[blackasta]

Why an auto dimming IRVM

The facelifted 2018 Honda Jazz VX comes with a click type Day / Night IRVM.

As mentioned in my initial review, I was mostly not impressed with the jittery IRVM which I had to adjust all too often.

The IRVM day / night toggle switch & mechanism lacks the dampened firmness that is expected from a car in this segment. It's a bit jittery to use.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4457534 (Real Steel - My 2018 Honda Jazz Petrol VX CVT in Modern Steel Metallic)

The IRVM size is adequate, considering that it covers the rear hatch glass fully.
My chief gripe with the same is on quality - the unit simply doesn't feel like it belongs inside a premium hatchback.
The lever movement from day to night is uncertain and jittery, and I feel that the somehow it is overcompensating the movement causing some light to refract out fully instead of cutting down the glare in it's entirety.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4457536 (Real Steel - My 2018 Honda Jazz Petrol VX CVT in Modern Steel Metallic)

I also mentioned that omitting the electrochromic IRVM is one of the skips that keep the Jazz VX from being termed as a true top end model.

Procurement

With all these gripes in my, I set out to correct the situation by installing a auto dimming IRVM by myself.


Did some research and bought a suitable unit from Aliexpress. The dealer was helpful and immediately after placing my order, asked for a picture of the bracket and the holder. He even instructed me with detailed pictures on how to take the bracket out of the holder

This is the bracket



And this is the metal holder that's stuck on the windshield




Taking the mirror out of the holder is tricky, as it held very tightly and one has to press the marked clip down, and pull / push the mirror up. As I found out later, the pressing down part is best achieved with a good set of needle nosed pliers.



After inspecting, the seller mentioned that the bracket # 1 on their store shall fit my car, and he shipped the item the next day.

The order was placed on 5th May and the unit arrived on 21st May via Aliexpress standard shipping which is trackable.

Unboxing pictures:







Installation

I took this to be a moderately easy install, because the positive wire already had a pre built Mini-ATM type fuse ending, and the ground wire had a ring terminal crimped. All I needed to do, I thought, was to take out my old click type IRVM, install the new IRVM, and tap the ACC fuse from the internal fusebox to power the mirror.

But as I figured out how to install the mirror in the morning of 25th, the fusebox design of the Honda Jazz threw a spanner in my works.

2 problems stopped me from tapping power from the fusebox

1. The fusebox uses Low profile mini fuse, which cannot be used on the fuse tap. The fusebox however, also allowed Mini-ATM type fuses to be plugged in and works fine.
2. The fuse box was designed in such a way, the it is not possible to use a fuse tap on certain rows. Unfortunately, ACC power is in one of those rows.







I then figured out that I shall bypass using the fusebox altogether.
Rummaged out an unused USB cable, cut off the USB B side, snipped the data cables (green and white) and stripped the power (red) and ground (black) cables.
Then I snipped the ring terminal from the ground cable and fuse ending from the power cable of the mirror, and stripped the power and ground cables.
Then twisted and used heatshrink tubing to create a USB powered auto dimming mirror !



Checked out the setup by plugging into a 1A USB power source in my car and it worked perfectly.

Then I set out to removing the bracket from the holder, and that's when disaster struck.
Maybe I rushed a little too much or used more force than I should have, but on trying to remove the bracket from the holder, I ripped off the holder from the windshield with some of the black masking + glass where the holder is pasted, and also chipped the glass from the inside.
I was furious with myself, but had to do something quickly.

Went to my nearest hardware store , and asked for the best glass-glass & metal-glass adhesive. He suggested the regular Araldite 2 part epoxy. Rushed home, cleaned the 2 surfaces, mixed the resin and hardener & glued the holder back. Duct taped it from above to ensure some clamping force is there. Left it like that for 24 hours.

On sunday afternoon, after removing the tape, the bond was found to be good and stable.



Unscrewed the tightening screw, and gently slid in the bracke of the auto dimming mirror into the holder.



Then tightened the screw for a firm non jittery fit




Installation done - in power off mode.



On ACC mode.



Powered from the same adapter as the dashcam.



Feedback

Drove for a doctor visit in the evening for an up + down of 35-40 kms. Following are the pros and cons:

Pros : Quick dimming, and dims enough so that those ill focused LED headlamps, 100/90 headlamps on high beam & truck headlamps on high beam are not a problem any more on the IRVM. Also, the OEM day/night mirror while set at night mode reflected the back seat area when no one was shining their headlight in the mirror. This one shows the road behind in the normal mode.

Cons: if someone tall enough sits in the middle of the rear seat, his or her head can sometimes block the light from reaching the back sensor, though light reaches the mirror from various other headlight sources. Thus dimming is muted or does not happen. Also, on brightly lit flyovers / under high mast lamps , because the front sensor senses bright light, dimming is muted.

P.S: The wiring is routed in the exact same way as my dashcam, which is elaborated here (The Dashcam / Car Video Recorder (DVR) Thread).

[Aditya]

Nice thread Blacksta. This DIY will greatly help other BHPians.

Electrochromic IRVMs have been around for a while now, but surprisingly. they are not yet standard on all or even most cars. Some expensive vehicles do not even have them on their top variants. I feel an electrochromic IRVM is more important than something like auto wipers.

This DIY is a good solution for those who would like to have an electrochromic IRVM in their cars. What I didn't like was the way in which it is powered. The fewer the number of exposed cables and wires in a car, the less aftermarket a fitting looks. Even so this one is probably worth it.

[sgiitk]

Very good job @Blackasta;. Full details provided. Only one point 'do you have a fuse or not'. When I bought our Civic nine years ago, one thing suggesting the Toyota was the dipping mirror. I Do not understand as to why Honda are sleeping.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by Aditya

What I didn't like was the way in which it is powered. The fewer the number of exposed cables and wires in a car, the less aftermarket a fitting looks. Even so this one is probably worth it.

The cabling is pretty much concealed behind the headliner, A pillar beading, and the plastic trim below the steering. It is only exposed about 4-5 inches near the mirror and couple of inches where it plugs into the power port.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Only one point 'do you have a fuse or not'.

The power adapter I am using has a built in fuse, plus the power port itself has a 20 amp fuse in the fusebox.

[car-dent]

Doesn't the mirror need a 12V supply? The USB must be providing 5V output. Does it work well with 5V supply or am I missing something?

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by car-dent

Doesn't the mirror need a 12V supply? The USB must be providing 5V output. Does it work well with 5V supply or am I missing something?

This is exactly the doubt I have in mind as well. I have a similar aliexpress version installed in my Swift and the LED in that used to shine much brighter than the pic posted here. Maybe it has something to do with the reduced voltage from the USB port.
Otherwise, a neat DIY here. An auto-dimming IRVM is a lifesaver and must have on Indian highways.

[Yieldway17]

Great work!!

I would like to do this on my 2017 Jazz as well. Wonder if we can ask the seller to provide suitable low profile fuse endpoint to fit it out of the box. I’m not that much familiar with fuses and tapping into them so was wondering if it’s something which is possible if we ask when ordering to the seller.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by car-dent

Doesn't the mirror need a 12V supply? The USB must be providing 5V output. Does it work well with 5V supply or am I missing something?

Originally Posted by bhp_maniac

This is exactly the doubt I have in mind as well. I have a similar aliexpress version installed in my Swift and the LED in that used to shine much brighter than the pic posted here. Maybe it has something to do with the reduced voltage from the USB port.
Otherwise, a neat DIY here. An auto-dimming IRVM is a lifesaver and must have on Indian highways.

The 1 pager installation sheet supplied with the mirror clearly states 12v.

To be frank, I did not even think about this when I did the initial connection.
But while charging my mobile last night, I too had this question that how can a 5V 1A source power a device that requires 12v.

After some thinking and calculation, the only resolution I can think of it that the device must use very low current. With load (resistance) remaining constant, it doesn't matter if I am supplying 12v or 5V, with the currrent consumption remaining in the required range according to Ohm's law.

If anyone has a better / correct explanation or a cautionary tale, please share the same.

Originally Posted by Yieldway17

Great work!!

I would like to do this on my 2017 Jazz as well. Wonder if we can ask the seller to provide suitable low profile fuse endpoint to fit it out of the box. I’m not that much familiar with fuses and tapping into them so was wondering if it’s something which is possible if we ask when ordering to the seller.

The pictures in the aliexpress item page shows open wires. I was surprised to received proper crimped ground ring terminal and positive fused terminal.
Better to get the item, and some fusetaps & low profile fuse to do the crimping by oneself.

Also, the reason for me not being able to tap the required fuse is not the type of fuse, but the design of the fusebox which is very difficult to access and does not allow plugging in a fusetap in the proper slot due to the narrow aisle design.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by blackasta

After some thinking and calculation, the only resolution I can think of it that the device must use very low current. With load (resistance) remaining constant, it doesn't matter if I am supplying 12v or 5V, with the currrent consumption remaining in the required range according to Ohm's law.

If anyone has a better / correct explanation or a cautionary tale, please share the same.

I think you are right. Maybe the final power needed by the mirror is satisfied by the combination of the 5V and xAmps provided by the USB port . Hence the mirror is chugging along without issues

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by blackasta

I was surprised to received properly crimped ground ring terminal and positive fused terminal.

Good you got the auto dimming IRVM for your Jazz, helps a lot from these high beam loving drivers.

Sorry to sound silly but why don't you get a Low-profile mini fuse tap, cut the red wire near the butt connector and then crimp the new low-profile fuse tap to it and insert into the fuse box? Am I missing something here?!

When I ordered it the same IRVM for my Swift and Creta, I got the wires loose so I directly crimped it to the fuse tap cable that I had.

[nikhn]

Thank you for the information! I was reminded that I have a spare Auto Dimming IRVM with parking sensor functionality with me which I had got along with another one for my Grand i10. Luckily it was the same bracket as the one you have shown and now it fits perfectly in my Honda City 2014 VX variant as well. So, now I can add parking sensors as well as the auto dimming IRVM when the car came with neither.

Off topic, even the Grand i10 has the same bracket. So, it can be used on that car as well.

[SS-Traveller]

Nice little DIY there. The hardest part must have been sourcing the right type of bracket attachment.

Originally Posted by blackasta

Then I set out to removing the bracket from the holder, and that's when disaster struck.
Maybe I rushed a little too much or used more force than I should have, but on trying to remove the bracket from the holder, I ripped off the holder from the windshield with some of the black masking + glass where the holder is pasted, and also chipped the glass from the inside.
I was furious with myself, but had to do something quickly.

Went to my nearest hardware store , and asked for the best glass-glass & metal-glass adhesive. He suggested the regular Araldite 2 part epoxy. Rushed home, cleaned the 2 surfaces, mixed the resin and hardener & glued the holder back. Duct taped it from above to ensure some clamping force is there. Left it like that for 24 hours.

On sunday afternoon, after removing the tape, the bond was found to be good and stable.

Araldite (epoxy) may not have been the best option since, if one ever needs to ever replace a windscreen, the bracket will also need to be replaced. The original fitment is with windscreen sealant (silicone type - tubes are fairly cheap), so that the bracket can be more easily removed. You mentioned a chip in the glass - is that a chip on the winscreen itself? Is it repairable? Small chips are repairable with clear epoxy - places like Windshield Experts will do it easily. Mind posting a pic of the chip?

[archat68]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Araldite (epoxy) may not have been the best option since, if one ever needs to ever replace a windscreen, the bracket will also need to be replaced.

Also not to mention normal epoxy when exposed to sunlight (specially UV light) becomes brittle and subsequently fails. There are adhesives available for refixing the windshield mirrors, cost around 1000 bucks and are available in Amazon.

IMHO Silicone glue would not hold the weight of the mirror assembly and also will not be able to sustain the vibrations resulting from the potholes.

I faced this problem when I tried to install a similar mirror in my Tiago which came with a different adapter than which was actually required. Initially I tried a lot of adhesives. Nothing worked for long, the windshield adhesive solved the problem. I used the following:
https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-37438...K78RQDT951ZD7M

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Nice little DIY there. The hardest part must have been sourcing the right type of bracket attachment.

Araldite (epoxy) may not have been the best option since, if one ever needs to ever replace a windscreen, the bracket will also need to be replaced. The original fitment is with windscreen sealant (silicone type - tubes are fairly cheap), so that the bracket can be more easily removed. You mentioned a chip in the glass - is that a chip on the winscreen itself? Is it repairable? Small chips are repairable with clear epoxy - places like Windshield Experts will do it easily. Mind posting a pic of the chip?

Actually the bracket was suggested by the seller once I sent him the pictures. No effort required from my end.

The chip in the windshield was in fact a thin sliver of glass that remained glued to the holder, but chipped off from the windscreen. I forgot to take a picture of that as I was slightly panicking to get the whole thing fixed. I put the epoxy mix on the partially glass partially metal surface of the holder, same epoxy on the shallow crevice of the windshield, and then pressed fit + taped for 24 hrs.

Originally Posted by archat68

Also not to mention normal epoxy when exposed to sunlight (specially UV light) becomes brittle and subsequently fails. There are adhesives available for refixing the windshield mirrors, cost around 1000 bucks and are available in Amazon.

IMHO Silicone glue would not hold the weight of the mirror assembly and also will not be able to sustain the vibrations resulting from the potholes.

I faced this problem when I tried to install a similar mirror in my Tiago which came with a different adapter than which was actually required. Initially I tried a lot of adhesives. Nothing worked for long, the windshield adhesive solved the problem. I used the following:
https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-37438...K78RQDT951ZD7M

Thanks a lot for the pointer. I shall try and procure a tube to cover for any eventual mishaps.
Was yours the same case as mine (partial glass to glass / partial glass to metal joining)? Did you try the Araldite standard epoxy (touted as the world's strongest adhesive) and it failed too?

[interc00led]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Nice little DIY there. The hardest part must have been sourcing the right type of bracket attachment.

Araldite (epoxy) may not have been the best option since, if one ever needs to ever replace a windscreen, the bracket will also need to be replaced. The original fitment is with windscreen sealant (silicone type - tubes are fairly cheap), so that the bracket can be more easily removed. Y

A urethane based windshield adhesive(usually black in Color) is the ideal option to fix the bracket.