Hey Nonsensez9, They run the plug from the unit down the drivers side A pillar. When you turn on the ignition, the unit powers up. I use the brackett that comes w/ it and it goes right on the visor. I've been using the Bel units for a long time. I have the same plug in 3 vehicles, so I can move the unit easily from each. I also bought a new one recently and made sure the plug was still the same as the older ones. I got them through Crutchfield.

sonny,

The mirror button stays on the windshield. The mirror mounting bracket and mirror assembly is what I removed. I have to tell you, I was really worried about the 80% chance of breaking the windshield also. Take your time and don't force the mirror. Removing the mirror takes about 20-30 seconds. It is easier than it sounds. The new mirror mounts on the windshield button.

Hope this helps.

OK, Thanks for that! I'm ordering parts and not sure if this thing is ever going to be built. I was just at a high end custom auto interior shop snooping around their heated seat options. There's some cutting and stitching of the new seats, but I've had custom jobs done to seats before. I leave quickly so I don't have to see the cutting. Oh ya, did your homelink work OK?

The HomeLink and Compass work great. I bought the mirror for the HomeLink option. This is the first auto-dimming mirror I have owned. I really like the auto-dimming feature, no more reaching up and flipping the toggle for night driving. I do not know what took me so long. Now I want to change-out the mirrors in my truck and the wife's Cherokee.

Let me know how the heated seat options work out. I am going to perform that surgery next.

Thanks

BLKOUT, The guy said about $250 per seat. There's cheaper ones w/ just an on/off switch instead of high/low/off which is $50 ea. more. The guy also had a brochure w/ interior upgrades for seats, badging and stuff like the iup look.
I've got the mirrors in two vehicles now and my Denali the dealer sold on me in 2 hours when they said I'd have a GT in 6-8 weeks had one. One also has the onstar, the homelink is next to it.

sonny,
Is that $250 per seat installed or $250 per seat for the hardware? I plan on doing the install myself.
Thanks

Yes, That is what he told me. It was $250 for the basic on/off setup per seat and an additional $50 for the hi/lo/off one. That's installed. Also, I believe it's heated in the backrest and seat cushion.

blkout.. I did some research on the seat heater elements and the manufacturer is really twitchy about selling the parts to us shadetree mechanics. There is all sortsof liability obviously with fires and shorts. I too am a big proponent of diy, but this looks like a nogo. For me, also, I wouldn't dig in there because of the side air bags.

P

sonny and peet,

Thanks for the info.

Mirror update...

Ok I bought the mirror from a Subaru dealer. It is identical to the one that Ford offers - compass, homelink and auto dimming in one. The ford part is $350 the same exact thing with a Subaru sticker on the box (only on the box) is $191 internet and $215 dealer.

With a fellow member's help in plug pinouts I was able to hook this up in about 1/2 hour. I highly recommend this upgrade!

Peet

Hey PEET, Thanks for the update. I have to take the wifes T-blazer in Tues. for a fix (onstar says throttle control module) and it so happens there's a Subaru dealer next door. Maybe I'll check out the parts dept. :D still C&U as of 2-3-05

Way cool Peet! Can you give us a synopsis of what was required to install the Subaru-branded mirror? Did the wiring harness contain a plug that had to be removed or adapted? Any pics of the installation? I really want one of these but I just can't see spending $350+ for a Gentex mirror in a Ford labeled box.

To distill the installation - all the same steps as the instructions in the Subaru brochure except:

1) to remove stock mirror (be extremely careful - I saw someone quote that 80% of the windshields are busted by ford techs because they aren't slow and careful!) ... take small screwdriver (about 3/32"-1/8" in width, flat blde) insert into slot in center of holder (the part of the stock mirror that attaches to the window button. Pry up gently to get the 'hook' of the holder over the button and wiggle mirror up. Patience on this.

2) Take the subaru wire harness and slice off the subaru specific end of the cable. You are now left with 3 wires. The center wire is ground, the outside two are positive 12V. You will only need to hook up one of them (I believe it is the one with the white stripe - sorry, I don't remember now, but if it's wrong, it's easy to switch).

3) Now we're wiring to the fusebox... get yourself some extra power taps. I found these at an AutoZone. They look like mini fuses with two female mini fuse connections on them and a cable coming out. One of the mini fuse connections is for the stock fuse you will be replacing and the other is for the accessory you are wiring. Locate the fuse you will use, you will need an ignition switched one, I used the overdrive fuse since I have a stick shift car and that doubly left me safer. You can always use a radio, mirrors etc one that is switched. Plug in there. Test...

Testing: if you did this all correctly, turning on the ignition will power up the mirror. The conmpass will show C because it needs you to do donuts, and the mirror will darken if you cover the front sensor (on the hood side) and there is sufficient brightness in the cabin or behind the car. If it doesn't darken, you hooked up the wrong 12v+ wire. The second wire is a rever sensing wire. It is designed to turn the dimming off on the mirror when you put the car in reverse. And, obviously, that wire hooks up to the reverse lamps.

Hope this helps!

BTW: I drove with this today and it worked great. Better rear view (mirror is slightly bigger and the image is not distored like my stocker) and the compass is a nice plus.

Cheers!

Peet,

Is this the mirror you used?

http://secure.cartsvr.net/catalogs/c...prodid=3358673
$191 with Homelink.

What does the Mustang's driver info center list? I have a 04 F150 Lariat. My info center has a compass, outside temperature, 2 trip odometers, timer, gallons to empty, avg mpg. I thought the Mustang would have the same. I have Homelink, but it is built into the sun visor. Also does the Mustang have auto headlights?