2005 Rear View Mirror Replacement

I noticed one old thread discussing blemishes on 2005 rear view mirrors. I have my original 2005 mirror with auto dim and compass and the lens is in really bad shape.

 

I've searched around and can't find anything about replacing or fixing the lens. Do I have to buy a complete mirror assembly or is there a way to fix the lens?

If I'm not mistaken, there's no way to restore the glass, you have to replace the whole mirror assembly. I replaced mine about a year ago. At some point, Subaru changed their manufacturer for the rear view mirrors, so the replacement mirror was a bit different from my original one. Took a little while to get used to having the compass up in the corner.

 

Very easy to do, I think it took about 10 minutes.

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. I see a used one of the original style on eBay. Where did you get yours? If I'm not mistaken, the newer style appears a bit larger, yes?

Yes, I think the new one is a little bit larger, but not as much as my pics make it look. I don't remember comparing the two mirrors at the time, but I would guess the new one is maybe a half inch wider, maybe a little more. The housing on the new mirror is a different shape, so overall it actually looks slimmer, if that makes sense.

 

The clarity of the new mirror was amazing to me when I got it. The original mirror had gotten so bad it was getting hard to see anything in it. The new mirror is still crystal clear after a year. Also, the autodimming function on the new mirror works so much better than the original one did.

 

I got mine online from subarupartsforyou. I haven't looked to see what they go for now, but I think I paid around $120 a year ago. Well worth it!

My mirror has no issues, but I like the new design a lot more and this comparison kind of makes me want one.

Honestly, I would recommend the new design solely on how well the autodimming works. My original mirror was very erratic when it came to dimming, even before the glass started to deteriorate. I could watch it go from no dimming to full blown blacked out and then back again over 10 or 15 seconds, for no reason. It would get so distracting that I would just turn it off. It worked well enough when there were actually lights shining on it, but it just seemed to at least be way oversensitive, if it didn't actually have a flaw in the mechanism. I'm not sure how common that is, mine might have been an extreme example.

 

I forget the new mirror even has autodimming, it works very well without me even noticing that it's doing anything.

 

My only complaint was that after I installed the new mirror, I would see the compass area out of the corner of my eye, and think someone was tailgating me. Then I would look in the mirror, and no one was there. It took about 2 weeks for that to go away.

My auto dimming works pretty well. There have been a few times where it seems to get a little confused though. Is this the only mirror you can get now, or are there two different part numbers for the two designs?

 

I found PN 92021AG01A on Fredbeans, but it's only $25 so not sure if it's the right auto-dimming one.

I'm pretty sure the new style is the only one available now, the original got phased out. If I remember correctly (I can't seem to find the threads I had used in my research a year ago...) the part number didn't change, just the mirror itself.

 

The part number for the mirror with autodimming and compass is H501SAG200. After doing a quick search, I notice a lot of sites list that part number but show a picture of the original type (including the site where I got my new style one from). But I think the only way you're going to find an original type is to find one used, unless someone has a leftover one that is still new.

 

I tried to find out what part number 92021AG01A is, and I believe it's a mirror without autodimming, and without the compass.

That makes sense as it's only $25

Just bought a used version of the new style for $60 bucks from a Subaru repair/tuner shop near Atlanta. Popped right in and now I can see clearly!

Sweet! Sounds like a good deal.

sorry to say the glass is shot and a can not be restored. I went the way of a crashed 05 legacy replacement lens on mine. Pretty easy to remove and replace. Pretty easy to find replacements cheap through ebay.

I searched eBay for a replacement lens as well. Where did you find yours?