Thread: JDM power folding mirrors and using a relay to open and close them

Is anyone using a relay so the mirrors open when the car comes on and closes them when the car is off? After do some searching on this forum and the old one, I can't find any threads with someone using an OEM or aftermarket one for this function. Doesn't look like any JDM Nissan mirrors anyone gets has the OEM relay when buying them used like all of us do.
Using a common relay looks like the bigger pain in the butt to wire up, so I was looking at using an OEM JDM Honda one which looks alot easier to wire up assuming it would work. Where do you hook on the AC power wire to?

Here is a wiring diagram for the OEM Honda relay which can be bought for less then $30 on E-bay or other random JDM parts stores. Of course wire colors would be different:



Here is a wiring diagram for using a common relay which can be bought at Radio shack or any auto part store:



Also, anyone using a different mirror glass other then the ones on the JDM mirrors? The RHD mirrors or horrible to drive with when fully adjusted. I know using one of the stick on circle mirrors to put on the mirror is an
option, but those just suck.

Any info anyone else has would be helpful.

Your second diagram wouldnt work. I believe you would still have to press your mirror switch as well. The oem honda relay that controls the mirrors is a relay that alternates grounds. Kinda working like a window motor. You send power through the circuit one way to roll up and opposite to roll down. You would have to have a circuit that stayed energized for just a short amount of time if you wanted to have them automatically fold open with the key on and close with key off. Otherwise if you wire it like for one the acc shuts off with the key off, no timer on it that stays on long enough for the mirrors to fold back in.

Best thing to do would be to find a relay box that has that timer built into it already and wire it up. To where with the key off the relay inside de energizes switching the once positive circuit to ground and the once ground circuit to positive. Ill draw something up real quick and post it.

Im not sure how the power folding mirrors function. If it has a built in cut when the mirror is fully open or fully closed and uses its own common ground and the two wires going to the mirror for open and close are positive based on the switch position. If it works like that then all you would have to do is wire one relay to a positive with the key on feeding the open circuit and another relay that has the coil to a positive with the key on and 87a to a positive all the time. That way when the key is turned off that relay is now sending power to the close circuit of the folding mirror.

Now if it works like a window motor to where both those wires going to each mirror switch current flow depending on what position the switch is in then it will be harder to wire up and you would need a timed relay box for it to work properly. Again im not too familiar with how our folding mirrors work so im just throwing out different wiring ideas based on how the circuit functions.

If the circuit works like a window motor you would wire it this way again but you would need to have a timed circuit. Maybe if the switch controls the timing you could use the 12v positive that comes from that dependant on which position the switch is in. Only change, positive 12V i have to the close circuit relay, the one on the right would need to have a timed 12v to 87 on the relay from again either the switch if its controlled that way or a timed relay box that allows enough time for the mirror to close and then cuts the power.



If the mirror is what cuts the power off based on when its fully open or closed then wire it like this. Sorry for the crappy diagrams. It was a quick thing. lol

Polarity is reversed to the mirrors fold wires to get it to fold in/out.

Nissan does have an option part for this exact feature, but its stupidly rare, only ever seen a picture of one off a Primera, but i have the part number for one off a JN15 VZ-R. Probably not viable price wise though and i have no idea how its wired up or if it uses a plugin/intercept loom for installation. I would imagine it would need constant power to have the mirrors fold when the ignition is off though.

Part number and description for the optional module:

K9630-0N000- CONT-MIRROR CLOSE

There was a thread on a G20 forum overseas where the guy had it folding in/out on lock/unlock of the car, also had an auto adjustment for going into reverse and having the passenger side mirror dip down to see the gutter but the pictures and the specs of his design have long gone from the posts from what i have seen.


@OP > the RHD/LHD angle issue is often resolved by either drilling extra holes in the base mounting plate or using the OEM/original plate and modifying it with slotted holes to bolt the JDM mirror on at the right angle. It is an annoying issue for you though i'm sure.

So is the stop of the mirrors from closing and opening built into the mirror. That is the main concern. If it is then you can wire it up to open/close w/ ignition on/off using the diagram i provided. If not you would definitely need a time delay relay of some sort. You can find many cars with that option but now a days all that stuff is controlled off a body control module. basicly a computer for all the body electrical components/ lights/ warnings, and almost all components on the car.

So I would say for the left relay i have in the top diagram since it works like a window motor, use the power that would normally come from the switch, 87a on the right relay for the close circuit would need to have a 12V constant coming off a time delay relay wired in behind it. Basicly how a time delay relay works is it has one constant power supply, and one ignition power supply that triggers the relay to provide power to what you want it to which in this case would be 87a. Then after loosing its ignition supply voltage the relay set to a certain time, usually 3 seconds on most, will keep that power supplied and then trigger off. This is what you would need.

Again this would only be necessary if the stop of the mirror opening and closing is based on the switch itself and not the mirror. If its built into the mirror you can wire it up like I have it just make sure 87a on the right relay has a 12v constant.

Again or you can find a relay box with this all built in and wire it up like you said. There are a lot of cars with it. Its a matter of finding one and finding the wiring diagram for it and wiring it up. Shouldnt be too hard to do and yeah I agree it would be a nice feature. Someone with good electrical knowledge can easily accomplish this.

The stop is electical inside the mirror (resettable fuse when the fold mechanism comes to a mechanical stop & load increases), BUT the mirror power supply needs to be continuoisly supplied for the mirror to completely fold, i.e if you switch the switch off part way through a fold process, the mirror will stick at half way.

yeah, thats fine, Thats why I said for that right relay you need to have a constant 12v not an ignition 12v to pin 87a that way when you turn the key off you have power to send the opposite way to the mirror. The pin on the left side relay now becomes its ground when the key is off and the relay is reset to its normal resting position. So if the stop is controlled by the mirror itself you dont need a time delay relay anymore. You can just wire it up like that. As long as that resettable fuse in the mirror doesnt reset until the mirror folds back the opposite direction. If this is true then this is a piece of cake to wire up and can be wired just like I said and would work great. No time delay relay needed.

I don't think the resettable fuse is designed to be used in that fashion which is why the OEM switch has a "neutral setting" rather than a folded/unfolded only setting.

In the P10 mirrors i had here, compared to the N15 mirrors (used the glass heating pads from the P10's to retrofit my car), they actually had tracks/positions that would cut power to the fold motor once the mirror had folded (better design) and a resettable fuse only as a safety measure in case the mirror was blocked during a fold operation or similar situation.

Although to be honest i haven't "tested" to see if the fuse (looks like a large ceramic capacitor) warms up to dissipate the energy continuously as it is thermally based. When the load gets past a certain point it heats up and that's what causes it to 'trip off'.