When I first drove my G37, I felt that the side mirrors didn't angle out far enough. I was able to see the side of the car in the mirror and it left a huge blind spot. After reading in the forums, I saw it was a fairly common complaint, so I ordered the Camry passenger mirror, to install upside down on top of the drivers mirror. I wasn't satisfied with that solution, so looked into modifying the mirror mechanism itself to increase it's range.

To remove the mirror: It's well described in the FSM. Basically, tilt the mirror full up, slide a flat blade screwdriver from underneath, between the mirror and the mounting plate. Twist the screwdriver to pop the clips from the backing plate. The mirror will pop out.

On the outside edge of the mirror, there is a small copper colored spring clip. This prevents the mirror from moving further out.

The spring clip is in the lower left of the photo.

As you can see, the clip in held in by a little tab which is part of the clip, press the tab with a screwdriver and it slides out. This will allow the mirror to angle further out. However, it still wasn't wide enough for my preference.

There is also a plastic tab, that is part of the mirror housing, it sticks past the mounting plate and prevents the mirror from angling even further.


Screwdriver is pointing at the plastic tab.

I used a dremel and cut off the plastic tab.


Tab cut off.

Reinstall the mirror, I pressed the top part into the mounting plate, until the clips grabbed on. Then pressed the bottom in to fully engage the mounting. This can be a bit of a pain. Check the attachment because it's easy to appear attached, but not get full engagement. You don't want the mirror falling off while driving.

After this modification the mirror is able to swing wide enough, significantly increasing the angle and decreasing the blind spot. It is perfect for my taste. I'm 5'8" so taller drivers may find it is not far enough. To get an even wider angle would require shimming the motor mechanism to change the angle further.

 

Cool stuff! At 6'2" I find the driver side mirror useless.
Does the mirror retain full range of motion? Could you theorize as to why the spring and plastic clip are in place?

 

Yes, with the tab cut off, the mirror has all the original range of motion, and additional motion to the outside. I suspect the spring is to reduce vibrations in the mirror as you drive. I haven't noticed any additional vibration with it removed. I reinstalled the spring clip, but it reduced the range enough that I took it back out.