3G TL (2004-2008)
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what does the AUTO button on the rearview mirror do?

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Old 09-28-2008, 03:13 PM
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what does the AUTO button on the rearview mirror do?

anyone?
Old 09-28-2008, 03:21 PM
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it auto dims for bright head lights so it doesnt hurt your eyes...i have mine off because i have 20% tint on the rear window....
Old 09-28-2008, 03:44 PM
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hmm... how does that work exactly? It's just a mirror
Old 09-28-2008, 03:51 PM
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Remember in your old car, when there was a bright light behind you, you'd pull tha tlittle tab towards you and it would angle your mirror up? Well now there is a little man that lives inside, and when you push the auto button up, he knows to do that for you automatically if he finds it too bright...and his eyes are more sensitive than yours...

Sorry, I was bored. It uses an electro chromatice gel that supposedly is toxic, so don't open up your mirror and futz around with it. Here's what I found using some more magic, called google..

1.A forward-facing sensor recognizes low ambient light levels and signals the mirror to begin looking for glare.
2.A rearward-facing sensor then detects glare from the vehicles traveling behind you, sending voltage to the mirror's EC gel in proportion to the amount of glare detected.
3.The mirror dims in proportion to the glare and then clears when the glare is no longer detected.
4.The interior mirror's sensors and electronics control the dimming of both interior and exterior mirrors.
Old 09-28-2008, 04:14 PM
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Originally Posted by marshall28
hmm... how does that work exactly? It's just a mirror
its not just a mirror...did you read your owners manual...
Old 09-28-2008, 07:26 PM
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Unhappy

Originally Posted by vinnier6
its not just a mirror...did you read your owners manual...
It appears not, or else he would have known what the "auto" button did in the first place.

Alot of people don't seem to read the manuals to anything now a days! I'm part of forums for this car and all my past cars, and several of my other hobbies (AR15's, M&P Pistols, Firefighting) and it's the same across the board. no one searches or reads manuals!
Old 09-28-2008, 08:31 PM
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It puts a tint on the lights behind you, that's the easiest way to describe it. I keep mine off because with it on you can't tell the difference if a car has HID's or not. (If it has HID's it's not a cop lol).
Old 09-28-2008, 08:36 PM
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for those who bought a TL used and didnt get the instruction book
here is a free link from Honda corp
https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/...01_OMANUAL.asp
every acura is there- click your year then model- a pdf file opens - use the index and can get to every page of the original book
save the whole thing or bookmark it for later needs
Learn all about trans shift speeds- seat heater operation-auto mirrors and more!

Dont you gen3 guys/girls have a `auto` downward tilting outside mirrors- when you use reverse gear??
that would be in the book too!

Note the simple version of the mirror is: that eye on your side, is watching the back window. the other dot is green power ON indicator- no power=no tinting action

There is another eye on the front side of the mirror looking forward- when the 2 dont agree, the mirror goes darker or goes back to no tint mode
Anything hung from the mirror may block the forward sensor- no fuzzy nothing~

Caution!!
gen2 had a LOT of problems with these- its supposedly fixed now for the new cars but,,, keep an eye out for tiny bubbles on the edge of the mirror surface or a large bubble anywhere on its face.
thats the death warning, and gen2 had exploding leaking ones that are like hot tar thrown in the car

If it wont tint at all- even if a flashlight is shone directly at it at night- from inside the car- with key on and green power light on, thats not good either
If it quit working----not good
Old 09-29-2008, 01:45 PM
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sorry, had to do it
Old 09-29-2008, 01:50 PM
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^ lol Carrie

the auto button doesn't work for me cause of the tints
Old 09-29-2008, 02:41 PM
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^ yup, i have tints too same prob...
Old 09-29-2008, 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by mglax13
It appears not, or else he would have known what the "auto" button did in the first place.

Alot of people don't seem to read the manuals to anything now a days! I'm part of forums for this car and all my past cars, and several of my other hobbies (AR15's, M&P Pistols, Firefighting) and it's the same across the board. no one searches or reads manuals!
Thank God.. another gun culture member. While I have no intention of hijacking this thread, just wanted to applaud you. We share something else in common.
Old 09-29-2008, 04:01 PM
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Originally Posted by CarrieLynn
^ yup, i have tints too same prob...
its not a problem if you have tint and it doenst work, you dont need it to work because you have tinted window...
Old 09-29-2008, 04:02 PM
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You probably dont read directions because frankly....its unAmerican to read directions. We just figure it out.
Old 09-29-2008, 04:20 PM
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I have tint as well and my auto dimming mirror still works; it's not as dramatic as w/o tint but it still makes a difference.

If you're trying to figure out if a car has HIDs.. look in your side mirror =p
Old 09-29-2008, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by 01tl4tl
f

Caution!!
gen2 had a LOT of problems with these- its supposedly fixed now for the new cars but,,, keep an eye out for tiny bubbles on the edge of the mirror surface or a large bubble anywhere on its face.
thats the death warning, and gen2 had exploding leaking ones that are like hot tar thrown in the car
My passenger mirror has bubbles on the edge like you describe. I didn't think much of it since it still dims but now I am raising an eyebrow. Is there anything I can do other than replace it? I do notice that when I put it in reverse, the mirror moves like it needs some grease in the internals, not as smooth as the driver's mirror. Does anyone know how hard it is to replace?
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