This procedure should work for any car with the HomeLink device in the sun visor over head of the driver.

Tools You Will Need

• 1 large standard screwdriver


• 1 small standard screwdriver


• 1 philips screwdriver


• 1 utility knife with a new blade

First things first – you need a new transmitter. I chose Ebay since it is my favorite store. You can opt to buy just a new transmitter, but those usually are more expensive, or find a couple of sun visors removed from a wrecked car with the transmitter already installed (this is a little more work, but should save you a little money). It is vital that you get a rolling-code compatible transmitter –see the picture at right. The one on the left is rolling-code compatible, the one on the right is not. Notice the slight difference on the unit to the left – it has a house icon surrounding the LED – this is what you want. If it doesn’t have the house icon it’s not rolling-code compatible, so make sure you get the right one.

I opted for a pair of visors removed from a Nissan Maxima. Conveniently, the interior color also matched my car so I didn’t have to change the button faceplate or paint it.

Let's get started

Start by ripping the fabric off of the outside of the donor visor. You’re just going to throw them away anyway, so don’t be afraid to get violent. Once the fabric is removed, you will notice the HomeLink transmitter snuggly installed into the plastic of the visor. It’s pretty difficult to get it out without cutting the visor surround so I took my utility knife to it and cut a small piece so that I could wedge the transmitter out. The wiring will likely be tight so pull gently. There is one single electrical plug – carefully work the retention clips off and unplug the device and pull it the rest of the way out of the visor. Now you can throw away the old visors.

Next, remove the visor from your car. It’s held in with two screws at the post (if you have a Town Car). Unplug the wiring that runs through the post of the visor (you may have to tug a little bit so that you can expose the plug that you need to unplug).

You’re now ready to prepare your visor for the transplant. Start at the post of the visor and gently tug at the fabric. Be careful! This stuff can rip easily if you get rough. Notice the way that the fabric is attached to the visor. It is pushed through a small opening that goes around the visor plastic and has teeth inside of it. I pulled the fabric gently off on three sides (front and both sides). You can also use a small screwdriver to pry the plastic open if it helps release the fabric. You will need to cut the fabric underneath the original HomeLink transmitter to get it to come loose and then just work it off the rest of the way.