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FD Dual Auto Down Window Switch

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Old 05-28-18, 05:44 PM
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FD Dual Auto Down Window Switch

I enjoy searching AliExpress for random Chinese stuff, I will buy almost anything that has wifi enabled just to see what vulnerabilities I can find. I came across this switch and had not seen anything on the forums about it so thought I would post it up.

Item specifics:
  • Brand Name: KEMiMOTO
  • Item Weight: 0.25kg
  • Item Width: 15cm
  • For Vehicle Brands/Model: Mazda
  • Year: 1993-2002
  • Item Length: 15cm
  • Item Type: Switches
  • Model Name: for Mazda Rx7 Rx-7
  • Item Height: 15cm
  • Material Type: ABS
  • Special Features: Window Switch
  • Product: Master Power Window Switch
  • Condition: 100% brand new
  • Warranty: Life Time Warranty
  • OE Number: FD14-66-350C
  • Placement on Vehicle: Left
  • Fit for : for Mazda Rx7 Rx-7 1993-2002
The price Including shipping was $96.24 and It took 16 days from order to delivery.

Installation:
It took about 30 seconds to install the switch. I removed the old one with a small plastic trim tool at the top of the switch and the new one is plug and play.

Details:
The new switch is a slightly different color but this wasn't an issue inside the car. I took pictures outside to highlight the color difference, this might be from the slight difference in texture. The switches themselves look and feel like the originals with the exception that Auto is not on a raised surface. ON / OFF is printed in a slightly different font from the original.


Original on Left

Underneath there is a large difference in the circuit as well as the wiring. The wires are much smaller gauge which could be a future reliability issue as the power still flows through the switch on my car. The solder quality does not appear to be the best either.



Looking at the side there are some slight differences in construction. Also there is branding on the new switch that is inconsistent with what I ordered.


The difference in branding was interesting to me so I went to issyzone.com and typed in the part number: IWSMZ016. What came up was a new version of the original switch and not the dual auto down version.



Functionality / Fit:
The switch works as described and the fit is as good as the OEM switch. I did notice the switch does not stay down when you press it like I have seen in some videos. I currently have a 94 and cant remember if my old switch would stay depressed until the window was down or not but I know the one on my 93 did. I will see how it goes for long term reliability with the smaller wires but it seems to be decent.



I know its dirty I need to clean it
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Old 05-28-18, 06:46 PM
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Functionality / Fit:
The switch works as described and the fit is as good as the OEM switch. I did notice the switch does not stay down when you press it like I have seen in some videos. I currently have a 94 and cant remember if my old switch would stay depressed until the window was down or not but I know the one on my 93 did. I will see how it goes for long term reliability with the smaller wires but it seems to be decent.
The switch does stay depressed on mine.
Old 05-28-18, 06:52 PM
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Can confirm as well 94. They stay down until window up
Old 05-28-18, 09:08 PM
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^Yep. I've thought about buying a cheap switch and taking it apart to put the guts in to make a dual down power switch. Very interesting that they already did that!

I would also be concerned with the wiring gauge long term. Also wonder if it's possible to make a hybrid of it or something. Could also use a relay to let the high current to the motor go through the relay instead of the switch.

I have a feeling they're using a different/more modern circuit design for the power down. The FD had a semi-mechanical with it holding the button down while it was rolling down. Most modern cars don't do that.

Nice find!

Dale
Old 05-29-18, 03:02 AM
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Only the early cars had the switch stay down when in use, they stopped that fairly early on IIRC.

Dual auto down does sound good, though. Having to hold onto the passenger one until it has finished moving is a bit annoying.

Last edited by Ceylon; 05-29-18 at 03:06 AM.
Old 05-29-18, 04:40 AM
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I purchased this a few months ago and it works perfectly. My only complaint would be that it is too easy to unintentionally push the button to the auto position.

I guess time will tell if durability is good.
Old 05-29-18, 07:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Ceylon
Only the early cars had the switch stay down when in use, they stopped that fairly early on IIRC.
In the US there have only been 2 switches available - the 93 with no auto down and the 94/95 with driver's side auto down. All the auto down switches (including new replacements from Mazda) that I have seen have had the button stick down.

Now, there is a difference here LHD/RHD, the RHD will have the right side button auto-down. Quite possible it was revised for 96 or 99 but the US wouldn't have gotten it.

Also, fun fact - the 94 auto-down switch in the US costs LESS than the 93.

Dale
Old 05-29-18, 07:49 AM
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Interesting that the early US cars didn't have the auto feature. My all original red FD that has a build date in '91 has it. Must have been a difference across US/JDM models.
Old 06-14-18, 10:30 AM
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Late last year I did a fix on my switch by taken it apart and cleaning the contacts. It work until about a month ago.
After reading this thread a few weeks ago, I purchased this same switch from AliExpress. It fits in perfectly and works perfectly.
If it last another 26 years, most likely I will end up not working first being I am 73.
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Old 06-14-18, 03:09 PM
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Interesting. So this switch should work just fine in a '93, right? Looks like all the logic/circuitry is in the switch. Would the '94 switch work in a '93 as well?
Old 06-14-18, 03:24 PM
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That's correct, the 94 switch is a plug and play and will enable the auto-down feature in a 93.

Dale
Old 06-14-18, 03:54 PM
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Thanks, Dale. I'm trying to keep my car as stock as possible, but this seems harmless enough and easily reversible.
Old 06-18-18, 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by DaleClark
In the US there have only been 2 switches available - the 93 with no auto down and the 94/95 with driver's side auto down. All the auto down switches (including new replacements from Mazda) that I have seen have had the button stick down.

Now, there is a difference here LHD/RHD, the RHD will have the right side button auto-down. Quite possible it was revised for 96 or 99 but the US wouldn't have gotten it.

Also, fun fact - the 94 auto-down switch in the US costs LESS than the 93.

Dale

I'm a bit perplexed here since I've never seen an FD that didn't have auto-down switches. Both my 93s have had auto-down driver's side switches. The first one I owned was manufactured in March 92 and the current one in May 92. Just another data point for a complex system.
Old 06-18-18, 10:07 PM
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I actually prefer the dual auto-down switches. They don't stick down until the window is all the way down, which I prefer. The "stick down" function of the original auto-down switch makes it feel like the switch is always broken even though its a feature rather than a bug...
Old 06-19-18, 09:31 AM
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Thx for the info Rapt. I just ordered one and why I am waiting for it I fixed my OEM. The auto switch broke inside. Was an easy fix with some patience and superglue. Working good, but I will have a spare on hand!

Last edited by Testrun; 06-19-18 at 10:51 AM.
Old 06-19-18, 01:33 PM
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I got one of these out of my parts car and have been using it, it's been working well. Now if I can just figure out why my passenger side switch will roll the window down but not back up!?
Old 09-15-18, 08:08 PM
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I bought one of these after I found this thread, just now got around to installing it. It's a pretty good match for the '93 interior finish, even has a nice soft touch to it. As others mentioned, it's a bit grimy around the solder, some of it may be dried flux as it wiped off, but not sure. Wire gauge is definitely a bit smaller, but not too bad.

It works just fine, although I noticed that the "off" setting doesn't affect the ability to lower the window from the passenger door's window switch--I didn't swap the original module back in to test if the original one does lock out the other door's window control though.

One thing that makes the fit on this only a 9/10 is that it doesn't sit snug on the upper right corner, as you can see from the photos. It's not a big deal though. I thought it might be because the metal clip on the bottom was loose--it was rattling. I tried tightening it down and found out why it was rattling--the plastic threads were already stripped. :P

So I tightened the clip down as best I could and reinstalled it but it made zero difference.

Yeah, not a quality part in general, but I have to say that it looks VERY OEM on the outside at least. I'll deal with it anyhow, for the added convenience.


Aftermarket switch on left.

Aftermarket switch on left.

Aftermarket switch on right. Or bottom I guess, sorry for rotation issues.

Aftermarket switch on right. Or bottom I guess, sorry for rotation issues.

Looks very OEM.

OEM switch sits flush.

Chinesium switch sits high on upper right. Can be pressed down with a little effort but will spring back up.

Last edited by eslai; 09-15-18 at 08:12 PM. Reason: Image uploader isn't working, text corrections.
Old 11-09-18, 10:06 PM
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Hello Members,

My master switch was still functional but the passenger switch tab was broken. A replacement from Mazda, discounted, is about $134 and a used one probably around the same price tag as a chinese alternate. Since the chinese alternate would come in "new" and offers dual auto down function I figure I'd also gamble and give it a try. Checked on ebay and there was a store in NJ that sold the chinese alternate version which was convenient compared to ordering one from China. The switch was shipped via priority mail vs international shipping and arrived in a matter of days. The exterior is very close, if not identical, to OEM. The texture matched my 94 panel side mirror switch perfectly which you can see in the picture. As mentioned previously the electronics are different. Looking at the switch I noticed some pins on the circuit board were not soldered and some only partially soldered but decided to test it anyway. I removed the old switch, connected the new switch and noticed the drivers side switch did not work but the passenger side did. Seconds later the passenger side stopped working and I was beginning to think, "you get what you pay for." Just to make sure the fault was not something other than the switch I put the OEM switch back on and the window went up and down. Knowing the problem stems from the new switch and remembering some contacts on the circuit board appeared solder-less/lacking enough solder I decided to take out the soldering equipment and attempt to solder these joints. After fixing all the questionable joints I cleaned up the circuit board then proceeded to test it once more. This time the switch was completely functional operating as expected with the auto down feature working for both the driver and passenger windows. I forgot to take pictures of the corrections but if you look closely at the chinese circuit board you can clearly see which areas were lacking solder. Longevity still to be determined but these chinese master switches appear to work and are affordable. If you are able to solder and if the switch continues to function then I recommend this replacement/upgrade.








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Old 11-09-18, 10:23 PM
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My 93 passenger window goes down automatically and doesn't have the word auto written on it, it also sticks down until the window is down (on the drivers side it sticks completely, I have to manually bring it up which is annoying). Not sure why my passenger window is an auto down of it isn't stock like that, maybe it was replaced.
Old 11-12-18, 12:39 PM
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Originally Posted by sonicgroove
Well yours looks less like it was snotted together by an amateur than mine looks like! Congrats on fixing it. Mine is still working fine, although the stripped screw on the retaining clip means that it doesn't really stay in place very well.
Old 11-13-18, 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by eslai
Well yours looks less like it was snotted together by an amateur than mine looks like! Congrats on fixing it. Mine is still working fine, although the stripped screw on the retaining clip means that it doesn't really stay in place very well.
Yeah their was plenty of "snot" everywhere. Cleaned up most of that white crap with alcohol and a toothbrush then re-soldered maybe 5-6 joints.

If you ever decide to take yours out again to fix the stripped screw issue I'd recommend to do the same then re-solder a few of the joints as well. From what I can see these 4 joints look like they need to be addressed as mine did. I circled them in red using one of your pictures. I would probably do it sooner rather than later because poor contact and lead to increased resistance which leads to more heat and can possible burn out some pathways and damage the circuitry.




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Old 01-06-20, 04:09 PM
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My window switch just broke and just found about these thread and was wondering if these switches works with my JDM RX7?? visually the OEM ones looks the same, only difference is that my auto switch is in the RHD
Old 01-06-20, 04:31 PM
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Since both are auto down it will work fine on a RHD car.

Dale
Old 01-06-20, 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by DaleClark
Since both are auto down it will work fine on a RHD car.

Dale
Yeah but was wondering if somehow it was not compatible, I was reading at some Amazon seller that also have these and there where 2 reviews that says they don't work with jdm cars :/
anyone with a jdm car have bought one of these switches can chime in if they do actually work or not??
Old 01-08-20, 11:22 PM
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Hard to say if a lhd window switch will fit in a rhd panel and vice versa. They may be slightly different shapes. You would just need to do a side by side or just buy it and find out


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