Framed autodimming rearview mirror to frameless

[mrplt]

Hi!

I searched for a post like this but had no luck. So I have a 2022 CX-5 GT with the regular autodimming mirror (with Homelink), and I am thinking about installing a frameless mirror instead.
If I'm not mistaken, framed and frameless mirrors have different plugs, although ultimately, all I need is +12V switched (for dimming), +12 constant (for Homelink) and -12V/Ground for obvious reasons. So I don't really understand why the plugs are different.
I checked the installation instructions for the Mazda frameless mirror and it doesn't mention the existing wiring for framed autodimming mirrors.

If I have to splice wires and DIY something, I might just as well get a mirror directly from the manufacturer. So I found a Gentex frameless mirror with autodim and Homelink for around $170 Canadian, and it also takes 3 wires.

What I do not understand though is the fact there are four wires entering the mirror and I can't tell what the fourth one would be for, and if I were to get a Gentex mirror, where that wire would go. Would anyone happen to know what that's for?

Anyone replaced a "regular" autodim mirror with a frameless one?

 

[RedBaron]

Not sure this is the answer, but some other autodim mirrors have a 'reverse' signal to UNdim while backing up. YMMV.

UPDATE: OK, so I went and checked schematics. That WAS the correct answer - reverse signal.

 

[cz5gt]

Correct. And you dont need the 4th wire.
on the framed mirror its supposed to stop the auto dim when you reverse. But to me thats useless and not needed at all.
The framed mirror has female plug inside the mirror and the car wiring ends up with a male.
on the frameless mazda oem the wires are coming form the mirror, no plug on the mirror.
Why mazda did the accessory like this no clue, as it requires splicing of the wires in the A pillar.
You can also connect the 2x 12v+ together if you dont want the homelink to work always even if the car is turned off.
If you find a gentex that has the same female plug that can match the GT default wire male plug that would be perfect. Just make sure the 3 wires march on the plugs.
It also possible to change all plugs to match and then connect but requires finding the right plugs and some work

 

[mrplt]

Correct. And you dont need the 4th wire.
on the framed mirror its supposed to stop the auto dim when you reverse. But to me thats useless and not needed at all.
The framed mirror has female plug inside the mirror and the car wiring ends up with a male.
on the frameless mazda oem the wires are coming form the mirror, no plug on the mirror.
Why mazda did the accessory like this no clue, as it requires splicing of the wires in the A pillar.
You can also connect the 2x 12v+ together if you dont want the homelink to work always even if the car is turned off.
If you find a gentex that has the same female plug that can match the GT default wire male plug that would be perfect. Just make sure the 3 wires march on the plugs.
It also possible to change all plugs to match and then connect but requires finding the right plugs and some work

Thanks!
I haven't found a Gentex mirror that has the same plug, but I found a seller on eBay who claims they can custom-make an adapter. They also claimed that there is a short cable that connects the mirror to another connector underneath the plastic cover. I'll need to double-check that, and if it is actually true, to me it's a better option than buying the Mazda frameless mirror and splicing wires in the A pillar.

 

[cz5gt]

yes. What they do is find the right female connector and plug that to the wires of the mirror.
This female connector plus into your GT male plug directly which gets tucked away in the plastic behind the mirror. The tricky part is finding and sourcing the exact part number of the female connector that plugs to the car male one. I know that few people provide it on the internet but they dont share how they source it.
1$ for connector only vs 10-15$ for the whole thing. Good profit
I had the same idea to change to the frameless mirror but decided to skip for now.
It is also annoying that all the nice to have oem accessories require splicing like the frameless mirror, footwell lights, puddle lights, park sensors, oem remote start, etc but it is what it is.

 

[mrplt]

I ordered it. Guess we'll see when it arrives!
It's very slightly cheaper than getting a mirror directly from Mazda due to it being shipped from the States, but it will hopefully be plug-and-play and it seems to be an updated version of the frameless mirror.

 

[mrplt]

It just arrived, and I installed it in around 10 minutes.

I got a mirror that had the same connector as the framed auto-dimming mirror, so I didn't need to do any splicing. I ordered it from a seller on eBay (one of the more popular ones when it comes to car mirrors).
If you decide to do something like this, be very careful when removing the connector of your old mirror. It sits on a piece of plastic that keeps it in place, and it does its job so well that it's borderline impossible to remove. I ended up breaking a piece of that mount and used a little bit of double-sided tape to keep it in place instead so it won't make noise.

Steps:
1) Remove the plastic cover around the mirror. There is a small opening on the further side from the mirror, I inserted a screwdriver (covered with cloth) and rotated it slightly. Then you pull from both sides while moving them up and down very slightly.
2) Underneath the cover, you'll see there is another connector. One side comes from the mirror, the other side comes from the A-pillar. Due to its design, the connector that comes from the mirror stays in place and you detach the other cable.
3) Detach the cable that comes from the mirror from its mount. I don't know how to do this without breaking the mount. (I didn't intentionally break it) I tried to remove the broken part of the mount that got stuck in the connector, and I couldn't do it without using 2 pairs of pliers at the same time and breaking the stuck piece in 4 pieces. There has to be a way, but I couldn't figure it out.
4) Unscrew the mirror from its mount. You need a T20 bit. Try to feel how tight the screw was. Once unscrewed, move the mirror up and it should come out really easily. You need to follow the same steps in reverse to mount the new mirror. While screwing, try to make it as tight as the previously installed mirror was. (15 lb-in, but I had no way of measuring that)
5) If you managed to remove the old adapter without breaking the mount, you can remount the adapter. If not, connect the adapters and use double-sided tape (or regular tape will work too)
6) Reinstall the plastic cover. I found that mounting the right side first, followed by the left side works well.

 

[cz5gt]

Looks nice. Thank you for the update and the detailed instructions.

Is this the new frameless that has homelink connect bluetooth as well?

 

[mrplt]

Looks nice. Thank you for the update and the detailed instructions.

Is this the new frameless that has homelink connect bluetooth as well?

Thanks! Yes, it has HomeLink connect Bluetooth. I connected it to my phone but in my use case it doesn’t do much beyond letting me see what I have saved for each button.

 

[cz5gt]

Cool. Thank you. So this model is even better than the mazda oem one.

supposedly it can do this:
For Bluetooth Enabled mirrors (indicated by a ), the traditional HomeLink buttons can be paired with the HomeLink Connect app on your phone to enable Bluetooth control of smart home devices.
more details here but I havent researched it yet

HomeLink Connect

connect.homelink.com

 

[Bbbigelowww]

So has anyone had luck going from the framed home link mirror to the frameless with homeliness? Turned into a huge debacle for me because the dealership said the wires don’t match up and they are afraid to install it

 

[mrplt]

So has anyone had luck going from the framed home link mirror to the frameless with homeliness? Turned into a huge debacle for me because the dealership said the wires don’t match up and they are afraid to install it

The dealer told me the same thing, because yeah the wires don't match.
I found a seller on eBay who custom-makes adapters for our mirrors.

 

[cz5gt]

yeah. I think in general the mazda oem frameless accesory doesnt match the wires so splicing is needed.
So either source the right adapter (if going with the mazda oem mirror) or buy the whole frameless mirror from a 3rd party which should ideally come with the right adapter/plug that can be plugged directly.

 

[Bbbigelowww]

If I have the oem, would you have to have an adapter you’d recommend? Thanks!

 

[Bbbigelowww]

The dealer told me the same thing, because yeah the wires don't match.
I found a seller on eBay who custom-makes adapters for our mirrors.

Do you have a link to those adapters ? Thanks!

 

[mrplt]

If I have the oem, would you have to have an adapter you’d recommend? Thanks!

You can ask them if they're willing to sell you one.

PS: I'm not affiliated with them -- just bought a mirror.

 

[rockethead26]

Hi all,

Would one of you guys let me know the advantage(s) of using the frameless mirror instead of the OEM other than appearance?

 

[mrplt]

Hi all,

Would one of you guys let me know the advantage(s) of using the frameless mirror instead of the OEM other than appearance?

OEM framed to frameless: none
OEM framed to what I got: has Bluetooth so you can set-up smart home routines. Do I use that? No.

 

[rockethead26]

OEM framed to frameless: none
OEM framed to what I got: has Bluetooth so you can set-up smart home routines. Do I use that? No.

Sooo... none for you. OK, so I'll stick with my OEM one. Thanks, you helped.

 

[mrplt]

Sooo... none for you. OK, so I'll stick with my OEM one. Thanks, you helped.

No worries! Yeah I honestly did it for the looks