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Gentex Mirrors for the RS

138K views 421 replies 77 participants last post by  bofus 
#1 ·
I emailed Mitocorp, the people that own Gentex Mirrors. I included a picture of the bizarre mount the RS uses.

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Here's the reply:

This will require our 50-FODGBRKT adapter and possibly an extension bracket to give you enough clearance from the headliner.
In using these adapters, if you had any plastic covers that were snapped into your mirror mount, these would not be able to go back on. The only mirror that you can put these covers back on is our 50-GENK332FODG

Thank you

The 50-GENK332FODG unit being referred to has a back up camera screen. Here is the adapter 50-FODGBRKT

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#153 ·
The main problem is the stock ball is a separate part from the arm and not hollow to allow the wires to pass out of a Gentex head. And it doesn't look like you could pop it out. It is smaller and not retained by "fingers" like the Range Rover and Escape mirrors.

I went the Range Rover/Escape route. $109 total plus a couple of fuse taps and the nice wiring harness I built. Works great. Looks factory and my V1 BlendMount fits too.
 
#157 · (Edited)
White is positive for the auto dimming
Black is ground
Grey is Homelink positive

For those that get a 3 wire Range Rover mirror with the mating connector the colors on the mating connector are
Green with red tracer - Positive for auto dimming
Black - Ground
Green with Brown tracer - Positive for Homelink

CORRECTION:

White or Green with red tracer is positive for both auto dim and Homelink
Black is ground
Grey or Green with brown tracer is the reverse function for auto dimming. Feed it 12V+ and it disables auto dimming.
 
#158 ·
I was seriously considering this. Then my windshield cracked and they didn't have a direct replacement anywhere they could find. They installed one from a normal focus and it has a normal push down rear view mirror. Its odd at first having it so high on the windshield.
 
#167 ·
I really don't want to chase down two separate mirrors and do all this stuff myself. Do we think there will ever be an option that is more plug and play or where I could drop it off at my local remote start/audio place and have them just put one in?
 
#170 · (Edited)
I didn't read every page so I'm not sure if it was mentioned but i had an 2016 explorer as a rental and it had homelink buttons in the sunvisor. The gentex mirror option seems a bit expensive. I'm wondering if the sunvisor can be fitted with the buttons, or anywhere you want for that matter, instead for a much cheaper price.
 
#171 ·
With enough time and money, anything is possible. I was not able to find a direct replacement visor that had the buttons, and retrofitting them in would be a giant pain in the ass. You can get a used range rover mirror and the escape mirror with bracket for less than $100 (total) shipped on ebay. Not a lot of money, and not hard to install.
 
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#182 ·
Don't give up on it. These mirrors have some weird wiring colours. Red is not necessarily positive. I had to swap my wiring around from what I thought was the logical order to get mine to work. Don't worry, you won't blow it up trying different combinations.
 
#194 ·
OK, here's your flame. Check out posts #51,#72,#74,#80 and #101. Note Fusebox 101 in the last post.
There is lots more info in the radar detector and dashcam threads. Some have run the wire to the A pillar by routing the wire under the forward edge of the headliner. For my method, make a 'fish tape' from a long (12"-15") nylon tie-wrap with the head cut off. It's very tight between the sunroof opening and the A pillar.
 
#195 ·
I have a question for the folks that have done the various installs and thank you, I have read the threads. My question is I want to install i) Thinkware 770 dashcam, ii) passport max and iii) Gentex homelink auto dimming mirror. The dashcam will get wired to a cellink B to power parking mode and will therefore get wired to fusebox and someplace I can mount the battery. I can run that as people have described down the A pillar. I would love to just wire the detector and mirror locally to switched power up in the headliner. I have no sunroof. So I was thinking I can follow the thread to tap into the unused wires up there. Do you think I can successfully do both the mirror and detector off the same power source? I am not sure how much power draw for those versus versus what the sunroof would normally have drawn? I would think a sunroof motor would require a lot more and I should be fine but I really have zero idea. Any advice?
 
#198 ·
Ugh. So I've got my Range Rover home link/dimming mirror and donor mount via ebay. 5 wires from mirror (black/white/red/gray/brown); from earlier in thread, I learn that Red is power, brown is ground. Wired it using fuse taps to F87 (hot) and F82 (ground). With accessory ignition on, auto dimming clearly works, and the little transmit light illuminates when I press any of the three home link buttons. BUT, my garage door opener won't "learn" it. I'm trying to figure out if this could be anything other than a bad home link transmitter. What am I missing? Black/white/gray are just hanging out unconnected, but I don't think it matters (I'm not looking to connect a reverse light circuit).
Thanks again to the gurus of this thread!
 
#199 ·
Constant power, switched, and ground are all you should need. Not sure what type of garage door opener you have but I had to actually hit the learn button on the opener to get my mirror to pair up with it.

Edit: As opposed to holding a handheld opener next to the mirror and pressing the buttons on each simultaneously.
 
#204 ·
So, someone succed installing a Homelink mirror ?

If yes, any picture ?
 
#208 ·
Nice, thank you !
 
#209 ·
Sorry guys @PiSigma @ProfessorFate @cntrdctn86

I have read this thread twice in these 2 days. But I still cannot imagine how you guys swap the mount from the ford escape "type 3" mirror to a Ranger Rover mirror...

I don't have the 2 mirrors yet, I am buying them from ebay.

Did you guys force out the ball joints from both mirrors, and swap, and force the ball back into the hole?

On the filmsy plastic cover, how much force you need to take it out? Pull downward? I am scared I will break it last night when I tried to pull it down gently but it didn't come out...
 
#215 ·
Another successful install of the Escape/Land Rover hybrid approach here. The eBay auction I got said 2006 Land Rover Sport L320. The mirror looks like many have pictured but has three wires: black, gray and a slightly pinkish color, it's not what I'd call red. Through some fiddling, I confirmed the wires, black = ground, gray = reverse, pinkish = switched +12v. I just left the gray unplugged. Mirror looks and works great.
 
#216 ·
I've driven without the reverse wire hooked up for three months now and haven't run across anytime that I needed it.
 
#217 ·
I have glanced thru this thread and clearly had to upgrade is there a actual how to like shows how to break the mirror down etc. thanks if you can direct link or send me what post #s
 
#221 ·
#222 ·
I've read through this thread and thank all everyone for working this out.

I just need a little clarification: it sounds like the approach that worked is the Escape stem with the RR mirror. If I already have a Gentex mirror with autodim and homelink, but just the wrong base (for Focus ST), then can't I just pull the stem off the FoRS and install it into that Gentex mirror? Is there anything special about the Escape stem? Why not just use the FoRS stem into a mirror of your choice?

Thanks again.
 
#223 · (Edited)
There is an adapter (50-FODGBRKT) to allow you to use a wedge base (ST style) on a type 3 mount (RS style). Go to the Gentex website. $50 or check eBay, there was one used for $30 a few months back. Other sellers have them for less than Gentex, if you can find one.
 
#224 · (Edited)
There is an adapter (50-FODGBRKT) to allow you to use a wedge base (ST style) on a type 3 mount (RS style). Go to the Gentex website. $50 or check eBay, there was one used for $30 a few months back. Other sellers have them for less than Gentex, if you can find one.
The main issue I see, and correct me if I'm wrong because I didn't go this route, is that the adapter and aftermarket Gentex mirror do not allow the shroud to be installed correctly. The RS shroud actually attaches to the stem, not the windshield. It floats over the windshield and isn't supposed to even touch it. If you want that original installation look, which was important to me, the adapter and earlier style mirror mounting are not the way to go.

The ball on the RS stem is smaller than any other mirror I've seen. It is also not hollow to allow the wires to pass through. The ball is actually a separate part that screws into the stem. There are some pictures of this earlier in this thread (post #21). Bottom line is it won't snap into a Gentex aftermarket mirror or any other we've seen with Homelink.

If you just want Auto Dim, the Escape mirror solves the problem. If you want Homelink it's a bit more work. Ford did their Homelink units in the sun visor and they don't make a black Mk3 Focus sun visor for any trim level with Homelink. So we need to find a mirror head with Homelink.

Somehow @cntrdctn86 found that the Escape arm is functionally the same shape as our RS arm and will allow the shroud to mount on it. He also found that it is a one piece casting with a hollow ball that will allow the wires to pass through. And he found this ball would unsnap from the Escape mirror head and snap into the RR head. Viola! We have what we want. How he figured out the RR head would work I don't know. But Ford owned RR during those years so that helped.

You are in a little different position than most of us in that you already have an aftermarket Gentex mirror. What I'm a little curious about now is if the Escape stem would snap into your mirror head.
 
#227 ·
No luck at the PnP. But silly me, a direct stem swap wouldn't work on my Gentex anyway . . .

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My Gentex has the ball mounted on the back of the mirror, and the socket on the stem arm. Soooo . . . There's still the possibility of it working, if the Focus RS stem ball will fit on the back end socket of the Gentex arm. It would be double articulating, which may not be a bad thing, as there would be plenty of space to mount a Blendmount. Now all I need is a car... (mine just got to port, sounds like will probably be another 2-4 weeks before it gets to dealer)...
 
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