Accidentally wrecked an auto-dimming IRVM doing a DIY: Now what?

I had decided to take on the auto dimming project first as after reading through numerous DIY threads I figured it would be a fairly easy install. But was I in for a surprise!

BHPian shardul_pathak recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This is my first attempt at a thread on T-BHP. I have been an avid reader for over 8 years now. I live, dream, breath cars. Have always had a modest garage, but my only motivator for working hard in life is to be able to buy all the cars I have dreamt of.

This thread however, is about a land yatch, which we choose to call a car! My 2016, Toyota Camry. Since I am in the merchant navy, my cars are rarely driven. The wife has her own Polo GT TSI, which recently had gotten some work done at Viraat's Garage in Delhi. My Toyota Camry however, has only done 42,000 Kms in 7 years!

The car feels new! Given the toyota nature, the interior trimmings have faded/damaged a little but I will have that taken care of my Viraat on my next Trip to Delhi.

Coming to the Idea why I had wanted to create this thread. For all the luxury which the Camry offers, it misses out on some really basic creature comforts. Auto dimming IRVM and rear windshield plus windows sunshades. These are the two things I sorely miss. Auto dimming IRVM because of the extra bright LED lights which every one how seems to have installed on their reflector headlights and sunshades for the obvious reason of privacy+heat protection in the bright summers of Jaipur.

I had decided to take on the auto dimming project first as after reading through numerous DIY threads I figured it would be a fairly easy install. But was I in for a surprise!

I did manage to source 2 old toyota auto dimming IRVM at my local toyota workshop. Posting images of those here:

A larger irvm with a 10 pin connector

IRVM from a Corolla Altis with a 5 pin connector

Wires for the 5 pin connector

As I set about trying to figure out which wire is live and which is neutral, I had left theses mirrors at the workshop itself. Little did I know that the electrician there was also trying to solve this mystery, the only difference was that he had the practical tools to see the end results!

I was reading up on the internet, posting on various thread for DIY about auto diming IRVMs but nowhere could I find someone who had used an old toyota spare and worked out the wiring for themselves.

A week had passed and I still did not have any credible information, just then I get a call from the workshop saying that the electrician had figured it out! Out of sheer excitement, I went straight there only to see this:

A short circuited mirror

I asked the electrician how this happened, and he told me that he managed to find a male coupler for the 5 pin connector, had joint 3 wires from it and connected it to a battery's positive and the other two to the positive.

Its a no brainer, that the internal circuit shorted and the mirror went kaput.

From all the readings I did i understood that only 3 out of the 5 wires were useful; 1st for power, 2nd for neutral, 3rd for the reversing function.

I tried on a friend's Corolla altis, but the reversing function didn't seem to work on it. At night, putting the car in reverse did not clear the dim, so I figured that probably only 2 wires are useful.

It is however, extremely hard to figure out which two wires those are.

Here's what BHPian Gannu_1 had to say on the matter:

Please remove the tape over the wiring from the connector and check the colour coding of the cables. It is most likely red for the +12V and brown or black for the ground which powers the mirror.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.