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Guest brennanc911

Heated Mirrors in Passion Smart

19 posts in this topic

Hello,I just have a small question, I just got my 2008 Smart Fortwo Passion and wanted to know exactly how the heated mirrors work? Is there a switch or do they come on auto when you turn on the defrost?Thanks

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Neither. According to the manual, they come on automatically when the exterior temperature gets low enough. There is no switch nor are they connected to any other part of the defrosting system.I guess we'll see when it gets cold out :P

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As far as I know, all 451 Passions in Canada came standard with automatic heated exterior mirrors. But I'm not sure if it was an option on the Pure or not.

Edited by Jibber

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It was in the 2006 models, and it was an option in the 2005 and 2006 pulse too. Mine has them. The 450 heated mirrors were activated with the rear window defroster in the coupé and thermostatically controlled in the cabrio. It sounds as though the 451 uses the 450 cabrio approach.

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No they're not.They're on when the ambient temperature is BELOW a certain level (12 degrees IIRC).

Edited by Mike T

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I correct myself, mildly....Since it seemed likely there would be a rebuttal, here is a quote from Page 27 of smart gmbh's Technical Description manual, November 2001:

.....On the Cabrio, the mirror heater is activated when the engine is started. The heating wires and a thermcouple are installed on the rear of the mirror glass. The mirror heater is controlled on the basis of the temperature measured by the thermocouple:> Below 15 degrees C: Mirror heater is activated> Above 25 degrees C: Mirror Heater is deactivated

So it is not 12 degrees, it is 15, and it is not ambient, but rather the temperature measured by the thermocouple on the back of the mirror. Pretty clever arrangement.....

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Mike, I think that's better as they turn off when the mirrors get warm. And then come on when they get cold again. I guess in the winter it means they are on pretty much all the time.

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All I know is they work well and I wouldn't be without them as they are the primary means of seeing what is happening behind you.2seat

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If the source is from 2001 then that is possibly the previous generation smart (did they have cabs though?). The smart's we got were from the 2003 to 2006 family. So perhaps Evilution's right? Not saying that's the case (I have no idea) but the source is suspect, even if it is describing the upcoming model (2003-2006) because technical specifications and design are never fully finalized until production begins... often after production begins.An outdated written source found somewhere vs. Kane's experience and observations... well, both make mistakes but I'll give the nod to the latter without something more conclusive. - Steven

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If I was buying our 06 pulse again, I would have added the power heated mirrors for the $400 price tag. We did add heated seats for the same price and love em.

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Ah, another skeptic :lol:This technical manual documents the function of a number of features that the "new line" 450s had: sunroof, heated seats, heated/electric mirrors, etc.So unless the design of these mid-run 2002 model features were so dreadfully engineered that they had to be entirely redesigned for 2004-built cars......well let's say unless someone can provide a more recent technical citation from smart showing otherwise, I think it's correct for all post-2001 450 cabriolets.The owner's manual says they're switched on and off with the ignition, which is not incorrect, however, when "on with the ignition", they are also switched on and off by the thermocouple. The heated seats have a similar thermocouple, FWIW.

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That is a possiblilty but as the UK never get temperatures that high, ours never turn off.Just going by what my multimeter tells me.

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As far as the NA 2008 451 Passion I have here in the States I asked my Service Tech why the mirror was hot when it was 85 degrees outside and his reply was that the heated mirrors are 'on' all the time when the car is running. Seems strange to me but who knows for sure. I sure don't

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I asked this question a few months back at the dealership and they mentioned that the heated mirrors are activated with the rear window defrost switch (2008 Cabrio model). Their logic was that you need it around the same time that you would need to defrost the rear window. I thought that it made sense. It has not been cold enough to test it where I am outside of Toronto, but I'm sure that I will find out soon enough!

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At smart Car of America's forum, they think all the 2008s have the mirror heaters on with the ignition, with no thermocouple to turn them off. Supposedly the 2009 has a thermocouple. Rumour only....

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mmhmm. The 2008 ones are on all the time (even though the manual says when the ambient temperature is low, making it sound like it auto-detects the temperature). They've supposedly fixed it for 2009, tying the heated mirrors to the rear defroster.

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I've used my mirror and rear defrost exactly once. I think it's because of two factors, the dry air in Saskatchewan coupled with the fact that I park in a garage. Unheated, but it keeps the dew and frost off the car. In my car it's activated with the rear defrost window, it's the switch furthest to the left on the top dash panel. I've got all four buttons up there. Yay! LOL

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