MAPLIGHT MIRROR for CONVERTIBLES

[DaveSmed]

They use a button glued to the windshield a la most domestics.

Here's one for $10 http://www.brandsport.com/gntx-50-73...l?cmp=fwgs2011

Or just go to practically any junkyard and pull one off then glue it yourself.


The E30 cabrio mount is out of the way at the very top of the windshield, and the hardtop bracket just pulls out of the roof. (spring loaded pins)


Decent mirrors are usually easy to find in junkyards!

[mikeedler]

I wired mine up to only work with the key due to dead battery from people playing with them and staying on all day. I love mine!
maplight mirrors FTW

how do these gentex mirrors mount?

[reelizmpro]

Good job guys. My E39 has an alarm LED in the mirror and gets its power the same way. In fact if you really look there are wires wrapped in an accordion rubber sleeve coming out of the mirror and into the headliner. It's very short and discrete. I hardly notice it from the drivers side. So this method is more OEM than you guys think.

[DaveSmed]

Type "Gentex" into ebay. You can get one with LED map lights that also come on when you open the door, automatic dimming, compass, outside temp, Homelink...

Costs as much or less than the rare-ish E30 mirror that doesn't do any of that and takes pricey replacement bulbs.

[e30vert]

Anyone retrofit led lights in place of the incandescent bulbs in the map light mirror?
Also anyone have a map light mirror for sale please PM me.

I am going to be doing this mod soon.

[karzrtoyz]

Great job Robert! Gonna make another one for the new vert I just picked up as soon as I can get a new windshield with the original mirror.

[robrez]

And here's how it looks. I drilled the hole near the center of the back of the mirror and added some nylon tubing to keep it looking semi OEMish.

[robrez]

That's what glues to the windshield. It comes out of the "mast" by turning about 60* to either side though. You'd be better off removing the "puck", gluing it to the windshield, letting it cure FULLY then twist on the mirror. Unless you feel like sitting in the car for half an hour holding the mirror to the windshield while the glue hardens.

Muscled it off. Thanks

I ended up making two Y harness as was suggested above. Here is pic of the terminals to tap into so that you can turn on the maplights with having to put the key in the ignition.

[Mossman]

That's what glues to the windshield. It comes out of the "mast" by turning about 60* to either side though. You'd be better off removing the "puck", gluing it to the windshield, letting it cure FULLY then twist on the mirror. Unless you feel like sitting in the car for half an hour holding the mirror to the windshield while the glue hardens.

[robrez]

I picked up a spare vert mirror and swapped the arm onto my maplight. Is this the surface that gets glued to the windshield, or is there something that goes in between? My cabrio didn't have a mirror when I bought it, so I'm not sure how it attaches. Thanks

[smooth]

So you like the mirror?

I removed my rearview mirror. Totally clean windshield...

[Justin B]

Damn, you had some sort of little plastic washer that sat at the bottom of the bucket? Thats odd, Ive never seen one. I don't THINK one fell out, and there isn't one still in the mirror. That is certainly bizarre; so it was just about a quarter inch around with a hole in the middle to just space the ball up a little bit in yours? I might have to make one similar to that. Typically you'd think that the mirrors are made to grasp around the ball all by themselves and not need extra little bits in them, as mine were originally with their respective original mirror hangers/metal balls.

Good luck with the install, they're awesome to have even if I need to hold the mirror to turn on a light so it doesn't adjust on me =/ Yeah, its loose. Bleh

[karzrtoyz]

The mirror mod is soooo sweet!!

[karzrtoyz]

One question though, When I did mine, it was really really loose. I ended up stiffening it up a little by putting a piece of thin cardboard at the bottom of the cup in the mirror but I cannot use the day/night switch on the bottom as it will just adjust the mirror instead. The ball on the 'vert mirror vs the maplight mirror was actually noticeably slightly smaller causing this problem. Did any of this happen to you? I'm kinda bummed that my mirror is pretty loose. It will generally hold its position unless its over a really bumpy road but I have to manually adjust it if I don't want glare at night

You can fix that with the little washer that was in your original mirror. When I took the vert mirror apart, there was a washer type of disc that the ball joint rested on. I took that washer thing and threw it in the Maplight mirror and the problem is solved.

[DarkWing6]

Cool mod for you vert guys. I wanna go the other way and put the check panel light in my car, but I've got better mods to do at this point.