mdrako2015

I recently purchased an aftermarket alarm for my girlfriend's car. Once we got the car back, she mentioned that the indicator light on the rearview mirror isn't turning on, and that the mirror is less sensitive than before. I used a flash light and definitely see that the auto dim works, but she said that it usually dims much more, even if a car behind is real far away. She also claims that the indicator light isn't turning on. So I have a few questions about this:

1. The mirror she has is the one without a button. It looks exactly like this that someone else on this forum had posted: Wheres The Button? Photo by ericweiner | Photobucket. Can anyone confirm that one of those squares is supposed to be a light that turns on? I thought they were both sensors but she swears one of them was a light.

2. Is it possible that the mirror could partially work? She claims it was much stronger before. I would think the mirror either works or doesn't.

3. Is there a specific fuse I should look at? I don't see anything in the manual that specifies which fuse is for the mirror.

I called Acura and they told me that the correct part number for the mirror in her car is the 76400-tk4-a01. He didn't know whether this one had an indicator light or not.

I appreciate any help.

mdrako2015

I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that she has a 2015 ILX with the Tech-Package.

peti1212

1. I didn't know one was a light, as far as I know it is just sensors.

2. Not sure about this.

3. Not sure about this either.

Sorry, I'm not much of help, but this is definitely strange.

mdrako2015

The alarm shop is refusing to help us with this because they claim that the mirror does not have an indicator light as it says in the manual.

If anyone with a 2014/2015 ILX sees this post, would you please be able to check if your rearview does in fact have a light that turns on? On the back, the part number should say TK4-A01. I'd really like to get this figured out and avoid having to pay $100+ to replace the mirror.

ceb

Did they do anything near the mirror? Unless the mirror is damaged, it either works - or not.

Remember how these mirrors work. There is a sensor pointing forward that measures ambient light. That sensor basically asks "Is it dark outside?" If it is dark AND a bright light hits the sensor on the mirror side, then the mirror dims. If it is bright outside then the mirror wont dim.

Common things that confuse the mirror are things hanging off the mirror (parking tags etc) that obscure the front facing sensor or dark tint strips on the windshield that fool the mirror into thinking that it is dark outside.

I saw one issue where a driver stuck a mirror to the windshield. At night, the headlights of a following car would reflect off that mirror and fool the sensor into thinking it was daylight outside.

thoiboi

did you happen to add tint to the car as well?

mdrako2015

Thanks for your replies. The car had tints from the day she bought it. She said that the dimming was never too strong because of the tints but it worked more consistently than it does now. Since she got the car back, it sometimes works while we're driving, sometimes doesn't at all (regardless of whether there's a car behind or not). I'd say the strength is as normal as the first day she got the car when it DOES work.

The one thing we can't get a straight answer on is if the mirror has a light or not. So far, every single person we spoke to says there IS a light, but then the guys at the alarm place opened it up and showed us the inside. There's no bulb. At this point, she feels that they're trying to avoid having to replace it for her. So we're trying to find someone that actually has a car to check if theirs has a light. The manual says "indicator light" but from what I'm seeing on here, the Acura manuals have been wrong plenty of times.

loveveggies

Hi,

I had the same questions and concerns after installing a front dash board camera. I will add that I dont ever recall anything lighting up on my mirror. I was just paranoid about anything possibly broken after adding non-Acura parts to the electric wires of my vehicle so I sought out answers.

My mirror looks the same as the photo you shared. I also checked the user manual which stated that one is an "indicator light" and the other is a "sensor" but this was not correct for my vehicle (2014 Acura TL with tech pkg).

You can test this method out yourself at night. Take a flashlight and shine directly into one of the sensor while covering the escaping light with your hand, and you'll see that your rear view mirror will dim. Do the same with the other sensor and it will dim aain. Both of those things are sensors.

Second, I called my dealership and spoke to someone from the service department. The person I spoke to confirmed that those are sensors and doesnt light up. I asked about the user manual discrepancy and he stated that some car models have an indicator light so I'm guessing the description was just used and applied across the board.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you test out the flashlight method.

loveveggies

I forgot to add, my car is tinted as well.

loveveggies

Check out this thread. Someone had the same question about their MDX and the replies are helpful.

Auto dimming rear view mirrors? - Acura MDX Forum : Acura MDX SUV Forums