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Questions re: Photochromatic mirror

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Dave, Mar 7, 2004.

  1. Dave

    Dave New Member

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    I've been thinking of having the photochromatic mirror installed. I have an electric gate at the end of the road, and an electric garage door opener, and would love to be able to use the buttons on the mirror rather than groping around for two separate remotes.
    Does anyone know if the dimensions of the mirror are different than the regular mirror? (I find the regular mirror already takes up a fair amount of my visual field.)
    Has anyone had experience (good or bad) with the transmitter(s)?
    Has anyone had this mirror installed by a dealer rather than getting it as part of their package?
    Thanks.
    P.S. I love this car!
     
  2. 04prius

    04prius New Member

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    I have sucessfully programmed two garage door openers into the mirror.
    One is a Genie with intellicode, the other is a chamberlin with rotating code. Both seem to work fine with similar range to the stock units. :D
     
  3. jeffrey

    jeffrey New Member

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    My E320 remote would not open the garage door unless I was in a couple of particular spots on the drive, and almost never from the rear. The Prius not only works from the road, and from any direction, it also operates when the car is off.

    Yet another superior function af an almost perfect car :)

    Peace
     
  4. Wildman

    Wildman New Member

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    I have a HomeLink remote system on my Dakota pickup that is designed to open up to three different garage doors. The third one hasn't been programmed. It works great (I have two Genie openers.) No reason to believe the one on the Prius won't do as well. Also love the self dimming feature on my truck. Now if I could dim the sideview mirrors, I'd be in business.
     
  5. Stan Wilson

    Stan Wilson New Member

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    I complained that my dealer loaded up on my car with the Homelink mirror...then I programmed it for my garage door at home and the two doors at second home...I love it.
     
  6. Dave

    Dave New Member

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    Thanks for the input. I think I'll have the dealer install it when I go in for my first oil change.
     
  7. aja2460

    aja2460 Junior Member

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    I have Homelink (a company and a trademark) on my other car. The FCC allows them to transmit with more power than a garage door opener is allowed to. Hence the greater range. Mine opens two garage doors and a farm gate.
    I've liked it so much that I looked for packages with it in. My salesman at the time did not know that it was availiable as an accessory.
    See how much they want for installation, I would think that it attaches to the same mirror mount in the windshield and plugs in to a connector just above.
    What price are they asking, for the mirror and for the installation?
    Alan
     
  8. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    If there is already a connector installed above the existing mirror this should be an easy self-install. The existing mirror pops off from two clips at the base and then you just slide on the new mirror, plug in the connector, and boom, you're done. Even if you don't have a connector accessible, it's not all that difficult to wire it yourself if you're slightly mechanically/electrically inclined.

    I'd take a look before having a dealer install it for $$$.
     
  9. mboileau

    mboileau New Member

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    You can get it here:

    http://www.toyotapartsstore.com/default.ph...php?cPath=11_94

    Costs $256.49. This is the only aftermarket page I've found that has specific '04 Prius parts...

    By the way, if you really want to make use of "all those buttons", pick yourself up a lamp remote module and turn on your house lights as you're coming down the street!

    Now if I can find one that'll turn on the jacuzzi....
     
  10. Tempus

    Tempus Senior Member

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    Hmm.

    I HAD one of those remote Light Controls - the kind with a plug that's controlled by a keychain remote.

    But, my wife stole it for her radio in the house. Now she can drive up and turn her radio program on in the house so she won't miss anything when she gets out of the car.

    This brings up an interesting ethical dilemma.

    Would I be terribly evil if I programmed the Mirror to work the outlet, so what when I drive up I can turn her radio OFF?

    This may be one of those "Prius Marriage" questons for the Off Topic Board. do not know.
     
  11. xlarimer

    xlarimer New Member

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    Did you happen to check the Multi-Color Windshield Washer Nozzles on that page as well???

    Is that something I'm missing out on? The ability to change my windshield washer nozzels at the touch of a button? Weird...I must be getting old now.
     
  12. artie

    artie Member

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    wait a minute, wait a minute...all these posts about the photochetc.mirror are about the homelink...what about the mirror?
    i have the mirror, buttons work fine on garage BUT, the mirror seems to have difficulty staying in the "dim" or tinted aspect at nite. our grand cherokee goes green tint and stays that way until there are no rear lites...it seems like the prius mirror has a mind of its own, tho it's true i have yet to be "blinded" by anyone from the rear, i wonder if the thing is adjustable or am i actually OK? in other words, whenever there are cars behind me i'd like it to be that dim/green color, but there can be a car right behind me, its lites not blocked by the rear "bar" and still the mirror is plain reflective as if it were daylite.
    could it be that the bar does block the lites as far as the mirror is concerned, because it's up high on the windshield?
    anyone else relate to this?
     
  13. aja2460

    aja2460 Junior Member

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  14. Astroprius

    Astroprius New Member

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    Yes. I also tend to get blasted with "new" lights. Vehicles that have been there awhile aren't much of a problem, but new arrivals can be a bit annoying. I'm not overly impressed with the auto dimming function. I'd rather have a switch to have it on or off. Better yet, perhaps using the photocell that would normally be used for DRL (except in the US).

    The Homelink function makes up for the less than-perfect-dimming response. I'm assuming that this is covered by the basic warranty so if newer versions come out I may have the current version replaced.
     
  15. Dave

    Dave New Member

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    I commute to work at night, and have not put my "manual" mirror in the night driving position since shortly after I got the car. The solid break between the two rear windows seems to help reduce the glare of the headlights from behind.
     
  16. Ken Cooper

    Ken Cooper New Member

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    You know what's a shame? The Prius already displays outside temperature. I don't need it twice (also displayed on the auto-dimming mirror). Why on earth Toyota didn't contract with the folks that make that mirror to display the compass feature rather than temperature is what's disappointing to me.

    Navigation is not my strength. The car that's coming in for me this week is a package #7 (I'd have preferred a 9 but am unwilling to chance the additional wait time for the preferred package/color combination).

    My current car has the auto-dimming mirror with the compass feature. It's excellent, it's accurate, and it's proven to be a godsend for me many times over.
     
  17. mboileau

    mboileau New Member

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    Huh? Do you have something I don't have?? I've got the auto-dimming mirror with the Homelink buttons, but I don't have any information displayed on it....
     
  18. timster

    timster Junior Member

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    Hi guys,

    I bought my mirror here a few months ago: http://www.partznet.com/toyota/prius/04interior1a.html
    the picture is wrong, but it IS the same as the OEM mirror. Although the price seems to have gone up significantly since I bought it....

    The install guide is in here:
    http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius-.../Miscellaneous/
    (it's called w141ecm.pdf)

    It's a pain to install yourself. You've got to rip the dash apart a bit and the take off the left pillar cover. If your technically inclined you can probably do it in an hour or two (about the same time as the EV mod).

    As for making it dim a bit better, I very very very carefully made the rear-facing photocell hole a little bigger. It works way better now, and it still "clears up" in the daylight. Unless you are good with a dremel tool I wouldn't recommend this though.

    Finally, you can put some tape over the top of the front-facing hole if streetlights are a problem...

    -Tim