JDM Folding Outer Mirrors Walkthrough

I just finished the major portion of swapping my heated mirrors to the jdm folding bases and wiring them up. I still need to run wires from my harness to the switch for both mirrors.

 

I can also verify that you can't trust the fsm wiring diagram for the passenger side. If you wire it this way the up/down will be backwards. Take a picture of your own harness and trust it. The fix for the problem was noted above and is indeed just like the oem harness.

 

Pink (mirror) does not go to the Blue/Green (harness) wire. Pink goes to one of the Red/Blue (harness) wires and the Blue/Green (harness) wire goes to the Red (mirror). I don't know if it matters which red/blue on the harness. I don't think it does as the red/blue wires just merge.

Thanks Rhino. I have yet to install my mirrors which I got 3 years ago

I finished this today. It was actually super easy using my plastic wire feeder. I ended up using hand sanitizer to make the wire go through easier as I have a lot of that around currently, lol.

 

I used a fuse tap on the door lock fuse. I hope that the mirrors don't constantly draw power when their folded. I guess we'll find out.

Congrats on the install! I swapped my heating element over as well because the one on the Japanese mirrors wasn't that hot. That was very difficult and I broke one USDM mirror in the process. Luckily my skills improved and no more mirrors were broken. I do however now have 7 years of bad luck, but it's 2020 so I'm not alone.

Fishing the wires wasn't as hard as I expected. I used a huge zip tie to feed through. It was stiff enough to push through but soft enough to make the becds without stabbing the rubber conduit. Then I secured the wires with masking tape and pulled it all through.

Looking for opinions here.

 

 

I have JDM facelift power folding mirrors. I already pulled the mirror positioning motors from an 09 impreza to correct the biasing that the JDM mirror positioning motors have.

 

Looking at the base casing for the mirror housing, there is a difference for RHD vs LHD. The JDM RHD is at the bottom of the pic, while 09 impreza is at the top of the pic.

 

What are everyone's thoughts on one vs the other. I am leaning towards mixing it up and using the LHD driver with the RHD driver. Personally my mirrors position are towed out more than most (it eliminates the blind spot)

Edited October 26, 2020 by jaylew

Looking for opinions here.

 

 

I have JDM facelift power folding mirrors. I already pulled the mirror positioning motors from an 09 impreza to correct the biasing that the JDM mirror positioning motors have.

 

Looking at the base casing for the mirror housing, there is a difference for RHD vs LHD. The JDM RHD is at the bottom of the pic, while 09 impreza is at the top of the pic.

 

What are everyone's thoughts on one vs the other. I am leaning towards mixing it up and using the LHD driver with the RHD driver. Personally my mirrors position are towed out more than most (it eliminates the blind spot)

I also keep my mirrors very far out. If I want a straight view I have to lean over (which is the easiest way to set as well).

 

With that said, I find no issue with the way my mirrors are set up. I just swapped my glass over from my mirrors (left and right) to the jdm housings so they are basically usdm with the folding mechanisms.

Yeah I am likely over thinking it, but also I know that I have this ability to stop the look of the mirror "poking" out because of how towed out I set my mirrors. It might just be some trial and error in the end and ultimately I need to get out of my own head and just finish this project lol

It's been a lot of years, memory is fuzzy but I didn't think the housings were different between LHD and RHD but maybe so, it may me the pre-facelift mirrors where there was no difference.

 

If you are starting from disassembled mirrors, I would put the mirrors together with the "ideal" in mind, which to me is keep all LHD original stuff, but swap in the power folding, so if you are building up a mirror, use the all the LHD stuff, but with the JDM motor units. Only exceptions would be the right side mirror glass, the JDM is the same as as USDM without the "Objects in mirror..." text so I would use that, and depending on preference if you like a wide angle driver's side can use the JDM left side glass as well.

From my understanding the pre-facelift is symmetrical housings but the post facelift is definitely RHD / LHD specific. As for the glass I have both USDM and JDM and I plan to play around with those since that is super easy to change out

So I got a JDM mirror button, and I installed the JDM folding mirrors. I know the mirror part is all wired up correctly, but I'm missing something on the switch functions.

 

I tried to tap the mirror wires into the switch as described here:

 

http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php?/topic/104458-slugworths-at-the-electrical-shop/&do=findComment&comment=340246

 

When I tap the brown mirror wires into the red/yellow switch wire and the gray into the black/white switch wire, the mirrors fold but don't un-fold.

 

When I tap the brown mirror wires into the black/white switch wire and the gray mirror wires into the red/yellow switch wire, the mirrors un-fold but don't fold.

 

Also, the mirror switch isn't even the one that folds/unfolds the mirrors! It's the button next to it, the little windshield icon button.

 

I'm an electrical idiot, and I don't know what I'm missing. Can someone please help me?

sounds like you wired something wrong. The mirror button is a latching switch (the physical mechanism works like a clicky pen). The wiper heater is a momentary button.

 

 

The brown and grey wires switch polarity depending on folding / unfolding which is controlled by the mirror button

So I got a JDM mirror button, and I installed the JDM folding mirrors. I know the mirror part is all wired up correctly, but I'm missing something on the switch functions.

 

I tried to tap the mirror wires into the switch as described here:

 

http://www.uklegacy.com/forums/index.php?/topic/104458-slugworths-at-the-electrical-shop/&do=findComment&comment=340246

 

When I tap the brown mirror wires into the red/yellow switch wire and the gray into the black/white switch wire, the mirrors fold but don't un-fold.

 

When I tap the brown mirror wires into the black/white switch wire and the gray mirror wires into the red/yellow switch wire, the mirrors un-fold but don't fold.

 

Also, the mirror switch isn't even the one that folds/unfolds the mirrors! It's the button next to it, the little windshield icon button.

 

I'm an electrical idiot, and I don't know what I'm missing. Can someone please help me?

 

 

This is what mirror switch looks like with mirrors folded - button pressed. Button released unfolds them. Looks like you wired into a wrong button.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for this. Once I pulled the dash apart, I got a better sense of what needs doing. My questions now are:

 

The fuse panel is MINI fuses, right? I bought micro add-a-circuit by mistake, I'm just trying to make sure I get it right before ordering

 

Where can I get OEM wire connectors to plug into the harness? I looked for used pigtails but wasn't finding them. Is there a certain size molex pin I can order?

and

Where did everyone ground the switch? Can it just be tapped into a nearby switch ground wire?

 

Pardon my simplicity, and thanks for the help!

Edited April 22, 2021 by bseburke

Definitely the best way to go is to get the harness made by a forum member AW4BYT. Link to his website is here. https://www.legacyoddsnends.com/product-page/coming-soon-2

The connectors are really hard to come by and the company that makes them only sells in bulk. So having one pre made at this price is worth the money in my opinion.

 

 

Thanks for this. Once I pulled the dash apart, I got a better sense of what needs doing. My questions now are:

 

The fuse panel is MINI fuses, right? I bought micro add-a-circuit by mistake, I'm just trying to make sure I get it right before ordering

 

Where can I get OEM wire connectors to plug into the harness? I looked for used pigtails but wasn't finding them. Is there a certain size molex pin I can order?

and

Where did everyone ground the switch? Can it just be tapped into a nearby switch ground wire?

 

Pardon my simplicity, and thanks for the help!

How exactly was this accomplished? I'm having trouble figuring this out, and I don't want to damage the button. Thanks!

 

To get a functional (not blank) button off, you need to look on either side of the button and find the locking tabs, which are just like the ones that hold the entire switch assembly together. Once you release the tabs on either side (usually one side is enough), the button comes right off. Tabs are shown here:

 

That's the simple part.

 

The specifics of what's needed to install everything needed to add the folding mirror switch button and illumination haven't ever been outlined here, probably because it's only really necessary if your car has VDC and you need to retain its button, instead of just swapping in a JDM/EDM switch with the mirror controls already installed (the far easier option to just add those to your car). I'm in the middle of doing this on my Outback, swapping from a switch I bought on eBay. It's turning out be be more involved than I expected, but not really that bad.

 

Someone mentioned in a post quite a while back that the USDM switches already have the circuitry necessary for the folding mirrors to work, but that was only partly accurate. The copper contacts and pins for the switch harness connector are included with USDM cars, but as you can see from these pics, that's only about half of what's needed. In order to make the folding mirror button work correctly and lock in place when engaged, as well as have it light up, you'll need to swap some components between switch assemblies, requiring taking apart the switch assembly to get to the internal button armatures. This is the innards of one that has the folding and heated mirror buttons (the top portion of the assembly is shown, upside down). Note the copper contacts on the button armatures; without those, controls no worky.

 

The button armatures are spring-loaded and not easy to keep in there once the bottom of the switch assembly is removed. The one shown sitting outside the assembly in the picture above is what you will need to install into your switch housing in order for the button to function and lock in place when engaged. There's an additional piece that attaches to the top of the switch housing that also needs to be swapped over--I think it's what locks the switch in place. That piece is the white one shown in the middle of the housing in this pic:

 

The next pic shows the bottom half of the EDM switch assembly, with the little LED circuit boards that are necessary to light the switches up. For illuminating the switch, the necessary circuit board needs to be desoldered and resoldered and moved between switch assemblies. The smallest PCB shown below in the center position is what will need to be moved over to my USDM switch with VDC to add illumination for the folding mirror switch.

 

That's pretty much all you need to know to get a complete and functional folding mirror switch added to your USDM switch bank. I will add more pics once I complete the process for mine, but this should clarify this aspect of the folding mirror installation beyond what had already been mentioned by other posters.

 

EDIT: Here are pics of the finished process.

 

Added the PCB to my USDM switch assembly. It was a bit of a pain because it's so tiny, but with a desoldering iron to remove it and a fine tip soldering iron to attach, was able to do it without too much difficulty. Hopefully it will actually work! Note something interesting in that the heated mirror switch has two LED PCB's while the VCD switch has only one, even though there are spots for two. The heated mirror uses one for night illumination and the other to indicate whether the heat is on or not. The VDC and folding mirror PCB's are solely for illumination. Also note that all of the PCB's are identical so you could rob one from another USDM switch bank if it has heated mirrors or VDC.

 

reassembled with all three button frameworks in place

 

and with the buttons re-attached. I realized during this whole process that only the folding mirror button locks into recessed position when engaged. The other two don't stay recessed.

Edited May 9, 2021 by axisofevol

That's a very detailed description for sure... The JDM switch with folding mirrors control can be had for $50-$70 these days, whole block with everything is place. Perhaps for people not so mechanically/electrically inclined that is an easier way out.

That's a very detailed description for sure... The JDM switch with folding mirrors control can be had for $50-$70 these days, whole block with everything is place. Perhaps for people not so mechanically/electrically inclined that is an easier way out.

 

Yeah, it's funny. I'd swear I read every single post in this thread and yet I keep finding that most of the info I'm after is there, just in posts I had missed (though often more like a hint than a clear explanation). I just found a post this morning about how to pull the buttons that I had not seen previously.

 

You are correct, I think, most people doing the swap would have no need to know what I posted above, something I realized at some point during editing. It's also kind of strange to add information to a thread that's as old as this one, knowing that most of the previous posters have probably moved on. I kept changing my post to stop assuming that just because it was new to me (or there were some pieces of info missing from the thread), others didn't already know most or all of what I was adding. My update is at least useful to those who have VDC, want to make a retractable mirror button work in their switch assembly, and aren't clear on how to do it. I like to have a clear understanding of what I need to do before I commit to something so I know what the cost will be and whether it's worth the effort.

 

To follow up on my further adventures with this, while there are a couple of pinouts for connector configurations listed in previous posts, I couldn't find a match for my car-side harness when changing to the 10-pin connector. My car is a 2009 Outback (which is basically identical to Legacy, as far as most things are concerned) and has both the turn signal and heated mirror functions. I needed to figure out how to re-arrange the pins on the car harness connector to match those on the JDM mirror.

 

Here's what I came up with for the correct pinouts for my '09 (shamelessly appropriating Dade's pinout table here):

 

[b][u]Conn #     Pin #   Wire Color    Function[/u][/b]
Drvr (D83)   1     Red/Black     Turn Signal +
Drvr (D83)   2     Brown(*)      Fold +
Drvr (D83)   3     Red/Blue      Adjustment +
Drvr (D83)   4     Yellow        Heater +
Drvr (D83)   5     Black         Turn Signal -
Drvr (D83)   6     Gray(*)       Fold -
Drvr (D83)   7     Red/Yellow    Adj Up/Down
Drvr (D83)   8     Red/White     Adj Left/Right
Drvr (D83)   9     --            --
Drvr (D83)   10    Black         Heater -

Pass (D84)   1    Blue/Yellow    Turn Signal +
Pass (D84)   2    Brown(*)       Fold +
Pass (D84)   3    Red/Blue       Adjustment +
Pass (D84)   4    Yellow         Heater +
Pass (D84)   5    Black          Turn Signal -
Pass (D84)   6    Gray(*)        Fold +
Pass (D84)   7    Blue/Green     Adj Up/Down
Pass (D84)   8    Blue/White     Adj Left/Right
Pass (D84)   9    --             --
Pass (D84)   10   Black          Heater -

                   * JDM mirror harness color listed

And much credit goes to you SubOperator, for your insight that the 2012 USDM Tribeca's wiring for the folding mirrors is a match for the JDM mirrors. That was the key I needed to figure out which wires on the car harness connector should do what on mirror connector and then cross-reference the Legacy schematic to come up with a pinouts for D83/D84. I got both right on the first try. And credit goes to everyone else who took this whole swap on years ago and figured out how to make it all work. Your efforts saved me a lot of time!

Edited August 19, 2021 by axisofevol