Auto Dimming Mirrors

[GMCWAYNE]

Hello all! My name is Wayne, I'm new to this forum. I have a question about my new (to me) 01 Yukon. It has the auto dimming mirrors on it. Is everything supposed to look purple and double image in the side view mirror? This is very annoying to me and I'm curious to know if this is normal or not. Anyone else notice this?
Wayne

[rzkz8k]

I get the tint but not the double images. I have self dimming mirrors on both my 04 YukonXL and my 01 Regal GSE.

[Eggert]

Wayne, is your driver's side mirror auto dimming?
I just got a 2001 Yukon XL K2500 and is has a dimming rear view mirror, but the driver's one is not.
I am pretty sure that the passenger side never is dimming.
My tint is greenish when dimming.
Please let me know. Thanks, E.

[GMCWAYNE]

I'm pretty sure my driver's side mirror is auto dimming, that is the one that makes everything look purple and double. No, my passenger one is just a normal mirror. Eggert, what color is your truck? Mine's Indigo Blue.
Wayne

[Eggert]

Wayne, I have a white 2001 Yukon XL 4WD, K2500.
The driver's side auto-dimming mirror is an option.
How about going to a dealer's lot and looking at a new Denali mirror?
I am sure that auto-dimming is standard there.
Is the double image a lot fainter than the real image?
Take care, Eggert.

[sprague]

Wayne:
I had the same problem just after I purchased my '03 Denali. The dealer replaced it with a new one, and now it works great.

[Bevl Hvn]

I'd like to be able to turn OFF the auto dimming feature on both my side AND rear view mirrors... How do I do it? I have an 03 Yukon

[95ragtop]

GMC Wayne,
Your mirror sounds like it was somehow damaged. When damaged, the fluid in the mirror can leak out. Once oxygen gets to the fluid and power is supplied to dim it, it will turn to a purple/black. I'd guess that the glass was improperly installed to the motor back, which will cause distortion if not fully snapped in place, thus cracking or breaking the seal on the mirror causing the fluid inside to degrade. You'll need a new mirror.

Bevl,
You can turn you dimming feature off at the mirror by holding the button farthest to the left for approx 3-6 seconds. The green LED to the left of the button will turn off when the dimming feature is turned off. The feature will turn back on automatically with each ignition cycle because too many people were accidentally turning it off and didn't know how to turn it back on. Why would you want to turn if off in the first place?

[tonytone]

Originally Posted by 95ragtop

...Why would you want to turn if off in the first place?

A cornercase scenario could be if one had tinted windows all around; I could be wrong, but I think the light sensors can still pick up enough light even with a fairly-dark tint so as to autodim the mirrors...plus I think--and I could be wrong here too--the autodim isn't variable, i.e. it's either completely dim or not dim at all.

[Bevl Hvn]

hey 95ragtop

call me old fashioned, but I don;t really like the auto dim - i didn;t have the feature on my last truck or 20+ years, and I NEVER tilted the rear view mirror for the night time reduce the glare thing.... This is why i don;t like it now. I can;t really see what is behind me, just that there are some lights but I don;t know for what. And yes i have tinted my driver windows but only the lightest shade so they are legal here in kali-for-nee-ah. I'll look for the buttons described on the left.... but i do know there are lots of buttons and swithes on the left so I guess it would help to know exactly which button to hold down. i have an SLT model with all the bells and whistles added on.

[zutoo]

Bevl-

The button 95ragtop is refering to is located on the rearview mirror. It is the left button on the mirror and it has a power symbol on it. If you have your owners manual see pages 2-31+ for more information.

[SMarchant]

I read in a maintenance bulletin that the heating element in the driver's side mirror damages the auto-dimming glass and makes double images appear at night. The bulletin stated that the only way to fix it was through replacement of the mirror glass. a few hundred$ from the dealer.

Scott

[pbsfolks]

Ive got the auto dimming rear view and drivers side mirror on my 2001 SLT. No double images yet, but its nice to know what I can expect if I use my mirror heaters

[SMarchant]

yeah, if the bulletin is correct, it might be a bad idea to use the mirror heat which comes on when you use the rear window defrost. I changed my mirror out once already and i know that there are two wires on the back of the mirror glass that are for the heating element, i was thinking that i might disconnect one or both of the heater element wires so that i can still use my rear window defroster and passenger side mirror heater without my driver's mirror being damaged. at least until i find a better fix. I noticed in another thread that somebody noticed that their driver's side mirror gets a lot hotter than the pass side mirror, perhaps GM will put out a repair bulletin to fix some kind of wiring problem eventually. i don't know but i really like the chromatic dimming feature on the huge driver's side mirror so if it is the heat that is damaging it i will unplug the heating element.

Scott

[GdubMc]

I've got a 04' slt and I haven't noticed the driver's side mirror dim at all, it heats up though. My rear-view dims. do you need the turn signal mirrors for dimming?