I am thinking about having one of these installed. how much does it cost, and how accurate is the temperature?

 

1.) Not exactly sure as it was on the car when I bought it, but I think it was on the stick for about ~219.

2.) Because of the thermometers location, it varies. When moving (especially on the highway), it is only 2-3 degrees off at most. When standing still or in traffic, it has been as high as 8 degrees higher.

The compass is spot on.

 

i have had mine for 3 years and i love it. it is wonderful on those long night drives. :-)

 

just be careful taking the old mirror off. it is v ery easy to destroy your windshield.

 

That's why I'm gonna have the dealer do it. I am a wimp when it comes to fixing and installing things myself. What is ~219...is that pounds or franks or something?

 

I don't know. What currency do they use in Georgia?

He means approximately $219 but it will be more if you get it afterwards.

 

FWIW, I wanted to get the electronic mirror w/ compass when I bought my P5, but, was too much in a rush to make an issue of it.

So, I looked into getting installed afterwards. Dealer wanted something like 2 hours labor for the installation.

The folks at www.mazdastuff.com said that the installation manual for it was about 14 pages long (they offered to fax it to me).

I dropped the issue at this point: the price was edging past $300 installed. I figured that if I could live without the autodiming feature, my money would be better spent investing in an in-dash GPS receiver.

If you do go for, please post how much time it took to install the thing. I might want to see about getting a good 3rd party mechanic to install it for me.

- Marcos

 

so you guys think it's worth gettin it? b/c i also though about gettin myself one of those in the future

 

I want one. My moms car and my dads truck both have one. Nice not to be blinded when someon pulls up behind you. I'm just waiting until I have $200 extra sitting around I haven't already marked for something else.

 

Our P5 was purchased without the mirror (we wanted) The dealer offered to sell the mirror at his cost (roughly $179.00) and install it 45 min. to 1 hour. After waithing 1 hr. the tech. came into the waiting room and said it'd be more like 4 hrs. I went out to the service bay to see what was up. None of the wiring is in place for the mirror. The tech explained that he'd have to drop the headliner, cut into a wire bundle, and run a wire (for the temp. sensor) to the front bumper. I asked him to put everything back original, and forget the option.

 

That is why I will be doing the installation myself on the weekend. I believe LinuxNnja has done the installation before (or someone on this board has) and did not have any problems. The instructions aren't that difficult. I just think people get nervous when they have to start working around the headliner and such.

 

I forgot another reason I opted out. The stock mirror had the display ( I beleive in amber or red) along the bottom edge of the mirror housing. I was led to believe (dealer had no picture) the temp. and compass display were in a small rectangular area in the r/h top of the mirrored surface (like the GM mirrors) I've since done some research and there are several mirrors available from different manufacturers. One has LED maplights on the bottom edge of the mirror like my Corvette.

 

I opted for the mirror when I got my new Protege 5 here in Canada. Was charged for 1 hour of labour by the dealership for installation. The temperature and compass display are green LEDs that are located underneath the mirror; not in the mirror at all. Very nice and legible on sunny days.

Perhaps it is easier to install the mirror if your car has a sun roof? I have one, and the tech probably connected the power for the mirror via the sun roof button cluster on the roof.

Anyways, looking at the box, the mirror looks to be made by Magna Donnelly. Mazda may be OEMing the product.

http://www.donnelly.com/products/int...ms/default.asp

 

i got mine in 99 with my 2000 ES when i ordered it from japan. it was installed at the port of entry for 239$. that included the item and labor. which was nice. and i have liked it for 3 years and it is still going.
arul

 

Nammo...How much did you pay for your mirror? I was just quoted $550 CDN by the dealer, and they didn't even really seem to want to sell it to me.