jbizzle76

Hello all:

Thinking of upgrading my existing US-spec outside mirror glass to the Euro glass that has built in convex mirrors. Like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/V-Good-OEM-10-15-Mercedes-W212-E-Mirror-glass-set-AUTO-DIM-Heated-Left-Right-LH-/221966621294?vxp=mtr
Curious if anyone has done this in a US-spec model. Would it cause any error codes?

My model has LH auto dim mirror. I do not have BSM.

Johnny Rad

Same boat here option-wise.

Color me interested.

Johnny Rad

Bump. Anyone?

s140s

I bought a set from the mentioned seller on E-bay and installed in my 13 E350.

I couldnt be more happy, great mirrors and shipping was ultra fast considering it came from Latvia. I ordered on Saturday and got the mirrors on Thursday.

Its very easy to install, just lower the mirror so you can get your fingers inside and start prying until it pops off. Disconnect and reconnect connectors and it just pops back on. 10min max.

I can take some pictures on Monday when I get my car back from the dealer.

Johnny Rad

Thx for sharing your DIY explanation.

You do both sides or just the driver?

s140s

I did both sides, it takes couple of days to get used to the new mirrors since everything appears to be further away but, you will never go back.

Arrie

Did this on my Audi Q7 on both sides. Bought in Germany for pennies compared to here thru a friend with dealer pricing access. Still have them as I installed the originals when traded the car in.
Anyway, both mirrors are convex so everything looks further back on both mirrors instead just the passenger side that we have. Big help for blind spot unless you have that warning system like I do. Interestingly even cars with the blind spot warning in Germany have this blind spot mirror included.

Johnny Rad

Looks like a used set is ~$100 from Latvia.

Think it'd be cheaper in Europe directly from Merc? I could ask a buddy...

s140s

I tried to get a set from Europe as I have family there but in the end it was just cheaper to get a used set for $115 from ebay.

I cant remember the price for OEM but new mirrors made by ALKAR or TYC cost about $80

T.H.Carrera

Do both sides have auto dimming ?

s140s

Driver side only, thats how it was originaly on my car.

blegthbloo

Did they not have auto-dimming right side mirrors for the RHD models?

pamiboy

Between the RHD and LHD models one can get auto dimming feature on both rear view mirrors for the technically inclined.

T.H.Carrera

but then it wont be just a glass swap because I would thing the mirror assembly on US spec cars do not have the wirring for dimming in place for the right side mirror and hence a full assembly from RHD car will be needed... No ?

Q: Can the auto dim be disabled by simply leaving the cable unplugged while the heated part and the blind spot triangle continue to work ?

s140s

I do not have blind spot assist and don't know if there are two separate connectors for dimming and triangle indicator, however heating connection is a simple spade connector that is slipped onto two terminals behind mirror glass.

blegthbloo

I thought the auto-dimming portion was just a photosensitive film? It wouldn't need any fancy cabling in that case. Correct me if I'm wrong, though. And if the heating element is just a spade connector, even better.

s140s

Dimming mirror has a connector(2 wires) behind the glass, and 2 terminals for heating.

I would guess that mirrors with Dim, Heat and Blin Spot Assist have a larger connector with 3 or 4 wires and seperate terminals for heating.

T.H.Carrera

I was able to source two NON dimming, heated , Blind spot assist spherical mirrors (genuine mercedes used) from Romania on ebay and love these mirrors.

With tinted glass the auto dimm (on side mirror) was beyond annoying in night driving situations.

This mod is worth every penny IMHO.

Johnny Rad

Just like @s140s wrote, installation is a snap. I was in and out well within 10minutes including clean-up. If i ever had to do it again, it'd be a 2min job.

I wasn't able to get my fat fingers behind the mirrors when they were tilted down, but had better luck when they were tilted up. The passenger side mirror popped right off within ~5sec whereas the driver side required ~20sec of careful coaxing. They really do just pop off.



Once the original mirrors are off, the two spade connectors are straightforward to detach and reattach. The heating connector has a small tab that needs to be depressed, but then it comes right apart. I used a needle nose plier to push in the tab. Call it ~30sec getting the connections apart and reattached.

Props to the seller in Eastern Europe on eBay (carmirrorseller) who packed the two mirrors incredibly well. It hasn't taken me that long to open / unwrap a package in who knows how long!

I haven't used the fancy new mirrors, yet. I'll report back on my impressions in a bit after I put some miles on them.

T.H.Carrera

Driving without auto dim and limo tint at night is a blessing with these mirrors !

Johnny Rad

First impressions? Using the aspherical mirrors is like wearing Rx glasses that aren't yours. It's less apparent on the pass side, but the driver side is odd.

Second impression? Pretty sure I accidentally cut off a few folks real good today. I'm not dialed-in on translating what I see into open space quite yet.

All in all, they give me a ton more rearward visibility and I appreciate it. I expect the weird eye tricks will pass soon enough.

Enjoy!

blegthbloo

I just did this with mine last week and I have to say there is definitely a learning curve with them. I usually park right up alongside the curb, but I was about a foot off with these mirrors at first lol... after some more adjustment, I'm starting to get used to it. For me, it's the driver side that's odd, because that not-your-Rx effect makes me go cross-eyed for a moment if looking too quickly. I found that smooth (aka slow) transitioning from looking at the road to the mirror helps change focus. Looking to the passenger side is easier to change focus because my eyes follow the line of the dash as I'm turning to look at the mirror. Still dialing in distances myself, so I probably have cut off a few people more than usual (heh) as well. Definitely +1 on the visibility though!

jbizzle76

Ok I ordered from eBay and installed this past weekend. Wow - what a difference! Agree with several others - the drivers mirror takes a bit of getting used to, but I love it. No blind spot. Installation was simple - the mirror cover simply pops off as does the actual glass (search YouTube). I used to have 2" convex stick-on mirrors and these euro replacements not only function much better but look better as well! Kudos to carmirroseller on eBay for extremely quick delivery and excellent packaging!

Other than adding euro tail lamps (with amber, separate turn signal), which I hear is technically challenging on a US-spec model, there really isn't much else I'd do on this car.