[RufusLeakin]

I wanted Auto-Dim and Compass; didn't need the Homelink and planned to spend less than $50.

I took a chance on an ebay Gentex 455 -- GNTX-455 -- which came out of a 2006 Camry -- I should get it next week.

It cost me $45 (shpng included) for an A Grade with connector and pigtail. Hopefully it'll fit the existing mount, have a long enough arm, and finding 12 volts will be not be too problematic. A learning experience for sure.

This is a B grade 455, from the same vendor which is slightly less expensive --- there's quite a few of these GNTX-455's on ebay from various sellers.

Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror GNTX-455 2-Wire Nissan Versa Auto Dim | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Auto Dimming Rear View Mirror GNTX-455 2-Wire Nissan Versa Auto Dim at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

This model uses a two wire configuration. +12V and Grnd, on a seven pin connector. Once I receive the mirror, and attempt the install, I'll post some pictures as well as any mods in case the arm is not long enough to clear the housing

PS: There's also a ton of Gentex 453's which include the Homelink and Compass as well as others that include Temperature.

This looks like a decent deal for anyone wanting Homelink:

Gentex-453 Toyota Nissan Honda Auto Dim Rear View Mirror Homelink Compass Amber | eBay

Compass has orange/amber colored display. Mounting screw and pigtail with the wires labeled will be included to help with install.

www.ebay.com

 

[RufusLeakin]

Thanks . . . . . we shall see . . . . I was pretty blown away by the amount of inexpensive choices existing on the ebay used market.

 

[RufusLeakin]

My salvage yard ebay auto-dimming w/compass (no temp or homelink for me) arrived -- like new condition -- no issues. Install was simple and straight forward. There's a moon roof so I was able to tap into 12 volts there - see photos.

First step is to slide the cowling down towards the dash -- Do Not Pry -- it'll slide quite easily -- once you slide it down, it pretty much falls off by itself.

the cowling will hang on the old mirror -- it is now easy to remove the small molding piece that is near the mirror

This is what the cowling looks like from the bottom side

Next step is to remove the overhead console -- this procedure requires some effort -- there are various youtube vids that show this being done.

The two plastic cards and twisting putty knife did the trick for me. It'll pull straight down -- and like I said -- it takes some effort

Now you need to find 12 volts -- I needed a line that was switched -- no current when the car is shut down

12 Volt Tap with Pigtail hanging off of it -- the red marker denotes the swtiched 12 volt line

​

The Ground is the White Wire wBlack Stripe -- The first tap w/pigtail (foto above) has been attached to 12 Volt line. Ground wire to be tapped is marked wGreen marker on the plastic.

the next step is to attach the Ground tap w/pigtail to the white/black Ground wire.

NOTE: I used 22 gauge stranded wire which seems about the same gauge as is used on this connector -- There are various schools of thought concerning the use of bayonet taps - for me, if installed correctly with the proper wire size, they should function nicely.

Anyway, you're on your own when it comes to how you want to splice into the + and -.

BTW ----- You are going to need an extension standoff.

I thought about fabricating one; however I'm glad I got this Gentex Advent GENMM5 Extension Mount adapter. You won't be able to position your new mirror with the cowling in place if you don't use this extension adapter.

I found a halfway decent deal for it on ebay:

Gentex Mirror Standoff from ebay

The OEM standard RAV4 mirror has a cutout on the mounting arm -- the chances are excellent that your salvage yard mirror will have a straight arm which means you'll need an extension of some sort if you plan to put the cowling back on that covers the camera.

Finished install​

 

[RufusLeakin]

The manual mirror I replaced was fine. I wanted a compass and also was interested in trying a mirror with auto dimming. None of my previous clunkers had that feature. The Gentex 455 I installed was from a 2006 Camry. Tonite I drove home from a happy hour gig and the auto dim feature was pretty outstanding; no complaints with that Camry mirror at all.

 

[RufusLeakin]

Yes you can tie two 12 volt lines coming from the mirror together and tie to the 12 volt switched line. If mamory serves, which it often dznt, I think the switched line is blue. However, please use a dvm and take a proper measurement with the car powered on and powered off. The 5th foto, in that series of fotos shows the eggsackt location for the switched wire I used.

One voltage measurement tip which some folks might find useful . . . . . . . .

Jam your negative DVM probe into the connector where the white wire wBlack stripe lives; this is the ground wire (fotos 5 & 6). And make sure that probe is secure. You can now use two hands to probe for voltage. I found it helpful to tape a sewing needle onto the end my positive probe.This made indentifying what I needed quite easy, precise, and pretty safe.

 

[RufusLeakin]

It's pretty slick at night as it's a different effect than the tilt mech I've grown accustomed to. Very easy to adjust to how objects appear at night. I just read how auto dimming ..... aka: electrochromatic ..... mirrors work .... pretty cool 😎

 

[RufusLeakin]

@smurf2020 and @Debasgho --- Glad it all worked, went smoothly and proved to be not too difficult of a mod

 

[RufusLeakin]

The easiest solution for me involved tapping into the center roof console connector that distributes to the lights and moon roof -- I don't have any expertise or thoughts on an alternate switched power source

And as far as using an extension, unless the mirror articulated mounting arm looks like this, or durn close, (photo below) you'll most likely encounter range of motion issues and fitment problems if the proper extension is not used 🙄

This is what my original (non electric) standard mirror looks like -- this is the one I removed

​

​

 

[RufusLeakin]

Yes the GENMM5 Gentex Extension Mount is what you'll need -- check ebay -- it's worth the bread to avoid the headache.

Also -- for anyone thinking about tapping into their wires ----

I found this type of tap quite easy to use. Although there are folks who avoid these things -- not me --

I made my connections using 22 gauge stranded wire -- the only way you can seriously dork this up is if you use the wrong size tap -- it should match, or be in the range ie: "18 - 22 gauge" for the wires you are splicing.

It looks like there is no standard name for these taps -- take your pick from these online choices:-

• wire-tap splice connector
• bayonet tap
• plier tap (you use pliers to set the splice)
• pressure tap
• snap lock tap

 

[RufusLeakin]

$13.71 w/shipping -- it's gonna be tough to beat that price on a GENMM5 Gentex Extension Mount --- "normal" price is around $30 -- there are also some great ebay mirror deals usually btwn $40 - $70

Advent GENMM5 Gentex Mirror Extension Mount for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Advent GENMM5 Gentex Mirror Extension Mount at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[RufusLeakin]

FWIW -- my salvage yard ebay Gentex 455 -- GNTX-455 -- which supposedly came out of a 2006 Camry -- cost me $45 (shpng included) for an A Grade mirror with connector and pigtail. It looked brand new. The compass display matched the blue display used by the Rav4. Some mirrors have an orange and other have a red display -- most sellers list the display color and have pictures showing the display

...... and if you have access to a salvage yard it might be worth a triip and dealing direct.

 

[RufusLeakin]

Sounds like a plan

 

[RufusLeakin]

In the meantime you might consider checking ebay every so often for a frameless homelink wCompass mirror .... some slick deals