Hi All,

I'm brand-spankin new here ... Just bought a new 2012 F-250 CC short bed, 6.7 L PSD, and it is a sweet 'lil mule! Have only about 200 miles on it so far - but that will change soon! I'm going to have a Line-X bedliner sprayed on next week.

I was looking to add an aftermarket backup camera to help me do solo hook-ups to my TT. Dang, there sure are a lot of 'em out there to choose from!

I was thinking maybe getting one of those rearview mirrors that also has video display - here's the one I'm considering: 3.5", mirror, with, lcd, OEM, rear,view,replacement | Tailgate Camera.com

For what it's worth, here's the camera I'm kind-of sweet on: Ford,tailgate,Handle,camera,f150,f250,f350,ford,be zel,camera,raptor,back up,camera | Tailgate Camera.com

But here's the thing ... from what I've been reading, some rearview mirrors have extras in them, such as a sensor for the compass, or a mic for the SYNC bluetooth thingy, etc.

So, how can I tell what extra "stuff" is in my mirror? I know my mirror is auto-dimming - it has a small cable that plugs into the back of the mirror. Is there any way to determine what ELSE is in there?

That mirror I'm looking at is not auto dimming - but I'm actually OK with that - I prefer a "normal" mirror, the auto-dimmers are a bit dark for my eyes. But I'm concerned about what other functions I might lose.

Are there any other Gotchas I should be aware of?

FYI, I've seen auto-dimming video-mirrors, but I've also seen a good number of customer comments about them that indicate that the video image is dark or hard to see in daylight.

I will certainly appreciate any feedback folks care to provide.

Thanks!

 

you have to punch in the part # at a place like Tasca Ford website to find out what all the mirror is capable of

off hand, here is a list of stuff they can incorporate

1. microphone (for sync)
2. GPS display
3. GPS sensor (sometimes has a small black box attached to mirror...in others it's internal)
4. Reverse Cam LCD
5. Temp Display
6. Auto Dim

 

it also depends on how "factory" you want the setup to look

I put a 2010 F-150 setup into my truck. it was a kinda PITA actually. but I'd do it again because I like how seemless it works, and there is no way anybody can tell the truck didn't come with that feature

a nice liscence plate camera + a aftermarket mirror/lcd will do the same job very easily. if you don't like the auto-dim, it's usually a simple matter of not supplying it any power

 

Did u do a write up on this install at all?

 

no. it was too much custom wiring. I would suggest most people avoid that honestly. I had to custom fabricate the wiring and the connectors for the camera and the mirror

now, if you happened to get your hands on the F-150 roof wiring harness as well...then it turns into a very simple project

 

Thanks for all the ideas, guys.

Tylus, thanks for the part look-up idea - dunno why that did not come to me directly ...

On the back of my mirror is a small inset white plastic piece, maybe 3/8" square. Maybe some kind of sensor? The mirror is also stamped:
COMPASS
BU5A-17E678-AD ... maybe that's an AB ... hard to tell ...

It obviously has Compass functionality, but I can find anything about that specific part number - anywhere! Not Tasca, not fordparts.com ... nada.

Looking around on the internet, I've seen:
BU5A-17E678-CD
BU5A-17E678-RC
BU5A-17E678-VA
BU5A-17E678-LA

My guess is that my "AD" stands for auto-dimming, and RC for Rearview Camera (but I could certainly be wrong). No idea what CD, VA or LA represent.

So I'm still unsure, but at least now I have a part number!

Thanks again!