I just thought about this looking at your picture..is it possible to pop the factory mirror from the ball socket and replace the gentex mirror in its place?

 

I had emailed them about two weeks ago about this very problem. In fact the picture you posted is my picture. I want one of their mirrors with just auto dimming and Homelink. The reply I received:

Thank you Jon for sending the pictures.
Right at this point we would want to advise that you do the Homelink that you put in the headliner,
We are however close to producing a mirror adapter that would be able to accommodate the “ball and socket” versions of mirrors to retain the factory mounting stem and allow a new mirror head to be put on it …
We are a few weeks away from having a 100% done product, but if you wanted to wait could be an option.

I told them I'd wait as I don't want to cut my headliner to install their separate Homelink buttons and it doesn't solve the auto dimming problem (the manual dimmer gets in the way of mounting a radar detector under the mirror).

I was going to check with them next week and see how their solution is coming along. I hope it's not what they recommended you do as I don't want one with a back up camera screen in it and do want the covers to go back on and look OEM.

http://www.focusrs.org/forum/49-foc...m/49-focus-rs-accessories/3971-missing-feature-homelink-garage-door-opener.html

 

I hope they come out with something for us with Homelink. My email mentioned one mirror that fit, which means they already have the right mount, they just need to put the right mirror assembly on it.

 

Can you say from looking at the base how it is removed from the glass? I am highly considering removing the base, popping the factory mirror from the ball socket and pressing on a homelink mirror. That way I can reuse the factory base and have no issues.

 

On the Mito website the 50-FODGBRKT adapter is referred to as a Ford Mirror Adapter for vehicle with Twist Off Factory mount. So I guess the mount arm just twists off the glass. I wouldn't want to try that without some advice from a Ford tech or someone that has done it already. I don't want to see anyone break the thing off the glass.

I emailed my contact at Mito today to see how the new mirror is coming. Unfortunately the news wasn't good:

"It appears it will be a couple more months, although they are working on it, they are
not real close to releasing it as of yet."

I'll keep waiting as I do not want to use that adapter with one of their standard mirrors. I don't know why Ford decided to change the mirror mounting from the ST or the thousands of other Fords that have used the shoe mount for the last 50 or so years.

 

Here's what the mirror mount looks like.

 

That looks like the base from the Fiesta ST.

 

Wait, I'm wrong. I checked and the Fiesta mirror slid down. That's like the BMW mirror base, with the three node base and the twist. It does look to be smaller in diameter from the pics, but it's hard to tell.

Here's a pic of the stem of the mirror on all modern BMW's, since at least 2001:

And this is the base lug that glues to the windshield:

If it is just the BMW mount then there are thousands of Homelink, autodim, and/or compass mirrors for these out there as basically every BMW for the last 15 years has shipped with them. There are a million on eBay, etc.

 

So it does appear to just rotate off. I am seriously considering just taking the entire assembly off, popping the mount out from the ball socket and popping it into the gentex mirror. If I do this successfully I'll be sure to report back. Can't see why it wouldn't work.

 

I emailed Mitocorp, the people that own Gentex Mirrors. I included a picture of the bizarre mount the RS uses.

View attachment 26097

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

View attachment 26105

Did you put the white plastic piece there? My doesn't have that and the black trim piece wiggles a bit. Wondering if they forgot it.

 

It was there when I removed my shroud. And mine wiggles too. It's only held on the post so it floats over the windshield.

 

Oh, I'll be able to confirm when my RS gets here. I have a BMW mirror here that I can test on the RS base.

 

That will be interesting to see if it fits. Keep us posted. You would think if it is that simple that Mito would know this though. Instead it sounds like they are designing a whole new mirror. It seems like all they should have to do is find out who makes the Ford post (probably Gentex who they are the distributor for) and build the existing mirror head on that post (and I don't think they just snap on to that ball but are probably assembled on it before the guts go in the mirror housing).

 

True. It could be that the base is the same as the BMWs but the stem won't work. Hard to say until we can test it.

As far as pulling the ball, usually that works too. I don't know if there are different diameters, but with some serious leverage they pull out and pop back in. You just have to deal with the wires that go through the center. If the ford stem isn't hollow that could be an issue.

 

Does the RS mirror in Europe have auto dimming? If yes, then why not just source the mirror they use in Europe?

 

A European Ford mirror would be significantly more expensive than a $125 Gentex auto dimming mirror. Do the European Ford ones come with Homelink? It's $260 from Gentex.

 

If it's the BMW base then they're like $60 on ebay, homelink and autodimming.

 

If anyone can confirm the bmw mount that will be cool. I made an offer on a new gentex homelink on ebay with wiring kit. I'm going to purchase and try to pop the mount from the RS and install into the gentex. If it works, great, if not I will install the mirror in my gfs SE. I will report back once I have the mirror.

 

I took my mirror off today because i had already bought a GENTEX auto-dimming+homelink mirror. Wanted to see if there was anyway that i could see to easily remove the mirror from the socket, but didn't look like it without destroying the mirror. We may want to get these pictures to GENTEX though, because it looks like we don't even need an arm. We can re-use our correct ball/socket arm, the mirror just need to have the right ball on it.

As far as getting the mirror off, it's very easy. Just start turning the arm left or right. It will require a bit of force but it will rotate, just be ready to catch it because it will fall off once rotated enough. Once it's off, there's a screw in the arm holding it to the ball joint in the mirror. If we could get GENTEX to put that ball joint in one of their existing products, we would be able to easily do this.

Pics:

 

I took my mirror off today because i had already bought a GENTEX auto-dimming+homelink mirror. Wanted to see if there was anyway that i could see to easily remove the mirror from the socket, but didn't look like it without destroying the mirror. We may want to get these pictures to GENTEX though, because it looks like we don't even need an arm. We can re-use our correct ball/socket arm, the mirror just need to have the right ball on it.

As far as getting the mirror off, it's very easy. Just start turning the arm left or right. It will require a bit of force but it will rotate, just be ready to catch it because it will fall off once rotated enough. Once it's off, there's a screw in the arm holding it to the ball joint in the mirror. If we could get GENTEX to put that ball joint in one of their existing products, we would be able to easily do this.

I tried twisting my mirror off today and it didn't seem to want to budge. I turned pretty hard to the point I was afraid I was going to break it. The reason I wanted to get mine off is I sent your pictures to my contact at Mito Corp. and they would like to know the dimension of how far that stub sticks out from the back of the mirror.

 

All of the Gentex mirrors that I've seen/installed have the wiring running through the ball. That would complicate things a bit.

I looked at the BMW mirror that I have here at the house and I'm pretty sure it's the right adapter and stem length.

 

I've put Gentex mirros on my last three cars (japanese) and they all had the wire harness separate, nothing was going through the ball. This is also the case with the brand new 50-GENK80A that i bought for this car - before i had it in my possession. There's just a plastic clip that holds the wire to the arm. I may order the adapter mentioned earlier in the thread and just mount it anyway. Maybe i can modify the cover to attach somehow.

 

The eBay seller accepted my offer...I came in low expecting to go higher, I'll take it. I will try to pop the ball socket and see what happens. Hopefully I don't break the mirror, but only one way to find out. If the wiring is the only snag I'm not too worried as I think it can be concealed either behind the large black plastic piece or even if not I can neatly run it along the arm and up into the headliner where it will be undetected. If it totally fails...into the SE with this mirror.

 

You can pop the ball out on the Gentex mirrors. Just leverage the stem hard to one side and it'll pop out with some force.

 

Somebody use their dealer powers and find the part number for the mirror ball joint thingy...

 

I'm sure that they don't sell them separately. Only the rear view mirror as a whole.

 

OP Anyway you can post into your first post everything that was found out so far? People will be asking about this for years and this seems like the best place for them to search now. I will be upgrading my mirror as well. @ProfessorFate

 

Can any of you verify any of the part numbers listed in the diagram below. I am curious if we can just order the European autodim mirror as is, or if we can figure out the correct mount for the gentex mirrors.

http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/P...K0g5qSRXR08iUYDQ==&id=356996864&m=2&search=true&year=2016&make=Ford&model=Focus

 

OK, I grew a pair and really turned it hard and it came off. The stub sticks out 1/2". The flats are important as the socket in the arm is square so the ball and stub don't turn once the screw is tightened. I'll get this info to Mito and see what they say. As was pointed out, if we can just get them to supply their mirrors with this ball stub we're good to go. I want the shroud to fit properly and look original.

 

Installed the Gentex auto-dimming/homelink mirror i got a few days ago. I ordered the adapter a couple days ago which came today. Took me a few hours to do everything. Probably would have took a lot less if i knew what i was doing before hand. I started running the wires down the driver's side intending to tap into a fuse in the fuse box. Welp, I've installed these only on japanese cars and apparently on a Ford, the fuse box is on the passenger side! :topsy_turvy:

I still need to go back and find a switched ignition source to tap into. Both of the wires (red and yellow) are tapped into the 12v accessory fuse for now. Also need to try to dremel the cover a little and make if fit - if even possible. Didn't really look. Everything took a lot longer than I was expecting so i just wanted to get to a stopping point for the night.

Picture of it installed:

 

Installed the Gentex auto-dimming/homelink mirror i got a few days ago. I ordered the adapter a couple days ago which came today. Took me a few hours to do everything. Probably would have took a lot less if i knew what i was doing before hand. I started running the wires down the driver's side intending to tap into a fuse in the fuse box. Welp, I've installed these only on japanese cars and apparently on a Ford, the fuse box is on the passenger side! :topsy_turvy:

I still need to go back and find a switched ignition source to tap into. Both of the wires (red and yellow) are tapped into the 12v accessory fuse for now. Also need to try to dremel the cover a little and make if fit - if even possible. Didn't really look. Everything took a lot longer than I was expecting so i just wanted to get to a stopping point for the night.

Picture of it installed:
View attachment 31234

Any update on the valence fitting?

I like that mirror much more than the Gentex I have on my desk at home.

Do you have a part number for that one?

 

Update with Mito - they have been asking me for more pictures and specific dimensions on certain things. So I've sent them everything they have asked for. If get any updates I'll pass them along here.