DMC mirror switch installed that I purchased from DCS 2012.
Looks and works great! Was very, very easy to replace!
Posts: 841
DMC Mirror Switch
DMC mirror switch installed that I purchased from DCS 2012.
Looks and works great! Was very, very easy to replace!
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 1,147
My VIN: 1880
Club(s): (DCO) (DCUK)
How much $? Does it come with its own wiring harness or do you need to reuse the one on the old switch?
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Posts: 3,047
My VIN: 16510 and carbureted
Club(s): (GCD) (SEDOC) (DCUK)
All they sold you was a SAAB mirror switch. They can be found on eBay for about $20.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SAAB-9-3-9-5...6c2480&vxp=mtr
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Posts: 3,047
My VIN: 16510 and carbureted
Club(s): (GCD) (SEDOC) (DCUK)
Its okay for DMCH to use cheap parts but its terribly wrong for me to put a Saturn alternator on my car.
Anyway, here is the wiring info for anyone that wants to install a $20 switch instead of a $70 one.
http://www.eskin.net/open/saabswitch.html
Location: Atlanta-ish
Posts: 2,218
My VIN: 5311
Club(s): (SEDOC) (DCUK)
I bought one of the Saab switches back when I thought the problem with my driver-side mirror was the switch itself. Turns out it was actually the mirror motor, and my stock switch works just fine. So I've got a spare Saab switch in my DeLorean cabinet.Originally Posted by stevedmc
Not long after I bought mine, DMCH announced they were manufacturing these new switches. I'd noted in the pics that it looked like they were very much sourcing the Saab part for their unit.
One good thing about the part from DMCH is that it's plug-and-play. You don't have to worry about cramming it into the old switch housing and cutting to fit (or buying a blanking plate and doing the same thing) or doing the rewiring efforts since that work is already done for you.
To some people that's worth the extra $50.
- Chris
what
Location: Taylors SC
Posts: 5,326
My VIN: (former)05429
Club(s): (DMWC) (DCUK)
It's not a Saab switch although if Saab is (oops - was - they are dead!) buying the same one I wouldn't be surprised . BTW - $20 is probably for a used one.
There is more to it than the switch. The DMC version comes with a full harness that plugs into the switch and matches the DMC door harness. It is not spliced but is terminated into new connectors. It also includes the modified plastic DMC shell so you don't have to cut anything up. I'm shocked (but pleased) that it came out as cheap as it did.
The degree of difficulty in actually wiring it correctly (and some special wiring tools for the switch end of the harness) makes it very worth it.
Sure - you can solder together a bunch of other stuff, cut up some plastic, and make something work since all mirror switches pretty much work the same way electrically, but if you don't have the time/energy/electrical background it could be pretty frustrating. If you'd rather spend $20 and a couple hours making something fit, go for it, it's your time and money to value. But please don't think that this sort of development, or construction time is "free" in a commercial enterprise. The people constanly complaining about this sort of thing are not the average owner. Nothing wrong with doing what you say, but you are not the norm.
In a shop environment, the shop would have to charge to make up all the wiring, then to make it fit. Way more expensive than the cost of simply plugging in a completed assembly like this.
I suppose if they came out with an exact duplicate of the OE switch for $200, everyone would be happier?
Dave S
DMC Midwest - retired but helping
Greenville SC
Location: Atlanta-ish
Posts: 2,218
My VIN: 5311
Club(s): (SEDOC) (DCUK)
Dave said everything in his post that I was trying to say in mine, except better and with more detail.
Frankly, I'm glad we have the DMC centers around the country who employ really smart people to design and build these kinds of things. It's nice to have professional parts (and professional people like Dave here) to back up our very hack-prone community.
I'll be the first to say that while I'm an enthusiast and I like getting my hands dirty and trying to hack and fix shit on my car on my own, I'm also not knowledgable enough to do everything on my own and I need to lean on smarter people. And in some cases, that translates into prebuilt components.
- Chris
what
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Posts: 3,047
My VIN: 16510 and carbureted
Club(s): (GCD) (SEDOC) (DCUK)
I was sorta thinking what Dave said, although I guess I'm too snobish at times. Personally I would just modify the old part but yeah, I know what Dave means about being in a shop. I used to do computer support at an hourly rate and many times it would be cheaper to replace parts (modems specifically) rather than spending hours on the internet searching for a driver. It was ridiculous but it made more sense to sell a $20 modem than to spend 90 minutes searching for and downloading drivers at $40/hour.
On another note, are they selling this thing with a new part for $70? If so this is sort of a bargain for a new SAAB style switch since the new ones are listed on eBay for about $140.
Location: Atlanta-ish
Posts: 2,218
My VIN: 5311
Club(s): (SEDOC) (DCUK)
Next time just sell a US Robotics (or similar) with the Hayes command set built-in and don't fuck around with drivers. ATH0=1, bitches.
Software modems are a pile of ass.
As far as I know, they are all new parts. Not used.
- Chris
what
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Posts: 3,047
My VIN: 16510 and carbureted
Club(s): (GCD) (SEDOC) (DCUK)
I loved the old ISA 16 bit modems that USR sold back in the day. Unfortunately those cost over $100 and it was the customer's money, not mine. We basically replaced generic $20 Winmodems with Acer $20 Winmodems instead of spending over an hour looking for drivers. We always gave the customer the option to bring in their driver disk, buy a better modem, buy a cheap modem, or pay us to keep searching at $40/hour. Can you guess which option they chose when they couldn't produce a driver disk?
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