Auto dimming rear view mirror

[pdd0773]

Is this factory order??

It is the only option I am considering adding to a 2.0tdi 170 elegance model and want to know if it will make delivery longer.

Thanks

[jcblincs]

factory order - yes

delay car - who knows. by ordering a petrol auto i delayed my car so who knows which options delay a car !!

[beaker656]

having got that extra, I don't think it's worth the money. Wish I hadn't bother to be honest.

[GrahamElegance]

Sorry to disagree Beaker but my wifes Golf has had one for two years, for me it is a must. Cuts out all the glare when someone tailgates at night. I was surprised that a tyre pressure monitor is standard, on the Elegance anyway, bur not the auto dimming mirror.

[dstev2000]

I agree, I am baffled why the dimming mirror isn't standard along with hill hold (thats an excellent feature BTW) despite the presence of uber lux items like leccy leather seats and adaptive bi-xenons.

After having it on the last 3 cars I wouldnt want to be without it.

[jcblincs]

i agree. i have one on my passat and its really good once you get used to it. there is a slight delay waiting for it to react but its much better when driving in town when there is not much traffic. in other cars you are constantly flipping the rear view mirror with the mechanical switch. with auto dim you just forget about it and let it do its job. god value for £50 but a stupid "shot in foo"t moment not including it.

[pdd0773]

Sorry to start this up again!

A dealer local to my new company tells them he can fit the rear dimming mirror retrospectively.

Apparently if there is a fault on the factory fitted one they can replace it.

Does anybody know if this is true??

[Bagpuss]

Any option can be retrofitted to a car, it's just that the manufacturer will often not provide the necessary guidance to allow the dealer to do it.

Sometimes, they refuse to allow it for safety reasons, other times because it's simply too complicated and the risk of failure is high.

With regards to the mirror, then I'm sure it can be done. From what I understand, the wiring is all there (at least on Elegance spec. cars), so it should be a plug and play job. If you are unsure, ask the dealer what's involved. If you aren't happy that they know how to do it, go for a factory order.

Bagpuss.

[erniem]

not sure about the electric involved, but if you lose your windscreen, autoglass are ablt to fix it back on so it can't be too tricky.

[billhum]

Any option can be retrofitted to a car, it's just that the manufacturer will often not provide the necessary guidance to allow the dealer to do it.

Sometimes, they refuse to allow it for safety reasons, other times because it's simply too complicated and the risk of failure is high.

With regards to the mirror, then I'm sure it can be done. From what I understand, the wiring is all there (at least on Elegance spec. cars), so it should be a plug and play job. If you are unsure, ask the dealer what's involved. If you aren't happy that they know how to do it, go for a factory order.

Bagpuss.

When my replacement car had been on order for about three weeks ( or so the dealer told me), I asked if I could add the auto dipping mirror. They made a phone call ( not in front of me) and told me that a) the factory would no longer accept changes once the order was placed and because of the wiring required, they could not retrofit one.

I have no wish for another battle with this dealer so I will not pursue it but I wonder if his information was correct.

[Chris Westy]

a) the factory would no longer accept changes once the order was placed and because of the wiring required, they could not retrofit one.

a) I tried to add rear window blinds to my order first thing one monday morning 5/6 weeks before the build date quoted (eons ago). The dealer put the change forward but SUK rejected it at the end of the week. Turned out SUK has sent out an email to dealers on the previous friday saying no more changes and the 'sales manager' hadn't noted the content by first thing on the monday. So for the sake of a few hours SUK rejected the change. Another dealer said that Skoda were rejecting all order changes (for all models) - at that time - due to a computer problem, but don't know if it was UK or Czech based. I only found that out when I went to see a demonstrator at another dealer (I wasn't checking up on my own dealer). So the info you were given is reliable.

I'm pleased to say that I later managed to get the change incorporated due to fastastic customer service from the Czech Info-Line.

I don't know about the wiring. I thought the whole point of the Can Bus wiring system and looms was to simplify wiring so I would be astonished to discover that an additional wire needed installed. If it was necessary it can't be any worse than putting in the Bluetooth wiring to the overhead consule.

[Bagpuss]

Hmmm. Like I said, often the factory doesn't want the dealers to know how to do it, so they make up some crap about needing extra wiring.

The only wiring the auto-dimming mirror needs is power, and you can get that from the courtesy light. If you've got an Elegance, then the auto-dimming wiring is there anyway, as it comes part and parcel with the wiring for the rain sensor.

The only issue I can think of is that the windscreen mount for the autodimming mirror is different from the standard mirror. This is not a problem on the Elegance, as you get a compatible mount as part of the rain sensor installation. On cars without rain sensor, I believe you would need to change the windscreen, as you can't get the mount off without break either it, or the screen (This is definitely the case for the Octy, so I'm assuming it applies to the Superb as well).

Bagpuss.

[auroan]

I have an auto dimming mirror to retro fit to my A4. It is indeed a seperate mount. But the only wiring needed as mentioned is +12v and ground.

[billhum]

What is the "Czech info line"?

It sounds like a useful facility.

[TrevorK]

I have had the auto dimming mirror on my Skoda Superb for 3 years. Now buying a new Superb and ordered it without the auto dimming mirror. I found that on a motorway it was difficult to judge the distance of cars especially those coming up fast and eventually hardly ever used it

[2slo]

I have had the auto dimming mirror on my Skoda Superb for 3 years. Now buying a new Superb and ordered it without the auto dimming mirror. I found that on a motorway it was difficult to judge the distance of cars especially those coming up fast and eventually hardly ever used it

I quite agree. In such a large car with a comparatively small rear window (and one without a rear wash/ wipe) the autodimming mirror would be a hindrance rather than a help. Glad I saved the 50 quid and didn't bother. I dread to think what the rear vision is like in the rain for those who specified the 'gangsta glass'.

2Slo.

[Chris Westy]

What is the "Czech info line"?

It sounds like a useful facility.

It's the email contact at www.skoda-auto.com

Example: I sent them an email a few days before christmas and had a confirmation explaining how they would progress matters within 2 minutes.

[Alien8d]

I quite agree. In such a large car with a comparatively small rear window (and one without a rear wash/ wipe) the autodimming mirror would be a hindrance rather than a help. Glad I saved the 50 quid and didn't bother. I dread to think what the rear vision is like in the rain for those who specified the 'gangsta glass'.

2Slo.

I didn't go for the factory fit glass, but had mine done privately. Tint is 95% (way above the factory spec), and I've had no problems with it at all. With rain, it makes no difference at all. Rain and dark is when you notice it, but then in the dark, cars have their lights on anyway.

As an aside, I was taught to drive using predominantly wing mirrors rather than rear view (as was anyone else who has ever driven box vans, or similar) The wing mirrors on the Superb are excellent, with good visibility, so unless you rely on your rear view, again the auto dim shouldn't be much of an issue.

[Chris Westy]

How much did the tint cost?

[jcblincs]

isnt there an electrical connection to the door mirrors as well ? doesnt the auto dimming door mirror get a feed from the sensor at the bottom of the auto dim rear view mirror ?

(on cars where the auto dim rear view is not fitted the auto dim door mirrors dont work so they must get a signal from the rear view mirror ?)

[Alien8d]

How much did the tint cost?

It's not just a tint, but a security film that is bonded to the glass which prevents people from breaking the glass from the outside (but if in an accident and the window breaks, you can push the whole window out from inside). You can choose your tint spec when you order it (in grades of 0%, 20%, 50% 80% and 95%). My company paid, but I think the cost was about £450 for the whole car (which isn't a lot more than Skoda charge for the sunset glass).

There are some pics in this thread - http://briskoda.net/superb-ii/replacement-roof-aerial/129320/#post1530466

PM me if you want the details of the firm that did it.

[Guest BarryT]

Totally agree that it seems crazy that the auto dimming mirror is an option.

I got used to it on previous cars (Volvo and Saab) and expected it on the Superb.

Had to accept without to avoid long delivery delay but now cannot get retrofit via dealer.

Why is this not an after-sale option?

[Bagpuss]

I quite agree. In such a large car with a comparatively small rear window (and one without a rear wash/ wipe) the autodimming mirror would be a hindrance rather than a help. Glad I saved the 50 quid and didn't bother. I dread to think what the rear vision is like in the rain for those who specified the 'gangsta glass'.

2Slo.

The 'gangsta glass' is actually quite subtle, and doesn't have any noticeable effect on rear vision. This is my second Skoda with it (first was a vRS estate), and I really like it.

In addition, the auto-dimming mirror has a button on the underside which allows you to turn it off. Given that a lot of people look for this option when buying a used car, you could specify it (even if you don't like it), then turn it off. From my perspective, its better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

As Alien8d mentioned, the wing mirrors also give fantastic visibility and I've found that I us them much more than the rear view mirror.

Bagpuss.

[jcblincs]

i still cant tell if the DOOR mirrors (sorry to be pedantic but they are not WING mirrors !!! LOL) are dimming or not. I tried last night and i really cant tell any difference. can you ?

[Alien8d]

i still cant tell if the DOOR mirrors (sorry to be pedantic but they are not WING mirrors !!! LOL) are dimming or not. I tried last night and i really cant tell any difference. can you ?

With mirrors this size, they are Wings, believe me

As far as the rear view, what I've noticed is that the auto dim feature works best with lights that are Bi-Xenon or similar (ie, the Skoda, BMW, Merc "blue colour light" ones). Old style lights don't seem to have nearly the same effect on the mirror darkening as the blue effect ones.

For the door mirrors, there is an effect, but it *is* less noticeable, but is that partly down to the human factor of noticing the rear mirror more ?