How-to disable auto-dim on Gentex mirror when in reverse

I recently bought one of the Gentex auto dim, compass, temp and Homelink mirrors from RJP869. http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2n...ew-mirrors-2009-15-tacomas-other-toyotas.html As many have commented on this forum before that this is a great upgrade and should be a standard on the 2014 and up Tacoma.

One of the features I have seen on other cars was that the auto dim feature is disabled when the car is in reverse making it easier to see what is behind you in certain light conditions. The Gentex I purchased from Bob did not have this feature…or so I thought. I contacted Bob and he explained the mirror does have the feature but he does not normally ship them with this feature prewired unless the customer asks. I wanted to add the feature so Bob quickly shipped out what I needed to make it happen. This is a very easy mod if you already have the mirror and if you are getting a new one and want this feature, let Bob know in advance.

Here is how to do it…

If you are adding the feature, you need to contact Bob and have him send you this:



Note the contact on the end of the wire:



Unplug the connector on the back of your mirror and slightly pry up the secondary lock mechanism (AKA: the white tab thing). This will allow you to insert the contact into the connector. This part is tricky. I found it only needs to be lifted a small amount (about 1/32” or so). I was having difficulty getting the contact to slide in and I found I had the tab lifted too much.



With connector oriented to have the white tab on top, the contact is inserted with crimped side up (see above picture of the contact – that side up). The contact should be inserted in-between the red and black wires. The contact should slide in smoothly and you should feel a slight click when it locks in place. If you are feeling resistance, don’t force it. Try to wiggle the white tab a little while trying to insert the contact. After you get the contact inserted, push the tab back down to fully lock the contacts in place. It should look like this when you are done. (The green wire is the one I inserted).



Next remove the overhead console, driver door grab handle and trim piece, foot rest and left side kick panel. I assume you know how to do these things already if you ran a temp sensor with your new mirror. If not, here is a good write up. http://www.weendoggy.com/tacoma/gentex_mirror.pdf

Run the wire thru the headliner along the top of the windshield then down the windshield pillar to the left kick panel.

Locate connector ID2 (as Toyota calls it). It is the grey one shown below.



Here is another picture:



From here you have 2 options. You need to tap into a wire that has 12 V on it when the vehicle is in reverse. Pin 1 of this connector (the big thick red wire) feeds directly to your backup lights. Pin 7 (the solid yellow wire) feeds the trailer backup lighting circuit. I chose the yellow wire as I thought it was a safer option. Here is a better close up of the wire.



Whichever one you choose, just simply tap into the wire using your preferred means (butt splice, tap, solder, etc) and connect the green wire from the mirror.

Reassemble and you are done.

One tip, do not turn the ignition to “ON” if the ID2 connector in the kick panel is disconnected. I did it when I was searching for the proper connector and it screwed up my gas gauge and set a few idiot lights on the dash. I disconnected then reconnected the battery and that cleared everything up.

 

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Sub'd. Thank you for the write up!

 

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Are many folks doing this?