I'm a long-time XF owner and viewer of this forum. I've owned my Crossfire since Jan 2007. Today, I thought I would go ahead and contribute, for a change. I bought a Gentex K2 auto-dimming mirror, based on my research here and through the vendors selling it. I bought it from AutoAnything because they said it was an exact fit. . .When I received it, it was clear that. . .IT IS NOT! They supplied an after market slide-in button to be installed on the windshield. On the forum there is an excellent post entitled Auto Dimming Mirror - it's not just for '04s anymore! which details the installation of an 04 a/d mirror. That post doesn't detail the additional problem of the Gentex mirror. I see (and have read about) 3 potential problems with installing this aftermarket mirror. First, some people have actually cracked their mirror removing the original mirror post. Second, since I haven't done this before, I'm not exactly sure of the exact correct spot to install the new post on the windshield. I know that I would like for it to be in the blacked in area of the windshield, but since the new mirror is larger (and taller), I'm not sure that's going to work. Third, some people have had problems with the mirror falling off after they've installed it. For these reasons, I decided to call an Auto-glass Shop. My 1st attempt yielded an installer that comes to your location. He came later that day (very convenient for me). He took the old post off, and mounted the new post/mirror. He mounted it as high as he could, but almost 1/2 of the mount is below the black area. I'm glad I had a professional do this part for me. It lightened my wallet by $40. If you feel confident with your windshield mount skills, you can now know exactly where to mount this particular mirror. Once mounted, I did the wiring myself. This was pretty simple, referring to the above mentioned forum post. . .I gently removed the plastic cover for the dome lights. I removed the 2 philip head screws holding the light enclosure to the roof. I gently pulled it out of the hole and let it dangle. I now had view of the homelink (garage door opener) buttons and more importantly the wiring. I identified the 1st wire (yellow/gr) and 3rd wire (brown). Then using a coat hanger wire, I gently threaded through the headliner to make a small opening next to the mirror. I then plugged the supplied Gentex cable into the mirror. I cut off the bulky large plug for the other side and threaded the cable through the approx. 6" of headliner and out the hole. Once exposed, it was very easy to splice the red Gentex wire to the yellow/gr (switched power) and the black Gentex wire to the brown (ground). I closed everything up, and all was good. There are excellent pictures of this from the about post. . .Now that I have the new mirror, I like it a lot! Remember that if you choose to use this mirror, it is about 1.5 inches wider. It wasn't a problem for me, and I actually like it. IMO, it does not obstruct your front field of view.


I hope this helps someone, because I have been helped several times from other posts, here. . .I like my XF and I like this Forum. . .Happy motoring! Ron (UGAdawg)

 

Does it have additional features such as compass ?
What did it cost ?
I have had a 2004 autodimming mirror in mine for 2 years now with no issues, paid $25 each for a lot of three back then.
Here's one for $20 in Georgia :

 

Price is the WORST part of choosing any new r/v mirror replacement. I paid $112 for the mirror plus $40 for professional installation of the new post onto my windshield. I know it's a lot more that getting an 04 mirror, but here's why I did it. The new mirror has an "off" button, so there's no need to run a wire down to somewhere looking for a backup wire. (It could be spliced into the backup light, if not found elsewhere.) This install was just a lot easier this way. The switched power & ground are just inches away from the rearview mirror. Also, I have read from several posts about the fluid in these mirrors. People are saying that if they leak, the fluid may make a permanent stain on whatever it touches. For these reasons, I just wanted "new". . .Just my thoughts.


Also, there's no compass or temp display. I debated about the compass. I liked it, but didn't like the additional price. . .We already have a temp display on the dash, so if I had chosen that, I would have hooked up the monitor on the inside of the car for Inside Temp. However, because the mirror is larger than the factory one, the little box for those displays would not be in the way of the field of view.

 

The OEM '04 mirror has the reversing function as the power is switched off when reversing. So the 'OFF' switch is not required.
Wire it up correctly and BINGO!
I have the '04 mirror fitted and I see all, for what that's worth, of the rear view in it, any wider and I would see the trunk trim panels.

 

Yes, you are right about the size. I see more trunk than I did before. . .I guess that's why so many have chosen to upgrade to the 04 mirror. . .The auto-dimming mirror is new to me. I never thought about it until I read about it on this forum. I'm glad I found out, though. The thing I like most is that when there are not any cars behind you at night, it gives you a much clearer/brighter view and only dims when required and only by as much as needed (gradient).