DIY on auto dimming interior and exterior mirror. (Whit compass) "Not done yet"

[Eddie]

This is my DIY on auto dimming interior and exterior mirrors, before I start retrofitting the mirrors I was a little bit afraid of too much wiring so that’s the main reason why I do this DIY is a very easy retrofit that takes no time at all. And it also makes a big difference when driving during night. This is my first DIY so go easy on the criticism.

Parts needed:
Part # 8E0 857 511 A E59 07S (Dimming interior mirror whit compass and without rain sensor)
Part # 4E0 857 535 E 01S (Dimming exterior glass drivers side “left”)
Part # 4E0 857 536 F 02S (Dimming exterior glass passenger side “right”)

You also need to crimp wires at connector #4B0 971 833 (interior mirror) and 443 906 231 (On back of mirror glass). The crimps should come in the connectors. If you can't crimp the wires you need to buy the repair wires 000 979 105 and 000 979 003 A (both bags of 5 short wires).



First I purchased the interior auto dimming mirror, it’s from a A4 and part # 8E0 511 A E59 07S (whit compass) there is two kind of mirrors one for cars whit the raining/light sensor and one without. The right one is whit rain/light sensor and the left is without. My Audi A3 doesn’t have any rain sensor so the left one will fits my windshield correctly. Check carefully which one fits your car because Audi don’t sell any mounting to the mirrors itself you have buy the whole windshield.

The left one has Part # 8E0 857 511 A E59 07S

The color isn’t a 100% match but close enough to not distinguish to much. (The right one is 100% match of A3 interior color “platinum grey”)

Here is the dimming interior mirror whit compass connected to 12+ battery before retrofitted in the car (checking that the dim and compass works).


Part # 4E0 857 535 E 01S (Dimming exterior glass drivers side “left”)
Part # 4E0 857 536 F 02S (Dimming exterior glass passenger side “right”)

There are about 10 variations of wide angle/flat/warning/arabic/ etc glass, so check whit your VAG shop before buying. But the distinguishing features of auto-dimming glass are the black border on the front and the extra socket and circuitry on the back.



Now let’s get it on.
1. First you need to unmount the current mirror by turning it 90 deg to unlatch it while pushing in towards the windshield slightly. I did it on my own but the windshield is very sensitive to vibrations and DO CRACK VERY EASY. Do this on your own risk! I recommend that you take it to a local shop and let them unmount the mirror for you.

I used a polygrip plier and towel and slowly turned the mirror 90 deg be careful and do not push the mirror towards you instead push towards the windshield.

This is the mounting without the rain/light sensor, oh what a dirty windshield.


2. Now run the wires up to the new mirror. I ran my wires (pin1 + and pin2 – and pin4 side mirror dimming) up into the headliner as it meets the windshield. Then down the A-pillar to the fuse-box, I push the wires behind the clothing on A-pillar and roof. You need to run pin5 to the passenger side and down to the door. Pin3 you need to run thru the roof into the interior light and connect it to pin1 in the socket of interior lightning. Connecting the mirror to the interior lightning pin1 will stop the mirror from dim when the interior lightning is on.

When you have run the new wires up into the roof, down the A-pillars, and down to the fuse box (not pin5 that one should go to passenger side). Then I connected pin1 + in the adaptive headlights fuse for power (#7) I purchased a littlefuse mini add-a-circuit to wire it to the adaptive headlights fuse. Also check it whit VAG-COM no error codes came from connecting pin1 + into that fuse.

3. Now Ground the mirror, I am grounding mine to the screw near fuse-box.

Now the wiring for the interior mirror is done you should have pin4 down to the driver’s side and pin5 down at the passenger side. The interior mirror should dim, you could test it by covering the ambient light sensor on the front and then using a flashlight to simulate headlamps on the rear sensor. You also need to Calibrate the compass. Press and hold the center button to toggle the compass, press quickly to turn the dimming function on and off.

Make a test-fit and then trim the wire cover about .25". I used a dremel to accomplish this.

Put the cover on place and the interior mirror is now done.

The compass completes the red interior in the rest of the car very good. And it also automatically dim during night.

One more pic. just to show how it looks from the outside.





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Now for the Exterior mirrors DIY

That isent done yet. Will edit the DIY whit new pic and text when I have the time. This is my first DIY so let me know what you think about it. Also I wont to know if anybody wonts the exterior mirrors DIY becuase they cost a lot to buy the auto dim. exterior glass. Maybe it is enough whit interior.

 

[Lapchien66]

Great post, but a bit confused by the wiring - does your A3 already have the wiring loom 'ready' for the auto-dimming rear view mirror?

Also I can't see the pictures in parts 2 and 3...

 

[Tommy]

Also how much does it cost?

Apart from that its a good write up, not bad for a first attempt!

I bet it makes a difference at night!

 

[NHN]

The side mirrors with auto dimming you show are the older versions, the current versions dont have the black borders at all, its all mirrored glass & has a line indented about 8-9mm from the edge of the glass all the way round, I recommend using the newer versions because they look better aesthetically & also when moving the mirror glass electrically, the black border used to stop me from getting a wider angle on the drivers side, where as the borderless version works very well indeed.

 

[Eddie]

The side mirrors with auto dimming you show are the older versions, the current versions dont have the black borders at all, its all mirrored glass & has a line indented about 8-9mm from the edge of the glass all the way round, I recommend using the newer versions because they look better aesthetically & also when moving the mirror glass electrically, the black border used to stop me from getting a wider angle on the drivers side, where as the borderless version works very well indeed.

Oh thats to bad that I dident know that info before I bought my dimming side mirrors becuase they cost pretty much, cant change now that I already bought does old ones.


I will fix the pic problem soon and no its not pre wired when the two pic. are working again it will get more clearer how to run the wiring.

The interior mirror I bought from ebay.de and paid 130euro whit shipment and the exterior mirrors I paid 400euro for on ebay.de

 

[paul_e88]

So the mirror with the code 8E0 857 511 A E59 will fit on a windshield with the standard mirror?
I'm going to try to do this mod, but i want to be able to activate the CH/LH option and the AUTO lights, using the mirror. I know that the OEM solution is using the mirror sensor, but i'm not sure. I think that it would have to be activated through vag-com, but i don't want to have any errrors (like rain sensor error, although i've read that there were a few early A3's with just the light sensor option, so i hope that they can be activated separately)
Do you think it will work?

Also, for the OP, did you try activating the CH/LH option and AUTO lights?
Thanks

 

[NHN]

Thats an A4 mirror & shows up for the US region.

If you want the proper ch/lh system, then you'd be best to fit the proper sensors that includes rain/light sensor as one.

 

[paul_e88]

Well, i know that the proper way to do it would be to install the sensors, but that means changing the windshield, which i'm not going to do for a while. I've changed it last year, unfortunately with a standard windshield, i didn't know all the details back then.

I read here that there were a couple of people with early A3's that had just the light sensor and the auto-dimming mirror.
That's what i am looking for, i'm not interested in the rain sensor that much so that i'd change the windshield.

Maybe the real question is if the early A3's with the light sensor on the auto-dimming mirror had the CH/LH or the AUTO function working..
Or maybe someone with acces to ELSA can see if the sensor on that mirror also works for the AUTO function.

 

[NHN]

Yes, but as you dont have the same fixings on the screen for it, then you'd either need to change the screen or find the adapter that allows it to fit, also you have to see if your car will accept the older mirror sensor type, wiring is different, even if I'm confident it can be wired in anyway.

 

[paul_e88]

The OP here said that the mirror with just the light sensor, no rain sensor, fits the screen without any adaptation.
Here's a photo with this mirror, with light sensor and simple fixing, which should work on normal windshields.
You can see that the mounting should be the same as the normal mirror, it's not as complicated as the one with the rain sensor.



Anyway, i think i'll buy the mirror and check afterwards if everything works. Worst case scenario, i'll just have an auto-dimming mirror, without AUTO or CH/LH lights.

LE: How can i check if my car accepts the sensor? It's a 04 plate A3.

 

[Finder]

I've installed a dimming interior mirror, just like the OP, on my A3, ran the short wire of the loom to Pin1 of the dome lights connector but my mirror still dims when the interior lights are ON or when in reverse.
Also would like to know if anyone was successful in enabling the auto lights with this type of mirror, since it does have a light sensor.
I would really like to get this sorted out.
Can anyone help?

 

[jsosic]

I've installed a dimming interior mirror, just like the OP, on my A3, ran the short wire of the loom to Pin1 of the dome lights connector but my mirror still dims when the interior lights are ON or when in reverse.
Also would like to know if anyone was successful in enabling the auto lights with this type of mirror, since it does have a light sensor.
I would really like to get this sorted out.
Can anyone help?

I've done this retrofit but something is not right. The mirror doesn't auto-dim. Compas works ok, and is brighter when it's day and darker at nigh or in a garage. So that part works.

Also, green light and light in the ON/OFF button in the mirror is constantly on, even when it's day. Is that supposed to be that way?

What is the proper way to connect it? Maybe I messed up with the wiring, or is it possible that I got a broken mirror?

PIN 1 => +
PIN 2 => ground
PIN 3 => dome light PIN1
PIN 4 => left mirror
PIN 5 => right mirror
PIN 6 => ?

 

[NHN]

Try disconnecting pin 3 & see if it works then, if so then this is telling the mirror to undim, as it thinks its in reverse state, when infact you need to link it to other wiring, not the light.

 

[jsosic]

Yeah, I did disconnect the pin3 & pin6 and now it works.

But, what puzzles me now is this: when I'm in a dark area - eg garage, mirror is dimmed although there is no car with headligts behind me. Is this ok?

Also, wire from reverse gear goes into PIN 6 ?

 

[jsosic]

Yeah, I did disconnect the pin3 & pin6 and now it works.

But, what puzzles me now is this: when I'm in a dark area - eg garage, mirror is dimmed although there is no car with headligts behind me. Is this ok?

Also, wire from reverse gear goes into PIN 6 ?

OK I've found an issue here Mirror works ok when only power (+ and ground) is connected. But, when I connect other wire to PIN3 - mirror never dims, EXCEPT when I turn into reverse Then if it's dark outside, it dims

I guess behaviour should be differend, eg... it should UNDIMM when I'm in reverse

 

[jsosic]

Can anyone maybe post a wiring diagram for this mirrors with 6 PINs?

 

[JKostas]

The OP here said that the mirror with just the light sensor, no rain sensor, fits the screen without any adaptation.
Here's a photo with this mirror, with light sensor and simple fixing, which should work on normal windshields.
You can see that the mounting should be the same as the normal mirror, it's not as complicated as the one with the rain sensor.



Anyway, i think i'll buy the mirror and check afterwards if everything works. Worst case scenario, i'll just have an auto-dimming mirror, without AUTO or CH/LH lights.

LE: How can i check if my car accepts the sensor? It's a 04 plate A3.

did you find solution for this? cause i installed autodimm rear view mirror with just light sensor (no rain sensor) and lh/ch works, and autodimm rear view mirror works but autolights doesnt... what about pin 3 and pin 6? where they go?

 

[Ash187]

the mirrors without the lights and rain sensors behind it do not support the auto lights feature on the newer models as the control boards cannot talk to the mirror correctly. those mirrors came out back in 2003... the boards that most cars now have all need the light and rain sensor to be present for the auto lights function to work and when you code the car to tell it that it now has the auto lights it will throw up an error complaining about the missing sensor.

 

[JKostas]

is there anyway how to wiring it up witout rain sensor to work with no errors? :s

 

[Ash187]

not that i have seen, as i said the old control boards used to accept the lack of the rain sensor but the current ones don't do that.

 

[JKostas]

not good at all... cause i was really up for autolights. i dont mind auto dimm rear view mirror or ch/lh function... but most important - autolights :s

 

[JKostas]

what if i will find that old 2003 control board and fit it instead of current one? does it can make lots of troubles for me - like something turn up not working or something like that?

 

[Ash187]

no fitting the old board will be worse... your better off just getting the correct mirror, the light & rain sensor and a replacement windscreen
the old 2003 boards have totally different wiring.

 

[JKostas]

Thaks a lot. That kind of information i was missing. A bit disapointing but it was my own bet...

 

[Ash187]

there is loads of info on this forum about this!
just needed to search for it:
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/how-easy-is-it-to-retrofit-auto-lights-wipers.66242/

 

[JKostas]

i have seen this one, but in my case it does not work cause i was thinking it will work without rain sensor. i will look for more info about wirring and maybe i will come up with something, cause i dont really need auto wippers which includes windscreen replacement...

 

[EvilSmurph]

Great post, I have quick question, do you know part number of harness, I bought rear view dimmer, need to buy the trim cover and harness you plug on to mirror to the car ?

regards