stevek
Full Access Member
Here is my writeup for the Blendmount install. The instructions in the kit covered pretty much everything, but here are some tips/supplements to the instructions.
Time: With trial and error, about 30 minutes
Cost: $90 retail
Initial thoughts: Install was pretty easy, would've been much easier and taken probably 15 minutes if I had smaller hands. The mount is VERY sturdy, excited for no more bouncing around. No plastic parts here, it's all metal.
Here are pictures from the old setup I had:
After opening the package, here are the contents. It comes with all the necessary parts, extra parts, tools, and zipties.
Since the stem of the mirror is so huge, the piece of rubber inside the clamp on the mount was not necessary. Screwing on the screws where the suction cups originally were is pretty self explanatory. Unscrew the nut (don't lose the washer!), put the screw through where the suction cup was before, tighten the nut.
The instructions say to install from the passenger side of the vehicle. This would've been fine except I had the cover for the rainsense wipers in the way. The screw on the top of the clamp could only be screwed in from the passenger side... originally. Unscrew the bottom screws on the clamp and flip the whole clamp assembly so the screw on top will be accessible from the driver's side... voila! Reattach only the passenger side back on. Be careful unscrewing the bottom screws as they have washers on them and I don't remember seeing replacements of those in the kit. As seen in the picture below, you can see how both the screws on top and bottom of the clamp are accessible on the driver's side.
To install, you take off the part of the clamp now on the driver's side, place the part of the clamp on the mount over the stem, then screw the driver's side piece back on. I found the bundle of wires going to the mirror a pain in the rear so I unplugged it for the time being. Once the mount is attached to the mirror stem, don't tighten the screws too much. You'll want to be able to play with the mount, make it level and find the place where you want it.
After some time making the mount level, I tightened the screws completely. The adjustable slider on the radar now doesn't control the angle, but just moves it back and forth. I extended the mount maybe 1/4" to make sure there was enough clearance between the mirror and radar. I wanted it to look as clean as possible so I tried to keep it flush with the bottom of the mirror as possible. I had to bend the mount just a little bit (where it was meant to be bent) to keep it level.
Post install:
I haven't had a chance to drive around with it, but it looks pretty nice. I'll give some feedback tomorrow once I have a chance to drive around.
Time: With trial and error, about 30 minutes
Cost: $90 retail
Initial thoughts: Install was pretty easy, would've been much easier and taken probably 15 minutes if I had smaller hands. The mount is VERY sturdy, excited for no more bouncing around. No plastic parts here, it's all metal.
Here are pictures from the old setup I had:
After opening the package, here are the contents. It comes with all the necessary parts, extra parts, tools, and zipties.
Since the stem of the mirror is so huge, the piece of rubber inside the clamp on the mount was not necessary. Screwing on the screws where the suction cups originally were is pretty self explanatory. Unscrew the nut (don't lose the washer!), put the screw through where the suction cup was before, tighten the nut.
The instructions say to install from the passenger side of the vehicle. This would've been fine except I had the cover for the rainsense wipers in the way. The screw on the top of the clamp could only be screwed in from the passenger side... originally. Unscrew the bottom screws on the clamp and flip the whole clamp assembly so the screw on top will be accessible from the driver's side... voila! Reattach only the passenger side back on. Be careful unscrewing the bottom screws as they have washers on them and I don't remember seeing replacements of those in the kit. As seen in the picture below, you can see how both the screws on top and bottom of the clamp are accessible on the driver's side.
To install, you take off the part of the clamp now on the driver's side, place the part of the clamp on the mount over the stem, then screw the driver's side piece back on. I found the bundle of wires going to the mirror a pain in the rear so I unplugged it for the time being. Once the mount is attached to the mirror stem, don't tighten the screws too much. You'll want to be able to play with the mount, make it level and find the place where you want it.
After some time making the mount level, I tightened the screws completely. The adjustable slider on the radar now doesn't control the angle, but just moves it back and forth. I extended the mount maybe 1/4" to make sure there was enough clearance between the mirror and radar. I wanted it to look as clean as possible so I tried to keep it flush with the bottom of the mirror as possible. I had to bend the mount just a little bit (where it was meant to be bent) to keep it level.
Post install:
I haven't had a chance to drive around with it, but it looks pretty nice. I'll give some feedback tomorrow once I have a chance to drive around.
