Auto dimming side view mirrors?

Apparently you have never had this feature on your vehicle before. My 2000 BMW 528i has this feature and I like it. Yeah it's not as useful as auto-dimming inner rear-view mirror, but it's a legit useful feature to have.

It's not doing "auto-dimming" like the inner mirror, but it's also different from putting on some tint film. You just have to experience it to know.

I am well aware of the auto dimming side view mirrors. My previous German luxury SUV had them and I loved them. Just surprising that Mazda, who is trying to compete with the features of luxury brands, would not have these inexpensive feature on a car that has all the safety features. Just looking for something to calm down the glare.
 
I am well aware of the auto dimming side view mirrors. My previous German luxury SUV had them and I loved them. Just surprising that Mazda, who is trying to compete with the features of luxury brands, would not have these inexpensive feature on a car that has all the safety features. Just looking for something to calm down the glare.

Even some current Subarus have them. No luxury required.
 
Seems easy enough to add, especially with parts available from the dealer. I can see the issue with Nissans providing individual TPMS readouts and Mazdas not, but this hardly seems to be worth complaining about.

EDIT: Nevermind, just read through the entire post. I guess those blue tinted mirrors would work to reduce glare, but it's not a solution for auto-dimming mirrors. I think that they'll become an option (or maybe standard) on Mazdas as they try to elbow their way into the luxury market. Maybe when they are offered on future models, they can be retrofitted to older models.
 
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Is that the Mazda OEM rear bumper trim (w/o hitch) or did you find it online? Looks really good.
Can you share a complete rear picture, if possible?
I'm planning on getting a similar one, something in minimalistic chrome finish. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Yea that's the OEM one, it's not chrome it's a bright silver paint I think. Here's the rear...

48047102578_893ba81b82_b.jpg
 
Thanks for the picture and feedback. My husband thinks the blue tint looks cool. After having auto-dimming side view mirrors in the past, I am just surprised it isn't offered on the Signature line but do on the Miata.

I like the look as well, especially contrasting the white car. I've wanted it when I had my 2014 mazda 3 which was also white but costs way too much to get from Japan, it wasn't offered in the US. I think mazda told me this was the first vehicle in their line up that they're offering the blue mirror as an accessory here.
 
I really wish these were available for the 2016 model (sad1)
 
Is there an option to put in auto-dimming side mirrors or only blue-tint?
Theyre blue tinted hydrophilic exterior mirrors from OEM accessory. They work in different way as auto-dimming inside rear-view mirror. But theyre effective to reduce the glare.
 
I really wish these were available for the 2016 model (sad1)
Yes, these blue tinted hydrophilic exterior mirrors are available for gen-1 CX-5. I*ve seen people selling them on eBay and AliExpress. Just make sure they come with a pair for left-hand drive US CX-5, not for right-hand drive Japanese domestic market.
 
Does the part number, KC9E-V3-660, correct for both mirrors and left-hand drive 2019 CX-5? And did you put them on by yourself?

they are most certainly for LHD USDM KF CX-5
for the money spent, I would've imported the JDM blue ones instead... they are wide angle convex for BOTH sides, and that means it doesn't matter where the steering wheel is... nearly eliminating blind spots
 
Yes, these blue tinted hydrophilic exterior mirrors are available for gen-1 CX-5. I*ve seen people selling them on eBay and AliExpress. Just make sure they come with a pair for left-hand drive US CX-5, not for right-hand drive Japanese domestic market.

genuine mazda ones are available in japan... they're convex on both sides, so it doesn't matter where the steering wheel is
I wouldn't buy anything but genuine, for optical quality reasons
 
For the record, it is possible to eliminate blind spots by simply adjusting your mirrors a different way. But that does nothing for someone who wants auto-dimming or glare-reducing mirrors.
 
I hear that many times from people who say that, and are from north america... you simply shift your blind spot from one place to another, that's it... it's a workable, cost effective, but poor solution in the long term... adjusting the driver side mirror outwards means you see the next lane over, at the critical "blind spot" location... then, you're left with a blind spot near/along the side of your car... like I said, you're just shifting your blind spot from one place to another... it definitely makes it harder to park, and see what's next to you when you're doing the driveway/parking lots manuvers

it's for this practical and safety reason, that all other countries, except for australia, allow convex mirrors on both sides of the car... of the G20 nations, only USA, Canada, and Australia requires flat driver's side mirrors for their own safety reasons
 
I hear that many times from people who say that, and are from north america... you simply shift your blind spot from one place to another, that's it... it's a workable, cost effective, but poor solution in the long term... adjusting the driver side mirror outwards means you see the next lane over, at the critical "blind spot" location... then, you're left with a blind spot near/along the side of your car... like I said, you're just shifting your blind spot from one place to another... it definitely makes it harder to park, and see what's next to you when you're doing the driveway/parking lots manuvers

it's for this practical and safety reason, that all other countries, except for australia, allow convex mirrors on both sides of the car... of the G20 nations, only USA, Canada, and Australia requires flat driver's side mirrors for their own safety reasons

You do not "move" the blind spot. You simply eliminate them. Watch the video and skip towards the end for a demo. This method is explained in a scientific research paper written by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a15131074/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots/

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As far as parking goes, you can still move your head to see the sides of the car just fine. The only downside to doing this is getting used to it.
 

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moving your head to view what you can't see sitting straight, is a blind spot! Just like how you can lean your head over with a poorly adjusted mirror to do so... having to move your body out of normal seating position to see something, is poor design, period

you just helped made my point how "properly" adjusting the horrible USDM flat mirrors just shifts the blind spot from one place to another... what happens is just simply moving a undesirable blind spot location to a "desirable" one... you don't have to do any of this stupidity of "moving your head" with a convex mirror... you see close to the car, and all the way to the lane next to you... in the helpful pic, which had taken you time to go look for and post, a convex mirror effectively combines both "figure 1" and "figure 2" together, a true blind spot elimination, not moving it from one place to another

stop parroting the same nonsense like everyone else does about "properly" adjusting the mirrors, then trying to argue with me about how the blind spot is "gone", like everyone else does, also... I know how to adjust the mirrors, and that's what I do when I go rent or borrow a car with bad mirrors, and then forced to deal with a less critical blind spot
 
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moving your head to view what you can't see sitting straight, is a blind spot! Just like how you can lean your head over with a poorly adjusted mirror to do so... having to move your body out of normal seating position to see something, is poor design, period

you just helped made my point how "properly" adjusting the horrible USDM flat mirrors just shifts the blind spot from one place to another... what happens is just simply moving a undesirable blind spot location to a "desirable" one... you don't have to do any of this stupidity of "moving your head" with a convex mirror... you see close to the car, and all the way to the lane next to you... in the helpful pic, which had taken you time to go look for and post, a convex mirror effectively combines both "figure 1" and "figure 2" together, a true blind spot elimination, not moving it from one place to another

stop parroting the same nonsense like everyone else does about "properly" adjusting the mirrors, then trying to argue with me about how the blind spot is "gone", like everyone else does, also... I know how to adjust the mirrors, and that's what I do when I go rent or borrow a car with bad mirrors, and then forced to deal with a less critical blind spot

Watch the end of the video and tell me where the blind spot is. You can clearly see the vehicle in both the rear view and side mirrors as it passes. You only need to see the sides of the car when you're parking. If not moving your head while parking is important to you, by all means, grab some convex mirrors.

I'm not trying to argue with you. I just stated some facts and provided a link to a paper written by automotive engineers that proves these facts to be true. Use convex mirrors if you want to, I don't really care. I just wanted to put this info out there as an alternative method of adjustment for those stuck with the "horribly-unusable" flat side mirrors.

By the way, this is an online discussion forum. I'm free to state my opinion, whether you like it or not.
 
we're talking about SIDE mirrors, not a combination of mirrors to make up for gaps in rearward vision... "only need to see the sides of the car when you're parking" is a fallacy... have you ever considered how a reckless driver approaching from "out of nowhere" could mean a crash because, suppose this situation: you're driving along in light traffic, you check your inside mirror, then your driver's side mirror... you saw no hazards in the inside mirror, as you moved to check your driver's side mirror, you didn't see the car or motorcycle zoom across the back of your car in your driver's side mirror, and they still didn't show up in the mirror (your "blind spot"), as you proceeded to start to lane change over... but it moved so fast that by the time you see it in your driver's side mirror, you have already halfway lane changed over, and crashed... keep in mind, both the inside and driver's side mirrors are properly adjusted in this scenario

or how about this: you're in heavy traffic, someone in front slams on their brakes, or a wreck is happening in front of you (regardless of speed)... the time it takes for you to check both the inside and driver's side mirror, and maybe combined with a head turn "blind spot check", you would have rear ended what's in front of you because you weren't sure it was safe and clear to move over... yes, the mirrors were adjusted properly, but because you needed to check both mirrors to be absolutely sure it was clear, because the narrow field of view of one mirror, necessitating multiple mirrors to complete the field of view, is highly inefficient, not confidence inspiring, and works horribly in heavy traffic, especially in emergency situations

these situations are probably unthinkable and unheard of for you, because you're in Manitoba, where population and traffic is low... Winnipeg, the largest city, NEVER gets the type of traffic you would see in Montreal or Toronto, especially the American cities

a video from an SAE engineer doesn't hold weight to me, considering that they are the ones that have helped written most of the safety regulations in North America, have not updated their standards, which follows technological advancements in lighting and safety equipment constantly invented from different parts of the world, but rather, very conservatively hold onto the outdated standards they have written... a good case of "not invented here syndrome", that permeates all the way to NHTSA in washington

a link to a "paper" written by an automotive JOURNALIST only goes as far as parroting what everyone else knowledgable about driving safety in North America says... it proves nothing to me except that the blind spot is shifted from critical to a less critical spot, and needing another mirror to make up for the gap in the field of view

what holds real weight are actual research papers, written by engineers, and other experts in automobile safety, that are actually taken into consideration by NHTSA in their rule decision making process (no time was spent to find these, a mere 10 second google search revealed these links):
https://one.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crash Avoidance/2008/810959.pdf
https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/55077/811328.pdf?sequence=1
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.492.4891&rep=rep1&type=pdf

studies after studies show, that flat mirrors are statistically higher in driver side crashes, while it's reduced with convex, and finally with combination convex/aspheric mirrors... the same studies show that although convex mirrors cause more difficulty in judging distances, due to the minification effect, especially for older age group people, the benefits in a broad field of view that nearly or completely eliminates the blind spot, outweigh all else... NHTSA and ADR maintain, officially, that flat mirrors are "safer", because of "better" distance judging, and magnification effect of them... the same studies show that, drivers over estimate distances with convex mirrors instead, which in all practical purposes, pose no real safety hazard... the NHTSA is still considering allowing aspheric/convex driver's side mirrors, and possibly mandating them... their decision making process is typically US government slow, and greatly influenced by politics... don't count on them reaching one any time soon

so, thanks for the information on how to make the best out of flat mirrors, but to flat out argue and declare that the blind spot is gone, and that there's no problems with flat mirrors, is completely misleading
 
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Thanks for the info. I get the point you're trying to make, and it makes sense. I'll continue to use my flat mirrors until convex mirrors are mandated. The way I've had them set up for the past few years works great for me. Also, the blind spot that you're alluding to is perfectly visible in my side mirrors - I had to adjust them so that the side of the car is just visible in the side mirror because my wife is used to seeing a good chunk of the car in the mirror.
 
I have been eyeing the CX-5 and 3 but hate that the former has no auto-dimming side mirrors (even at the top trim) and the latter only have driver side only. I have Googled but you can’t find Japan left-side side driver mirrors with auto-dimming to perhaps retrofit for the 3 at least (so that the passenger-side mirror dims too).

Does anyone do this kinda retrofitting? Seems it is more common with German cars, whose parts are easier to find online.

I hate that Japanese automakers have been doin driver-side only. It is a cost-cutting move. Toyota and Lexus have started scrapping passenger-side dimming starting this year with the Avalon and UX. Infiniti still does both mirrors if offered on the model, and Honda dims both but only on the Pilot.
 
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