled with a rattle for the longest time. I thought it was the mikstore kit. I got a new driver side mirror from them. Installed it today. Rattle remained. I finally found a forum thread on CivicXI that suggested that the driver side mirror is known to rattle because of failure of the adhesive to hold the glass back to the plastic bits. I went ahead and installed the JDM mirror glass that came with the mikstore kit. Low and behold, my driver side rattle is much less significant. I hope this helps someone.
akoza
Senior Member
That's awesome! The rattle has been driving me crazy for the past year so I might go down this road. Is the JDM mirror any different than the OEM one (flat vs convex, tint, blind spot lights, heating element, etc)?
CatBus
Senior Member
JDM mirror has defrost and blind spot function. It is slightly blue tinted and it is convex. Honestly, I do not love the convex distortion of it, but I really really like the lack of vibration. When I took the mirror off the driver side I could see how much it moved on its plastic clip and I could also see how the adhesive was failing. Interestingly when I switched the passenger side out, however I pulled on the mirror made me realize that I had made the adhesive on the passenger side fail as well.
Here is a link to the civicxi thread about this.
https://www.civicxi.com/forum/threads/drivers-side-mirror-vibration.50011/
I noticed on hondadreamshop and acuraoemparts websites that the driver side mirror is not available. I wonder if a lot of people brought the car in for this. I did not bring this in for a warranty claim because I was sure they would say it is happening because I switched the mirrors out.
akoza
Senior Member
If they had a flat version, I'd jump on that. When I had a GTI, I installed power folding mirrors, which came with convex glass on both sides. Tried it for a few days and couldn't get used to it so I swapped the driver side back to the flat glass.
I may consider going down the road of trying to take apart the mirror plastic and trying to reapply the adhesive, depending on how invasive it is. I have no idea whether the adhesive has any requirements for weather/temperature resistance or anything else.
Maybe Honda will come up with an updated version with better adhesive in the coming years that we can just swap in.
stanleywinthrop
Member
- Thread starter
- #70
It took me about a week to get fully used to it, but I've grown to prefer the mirrors that came with the mikstore kit.
CatBus
Senior Member
Mine was peeling a bit behind it. I bet some sort of thin type of caulk adhesive would work. The other thing I noticed was the plastic piece that connects the mirror glass to the mirror internal motors and stuff was loose on the driver side, but not on the passenger side or the JDM mirrors.
I am still getting used to the JDM mirrors, but I think it is worth it
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