JDM power folding side mirrors swap for 2008-13 WRX/STI

This is a DIY to swap JDM power folding side mirrors into your USDM 08-13 Subaru Impreza. I repost on my blog here for future reference. If you are interested in a set of JDM mirrors or help installing contact me at asharicz -at)-gmail> d0t c0m.

*Note if you have a 2011 or newer, we have found there is a little more work to be done as Subaru has dropped a couple unused wires from the passenger door harness. Details below.

Background: almost every car in Japan has power folding mirrors. Most people in Japan live within the vicinity of Tokyo. Due to population density, space in general is at a premium, if you have been there you can see the space most people have to park their car, whether at home or on a public street, is such that the difference between folded mirrors and not folded makes the difference between fitting in a spot, or not being able to fit in a spot. It is not a luxury feature, but more of a necessity. In the US parking spots, streets, driveways etc. are wider. Power folding mirrors are a feature of some luxury models, but most cars don't have them or need them. In the case one might need to fold their mirrors, it can be done manually. This mod is just a novelty to gain a feature of the JDM Impreza that is rather unique here in the US.
This is a spin off of adding the STI Signal Mirrors as we have learned a ton about the mirrors in general. There are other tasks that one might want to take on, such as adding heated glass, but I'd like to keep this thread about the JDM power folding swap. It might be more of a "guide" than a straight DIY because the mirror parts are interchangeable in a few ways. There is more than one way to do this, for example I am swapping the power folding units from late JDM BP/BL (08-09 style) Legacy mirrors on to my Impreza.

Parts Needed:

- 1 set (L/R) of JDM GR/GH/GE/GV (08+) Impreza power folding mirrors

- OR 1 set (L/R) of JDM BP/BL (08-09) Legacy power folding mirrors

- OR 1 set (L/R) of JDM Subaru OEM "Mirror Repair Kit" for heated/folding/signal mirrors, Subaru JDM OEM p/n's 91029AG022 and 91029AG032.

- 1 JDM OEM mirror switch, with the power folding button. (p/n 83061SA000)
- 1 mirror switch harness clip from a junkyard car that has the same switch as the Impreza

*need pics for this*
The Challenge:
There are 7 components to the mirror we will break down here, which we will refer to as the base, housing, power unit, glass, cap, trim and signal unit


What we want to do, is swap the power unit from the JDM mirrors, into the USDM mirrors. This part is a direct swap, and there are no pertinent differences in the JDM power unit, other than the folding motor, that are specific to LHD and RHD models. The same is not true of all of the other parts though:

base: same USDM as JDM, you can use either when you do your swap. If you have Legacy mirrors, the bases will not work, use the Impreza bases from your stock mirrors.

cap: same USDM as JDM, you can use either when you do your swap (accounting for signal vs. non-signal of course)

trim: Same USDM as JDM.

glass: not the same USDM as JDM. JDM mirrors have a wide angle glass on the Left mirror, as it is the passenger side, and also wide angle glass on the Right side for the driver, must be what the JDM peoples are used to. USDM cars generally have regular glass on the driver's side and wide angle glass on the pasengers side (with the usual "objects in mirror..." warning). You could use the JDM glass on your right hand mirror, for the wide angle effect without the American style warning. I am thinking of trying out a wide angle driver's side mirror like the Japanese have, you can swap the glass in about 1 minute. At any rate, just be aware they are different.
housing: not the same USDM as JDM, the housings are slightly different for LHD vs. RHD so that the mirror generally lines with with the trim edge of the mirror when adjusted for the driver. See below, a comparison of the Left and Right housings on my UDSM mirrors. You can see the housing is slightly different. JDM mirrors are the opposite.


Procedure:
Task 1 - Swap the power units from JDM to USDM mirrors. This is assuming you bought a mirror with all the same options that you have in your current mirrors (i.e. heat and signal if you have that)

-Remove glass from the mirror. You will need to release a couple clips, the lower 2 as pictured below. If your mirror is still on the car, you can adjust it all the way up to get in there. If it is off the car, just push it up, don't worry the motors are designed to put up with some amount of "pushing" without damaging the adjuster, though it will sound bad to you. If you have heated mirrors, you will need to pull the 2 wires off the heating terminals to remove the glass.


- Release the mirror cap

Once you take off the glass, you will see three of the clips you can release, using a flat blade screw driver. This will lift the mirror cap up enough you can snap it off. There are more than the 3 clips that you can't get to,so be careful snapping it out.

- Remove the signal unit (if applicable)

Take out the two smaller screws in this picture, the ones holding the signal unit in are pretty obvious. You will need to disconnect the plug for the signal wires when you pull it out. 

- Release the terminals from the connector

At this point you will need to release the terminals from the connector. The plug won't pass through the base, so it has to be done.
This is the trickiest part. Before we get to that, you need to take the terminal locks off first. Release them on the left and right side clips and lift up. There is one on each row, top and bottom.


Here it is with the terminal locks removed:

I labelled the ends of the first row with the terminal numbers above, so you can keep in mind the orientation of the terminals when reassembling.

*I reccomend you refer to the terminal map below in reassembly section, for the 8-slot or 10-slot connector, whatever came on your JDM mirrors, and note the wire color in each slot number as you release the terminals, for later reference. This is not required, I have found the wire colors are pretty standard, so we can get you back up and running. The stock mirrors on my WRX did have some non-standard colors compared to all the other mirrors I have seen so far. For this reason you might note the colors just in case. Subaru doesn't specify the wire colors on the mirror side, as it is serviced as a whole unit only, so there are no guarantees of standard colors.
To remove the terminals, you need to stick a small terminal release tool or jewelers screw driver in the front of the housing, towards the center side of the terminal you are working on, and bend down a latch that is holding the terminal in, and it will slide out. You'll have to figure out the technique as you go.


- Remove the base

Now you can finally remove the base. Most likely you will have two foam covers to remove, just be careful so you can reuse them. You'll be able to see all 3 screws.


You need a good screw driver, a number 2 or number 3 Phillips to get these screws out. They are threadlocker'd from the factory, so they take some force. If you start to strip the head, try another driver.
After the base is dismounted, you will need to pull the wires through the passage in the base in order to seperate the mirror from it. There is a foam stuck on the base that is in the way. Carefully pull it back like so and you can slip the harness through. Picture shown after harness is removed. There is a small metal "retainer" to pull off when you pull the harness out, you will see what I mean when you are in there.


- Remove the power unit

Just a couple more trim pieces to remove first. To get the bottom trim off, take the screw in the lower center of this pic off


Then release this clip from the other side and you can snap the trim right off.

If you are disassembling a "passenger side" mirror (USDM Right, JDM Left) there is one small trim peice that has to come off as well. "Drivers side" mirrors won't have it.

Undo this screw from the front side


Then pull the little strip out from the other side


Finally you can take the power unit out, there are 5 screws IIRC, two on the back side, there is one very deep in there to the left of the white mirror mount plate not visible in the pic, don't miss it! Don't take those smaller screws behind the white mirror plate out, those don't mount the power unit, they hold it together.


Two more on the backside visible here:


And one more on the bottom, at the top of this pic:

- Reassembly and mounting

If you got this far, you are already a pro at putting the mirrors back together. Just make sure you use your USDM mirror housings, otherwise all the other parts can be used interchangably when assembling your mirrors that will go on the car.
Below is are the terminal layouts for the mirror connector housing. When reassembling your mirrors, you want to snap the wire terminals into the correct slot, otherwise nothing will work right ;-) First the numbers, this is looking at the *back* of the mirror connector, where you will slide the terminals in. Premium(and Limited) WRXs have a different connector with 10 slots, vs. the Base WRX which will have a connector with 8 slots. The base door harness will have 7 wires run from the mirror inside the car, and the premium will have 9 wires run from the mirror plug inside the car.


If you have a base WRX (no heated mirrors) read on, otherwise skip this paragraph so as not to pollute your mind ;-). To have full heat/signal/folding functions requires 9 wires and your plug only holds 8, of which 7 are already wired into the car in the stock door harness. You may have done the "signal mod" already, and run your own signal wires. At any rate, if you want it all, you are going to need to run a couple wires into the door. Strictly speaking, the base door harness supports power folding and signal, and those wires are run into the car. Some of the WRXs even have the signal wires live from the factory. Even if they don't, the "signal (-)" ground is already grounded, and you could use that wire for a signal (-) or a heat(-). That leaves 3 wires (signal (+), Fold (out) and Fold (in)) that are run into the car, that you can tap into. You can use them for whatever you want, ultimately it is a just a wire, that is run from the mirror plug, into the car at the door harness plug, but not connected to anything further. You can tap into it with whatever you like, just make sure the mirror side has the right wire for that function on the other side. This is where you get creative, and deviate from the wiring diagrams. I will include some door wiring help below for the 08-09 door wiring harness but do consult your own Service Manual for definitive info.

Ok, so base model concerns out of the way, you want to wire the mirror up to follow the wiring of the JDM model. Using the terminal number above, slide the terminals into the housing by color and function. If you noted colors like I suggested when you disassembled, you can just slide them back in like your notes say. If you are going from a 10-slot plug to an 8-slot for your base model WRX, you can use the wire colors and also your notes, to put the terminals into the proper location for your connector. Just map the color/function from the 10-wire to the color/function for the 8-wire below.
Base:
1 - Signal (+) (white)
2- Folding(out) (brown)
3- Common (blue)
4- Signal (-) (green)
5- Folding (in) (grey)
6- Up/down (pink)
7- Right/Left (purple)
8- **Unused**

Premium:
1 - Signal (+) (white)
2- Folding(out) (brown)
3- Common (blue)
4- Heat (black)
5- Signal (-) (green)
6- Folding (in) (grey)
7- Up/Down (pink)
8- Right/Left (purple)
9- **Unused**
10- Heat (black)

Note both heating wires are black. The heating element cares not about polarity so it doesn't matter which black wire goes into which slot as long as it is marked "heat" above.

Task 2 - Add the JDM switch and wire to the door harnesses. The wiring is already in the door harness from the factory. You only need to get the wires from the JDM switch, to the kick panels where the door harness enters the car.

*2011 only: The wires are in the driver's door harness, but missing from the passengers door harness. This means you can follow the procedure to tap the blue/red and black/white wires for the driver's side, but you will need to run your own wires from the mirror switch into the passenger's door and up to the mirror. They need to be run as below:

Wire from Pin 10 on the mirror switch to the grey (pin 5/6 as above) wire on the mirror in the door.
Wire from Pin 9 on the mirror switch to the brown (pin 2) wire on the mirror in the door.

If you wired up as I laid out above, pins 2 and 6 (2 and 5 for base) are your folding wires. Those will correspond to two wires already in each door harness. At this point you should have the mirrors mounted on the doors, and you can button them up, no more wiring needs to be done inside the doors.

Now you need to remove the panel under the steering wheel:

Disconnect the switches from the panel and set it aside.
Also remove the kick panel trim so you can get to the door plugs, do this on both the driver's and passenger's side:

The kick panel is also held in by a tab under the sill trim, you will need to pull up the frontward snap of the sill trim to get the kick panel out.
Now you can get to the door plug/dash harness junction. It is behind where the kick panel was, held tight by a clip. you can slide the door plug down and of the clip holding it. It is easier to disconnect when you pull it off the clip. The lower plug is the door side, shown here:

You can see the two wires you want to tap into in this pic, the blue w/red stripe, and the black w/white.

The basics of what you want to do here:

Join the blue/red wires in both door harnesses to pin 10 on the JDM mirror switch. And then join the black/white wires of both door harnesses to pin 9 on the JDM mirror switch.

How you wire it is up to you. Once thing that is a requirement, is to get some extra terminals/wire from a junk car to insert into the mirror switch harness. In the USDM car pin 9 and 10 are not populated. There is no other way to do this. You can find many Subarus or Nissans or Toyotas with similar mirror switch plugs or other harnesses similar to the mirror and mirror switch plugs, that you can harvest terminals from. Just clip them off, pay a couple bucks and you got a whole connector full of terminals with wire you can use for your wiring projects!

Here is a shot with the lock plate removed, you will need to take that out to slide a couple terminals in. Just pry it up with a small flat blade screwdriver. 
Refer to the Monkiboy's diagrams below for the slot numbers, but basically 9 and 10 are the two unpopulated slots next to each other above.
Here's where you wire it how you like, shown below are the wires I ran from each door harness to my "harvested" terminal wires. They are soldered and shrink wrapped. On the left side you can see my taps into the blue/red and black/white wires in the driver's door harness, I will plug into those with spade connectors crimped to the wires I ran.

Now just slide the terminals into the mirror switch connector, make sure you slide the one wired to the blue/red wires into the pin 10 location, and the other one into pin 9. Slap the terminal lock back on, should look like this:

At this point, you should be able to plug in your JDM Mirror switch, and try it out! Hopefully it works for you, if not post up in this thread and we will try to help. Remember the key has to be "on" for this to work, the mirrors aren't powered with the car off.
If everything works, install the JDM switch in the panel, and put everything back together. Then go enjoy your new toy.
*bonus* if you are fancy and want your alarm to control these mirrors, here is how they work: The wire from pin-10 gets (+) and pin 9 is (-) and the mirrors fold out and stay there. The voltage is applied anytime the car is on. When you push the switch to fold them, the switch swaps pin 10 to (-) and pin 9 to (+) and the mirrors fold in and stay. If your alarm can control a swapping setup like that, or you can think up the relay setup to make that happen, you could set it up so the mirrors fold when you arm and unfold when you disarm.

Appendix A:

Here are some pinouts of the door plugs, mirror switch plug and mirror plugs. This is 08-09 Impreza/WRX/STI. 10-13 might be slightly different pins/colors.

Driver's side connector:


passenger's side connector:

switch connector:




driver's side door to mirror connector:




passenger's side door to mirror connector:

Things to think about for young people choosing a career

I wrote this in response to a forum post about career choices, but I thought it was good advice. From my perspective at least ;-)

Know the price of following your dreams: Every person I have met, who has "followed their dreams" has given up a lot to get there. If you have visions of being a rock star, or a race engine mechanic in a awesome speed shop, whatever it might be, realize that you would have to give up the nice house, and the fancy cars at home in the garage to get there. Some of the Rock stars do make it big, just know that is such a small percentage. If you feel like you truly need to do something specific to be able to live with yourself, by all means do it! Just realize the price you will pay to get there.

In the same vein, the more glamorous the field, the more people are willing to accept less just to be there. I can't speak to whether the auto tech field is like this, though I suspect the "enthusiasts" might be flooding the market there. I certainly have heard from some people I know that made it through engineering school and on to Detroit. It is a big deal to work for the automakers, such that they skim the top students right off the best schools, and set them to work designing alternator brackets and stuff.

I work in a field that most people don't care what I do, other than can I fix their computer. But I get paid more to do it because it is not glamorous to work for a mid-size MSP like it is to work for Ford ;-)

Do not underestimate the economic factors: Many of us are ingrained with this "do what you love and the money will follow" philosophy when we are young, such that so many get bogged down with debt and dubiously marketable degrees. Far be it from me to tell anyone what to do! But do think about the life you want and what it will take to finance that. Or just what it will take to pay back college loans.

Think about the day to day reality of the careers: Most cops never pull their guns, most murders are solved by direct eye witness, the detective is just taking statements and filling out forms. Your doctor is parading people through his rooms and perscribing some drugs or writing a referral. A lawyer is burried in research or dealing with some red tape. I imagine an auto tech is banging out the 3rd alternator swap this week on a Belchfire XL.

Don't let that be discouraging, it is just life. Think about the type of tasks you like to do, on a daily basis. For example I have an affinity for computers just the same as I do with cars. I like solving problems, interacting with people, and working on things that I am building something that will be finished, something I can step back and say "it is done." For me computer systems engineering has worked out great in that regard. I didn't really know that when I got into the field but I figured it out later.

Think about the culture of the career: I used to have disrespect for the careers where time on the job, or other seniority is what matters. I like a career where I am judged and promoted based on my ability. It is one reason why I discounted a law enforcement, or an airline pilot career. I have been happy this way. My own ability is my only limit for advancement. But I have gained an appreciation for a seniority based systems, it is nice to have a career where you are much less likely to be fired or let go, because of that seniority, once you have it. My employer could decide to lay off and can me at anytime, though I make sure I am valuable enough they probably won't do that. By the same token I can pick up and leave if they piss me off, and get another job doing similar work at a similar salary. If I was a laid off pilot, I would start at the bottom again at another airline.

Whatever you make, it will never be enough: There will be retirement to save for, if you get married you'll have a wedding and other future needs to save for, then you will want a house...it never ends. You will probably never feel like you can buy a GT-R, even if you do make that sort of coin, until you are old and the kids are off at (paid for) college. That is why you see mostly old guys driving GT-Rs.

Do not work in food service: Need I say more? 10 years ago I was cooking food in a restaurant (I started there as a dishwasher when I dropped out of school) getting all the hours I could, making $12k/yr. I got some computer training and never looked back. Now I make just a little bit more than that. I guess it was a wake-up call to what the rest of my life would be like if I just did whatever.

Well just some things to think about. I think the overriding theme for me is that your career is as much about your desired lifestyle as it is about your passions.

2012 Impreza

Subaru has announced the 2012 Impreza. While I am currently still enjoying my 2009 WRX, and if you talk to my wife we are keeping it for like 15 years, I am interested to see the improvements that Subaru is putting into the basic Impreza.

I am guessing the basic goodness of the '12 Impreza will carry over in many ways to the coming WRX/STI models, though for the first time Subaru is holding over the performance models while they will sell a new Impreza beside them. I am sure this has to do with money and development time and other such things I don't fully understand, though it will be interesting to see how many old chassis performance models they can move when there is a sign of things to come sitting across the showroom. The rabid Subaru performance community is awash with potential customers asking "should I wait until next year?"

In my mind the big deals with the 2012 Impreza are fuel economy and refinement. The headline maker is the 36mpg highway number with the all new 2.0 "FB20" motor and CVT transmission. We have no idea if this will have an effect on the WRX, could it be a return to a 2 liter WRX? Is fuel economy on the minds of target WRX buyers? I certainly did not give much thought to it when I purchased, but over time I realized that this car is a bit more thirsty than I thought.

As for refinement, it is good to see a return to "soft touch" materials on the dash and doors. So many people say they never touch the dash so they only care that it looks nice. I disagree here, I have been a bit let down by the almost entirely plastic doors and dash in my WRX. Having a plastic dash panel just reminds you that you have been a bit "cheaped out." It also reduces sound absorbtion and increases potential rattles as I have learned. It wasn't enough for me to not buy the car, but it did make me think about whether I would buy another Subaru. I am sure they did what they had to do, and reducing cost was big for the 2008 Impreza, but this move was a little much in my view. Especially right before a slew of new compacts were hitting the market with upgraded interiors. But Subaru is righting what once was wrong, they are getting with the program and following the trend of more premium small cars, without pricing themselves out of the market.

On the whole, as a Subaru junkie I realize outside of the engine and transmission this car is not exactly "all new" it is a refinement of the existing chassis from what I can gather. This is historically how Subaru works as the original Impreza traced all the way back to the original Legacy. The later Imprezas and Legacies were refinements of those designs. The 2005 Legacy and the later 2008 Impreza were significantly new designs.

With this 2012 Impreza, the suspension, layout, the external size generally stay the same, the big changes being styling for better aerodynamics and reduced weight. In that vein, kudos to Subaru for continually addressing weight. The Impreza has remained a light car for an AWD compact over the years. As an enthusiast, I know the benefits of weight reduction are significant for economy, performance and handling. Subaru does too, as they are claiming this Impreza offers more performance with a smaller motor and better fuel economy, as well as increased range with a smaller fuel tank, than the existing Impreza.

I like the looks of this 2012 Impreza and I am excited to see what the coming WRX and STI models will bring. Subaru has never been known for their styling, though I think the basic look of the sedan has a nice wedgey profile and aggressive looking headlights. I am not so sure about the creased look with the hatchback model. I bought the better looking hatch option with my WRX, but I think the styling pendulum is swinging back toward the sedan being the better looking version, as it had been with the 02-07 Generation of WRX.

Track Time

I was reading an old Car and Driver comparison test today. They republish some classic articles from their back issues on their website. To me it is some of their most enjoyable and valuable content. The article that piqued my interest was a sport coupe comparo from 1985. Just about every 4 seat sports coupe of the day was included.

I didn't agree with some of the conclusions. The Mustang SVO was so far beyond everything else in performance. The editors indicted it for turbo lag and dated interior and tossed it in 5th place. I've driven the SVO and I never thought the turbo lag was too bad. It would have been quite a car with the 5.0 from the GT, and a new interior was coming for '87 but by then the SVO was gone.

What I did like is the way the test was done. They did the usual performance testing, with an extra slalom thrown in, then they hit the road, the PCH to be specific, to see how the cars did on the streets. It was nice to see the emphasis on driving experience. It seemed a bit of a welcome contrast to todays emphasis on track comparisons of performance cars.

It was a simpler time when reputations were not won and lost on Nurburgring times. We don't even know what the lap times of those cars were. We didn't know how many laps before the brakes would fade. It didn't matter because they were street cars.

I suppose from years of silly subjective results with unfathomable math formulas the reader now demands objectivity and thanks to the Intarwebs they have a few more outlets to provide that feedback. Automobiles in general are now far more capable, most beyond what can be controlled or enjoyed on the street, so we look to the track results to settle the differences.

I've learned my lesson about track results and the street. I drive my street car on the race track, but even then it doesn't matter how quick I go around it. I've been around long enough to know better than to put "race" parts on my car. How it works, how it makes me feel, how comfortable and confident it is, all matter more than a second or ten on a road course. I would never buy a car based on such things.

The Audi Coupe GT won the comparo. It was a dated design, with just 110hp and soft suspension. The controls layout, quality trim, comfort and over the road feel made the difference. I grew up through the 80's with Audis in the family. They really did get the basics and the details right in those days. They charged a few extra bucks but I took a look at the spec sheet and the price was pretty competitive, if you weren't focused on 0-60 and slalom speeds.

Sounds of my youth

Driving home from work tonight, I was thinking about all of the sounds I hear coming from my Subaru WRX. Gear whine, turbo spooling, recirculation valve chirping and more. It made me think back to my youth and how my fascination with automobiles led me to tune in to, and later recall, particular sounds.

I have been working on my own cars for years, from fixing my junkers to now putting "mods" on my new cars. Since I have diagnosed and fixed many maladies over the years, I have become very in tune with various noises and exactly what sort of malady or normal operations cause those sounds. This is a useful skill when riding in others' cars, I can tell them what to have fixed just by listening to the squeaks and clunks that these untrained people tune out. On the other hand I can drive my fiancée nuts when I turn down the radio trying to hear all the whirring and whooshing going on.

There was a time I can recall hearing various automotive sounds though I didn't know what any of these sounds were, from age 5 to about...well I am still learning more every day. Now I have the knowledge to realize what it was I was hearing. Took me about 30 years to put it all together:

Whirring of the transmission pump and torque converter in my Dad's 1976 Chrysler Cordoba

Clunking of differential gears when my aunt shifted her Oldsmobile into reverse

Studded snow tires on pavement

A moaning bad wheel bearing in my Grandmother's Gran Torino

Whining straight-cut reverse gears

Screeching fan belts

The sweet, sweet exhaust sound of a 1987 Buick Grand National

I think I was tuned in from a young age due to my curiosity about automobiles, something that I have carried forward to today. I doubt my sister remembers any of those sounds, or ever gave them a second thought.