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Installing multiple DIY modifications in my old Maruti Swift

15th September 2021, 15:13 by Rahul Nagaraj

The auto-dimming IRVM he used is mounted on the windshield & his installation was really clean. This gave me confidence that this mod should also be possible in my Swift.

BHPian chiranjitp recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A tale of two DIYs

1) Auto Dimming IRVM:

Our 2016 Ecosport comes with an Auto dimming IRVM, which I personally find very useful during night driving. It was always in my mind to do this mod in my Swift, however lack of expertise & cost kept me from completing it. Then few months back Dbhpian Leoshashi installed an auto IRVM in his Maruti XL6 MPV. The stock IRVM on the XL6 is mounted like on my Swift, on the roof (many cars have the IRVM mounted on the windshield). The Auto dimming IRVM he used is mounted on the windshield & his installation was really clean. This gave me confidence that this mod should also be possible in my Swift. The cost of the project using Maruti parts would have been between Rs 3.5k to 6k, which is very reasonable for getting an Auto IRVM.

Friend, fellow 06 Swift owner & Bhpian Ashtoncastelino pinged me one day regarding installing Auto IRVM in our cars, he also sent me a Boodmo link for a Honda Auto IRVM. I opened that link & was shocked to see the price (Rs. 422). I was certain that there was some error on part of Boodmo regarding the pricing or that it was not an Auto dimming IRVM. A normal IRVM from Maruti cost around that much & here was an Auto dimming IRVM for that price, that too from Honda. Then I found out that Bhpian vaasu has used this IRVM on his 4th gen Honda City. I pinged him regarding my doubts, he assured me this mirror is indeed Auto dimming & that it works perfectly.

Part number: 76400T4RJ11

Price: Rs. 422.

Boodmo Link

Ashton & I thereafter placed an order for the Honda IRVM on Boodmo. As for the mount, we decided we will have to get it from scrap. Thankfully Ashton found two mounts in a workshop, he immediately shipped one over to me. I again carefully went through the photos of the mount Shashi used & also went through Dbhpian Laluks's thread (he fitted Auto IRVM in his Fortuner). All of these mount look same, so I am quite certain that at-least all the Japanese manufactures use one design for the IRVM mount. None of them however sell the mount separately, it comes stuck to the windshield. The MGA Celerio Auto IRVM kit (cost around 6k) comes with the mount & glue to stick it to the windshield, so I was quite certain that the mount could be stuck separately without any issue.

Honda City mount (the one we used)

Maruti Celerio MGA mount:

Toyota Fortuner stock mount:

Boodmo delivered the IRVM within one week. The Honda City IRVM connector comes with 5 wires, the red wire is +ve, the black wire is -ve. I haven't yet figured out what the rest of the wires are for, I think one of them will be for the reverse signal. I did a trial run from the battery, the Auto IRVM worked perfectly. So, finally I was sure that this IRVM has auto dimming functionality.

The packaging:

The Honda Auto IRVM, looks very sleek:

The connector:

Comparison with the OE IRVM:

Comparison with 2016 Ecosport's stock Auto IRVM:

Next up was to fix the mount properly, the Auto IRVM weighs around 500g. I went to a hardware store & told them my requirement, he suggested me a Fevitite adhesive (all-purpose epoxy adhesive). I stuck the mount carefully after taking proper measurements & let the glue dry properly for 1 day. Then finally mounted the IRVM, the IRVM is tightened to the mount with a torx screw. I checked the IRVM, it seemed like a solid fit.

The glue that was used:

IRVM mount stuck to the windshield:

Next up was the wiring, I used a fuse tap for the 12V supply (+ve), the ground (-ve) was taken from a bolt on the A pillar. The wiring was neatly tucked under the roof liner. All the wire joints were soldered properly & a heat shrink tube placed over it. I took the Swift out for a small night drive, the auto dimming function performed flawlessly, like the stock Auto IRVM on our Ecosport. Bhpian Ashtoncastelino has also completed the mod in his 06 Swift VXi, special thanks to him for making this happen.

A pillar trim removed: