Why I Dislike Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirrors | The Daily Drive | Consumer Guide® T...
`
`Page 1 of 5
`
`Dec
`21
`Why I Dislike Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirrors
`
`7 Comments
`Written by Dave Hall in Safety, Technology
`
`In some four and a half years with Consumer Guide Automotive, I have driven many different vehicles. Every time I get into a test car
`equipped with an auto-dimming rearview mirror, I cringe a little. These devices are intended to free the driver from the oh-so-difficult
`task of flipping a little latch on the bottom of the rearview mirror to save his or her eyes from the blinding effects of the headlights of
`the car trailing behind. However, these automatic devices (which are supposed to be smarter than the driver and save a tiny bit of
`effort) sometimes work poorly.
`
`Recently, I drove a 2012 Volkswagen Passat and a 2013 Mazda 2 equipped with this “luxury” and “convenience” feature, and the
`mirrors in both cars failed to do their simple job correctly. Even my own car, a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, is equipped with one of
`these devices, and I have entertained the thought of tearing it out and replacing it with a standard flip-it-yourself mirror. Had I had the
`chance to order the car without an auto-dimming rearview mirror, I would have jumped at it.
`
`I log mostly city miles and sometimes drive after dark, especially in winter. This means that I am on the road when the city’s
`streetlights are illuminating the roadway and drivers use their headlights. Be it the combination of those two factors (something for
`which engineers should compensate) or some other intervening force, this type of mirror sometimes refuses to dim at all, even if
`there is a driver behind me who, unbeknownst to them, has their ultra-bright xenon HID (high-intensity discharge) headlights
`accidentally set to retina-searing high-beam mode. In these cases, to avoid being “blinded by the light,” I have to tilt the mirror so
`much that I cannot see the cars behind me anymore, rendering the device useless, and I have to rely on the two outside mirrors
`instead (which usually do not dim at all, compounding the problem).
`
`However, my recent drives of the 2013 Acura RDX, 2013 Infiniti FX, and 2013 Lexus ES yielded different results. The mirrors in these
`vehicles worked almost flawlessly and dimmed appropriately when a car was behind me. If you’re thinking that the expensive cars
`would, of course, have the better mirror, consider this: Last week, I drove the Mazda 3, a compact car, equipped with an auto-
`dimming mirror, and it worked well, too.
`
`The moral of the story is this: If you’re seriously considering buying a car, and the car comes with an auto-dimming rearview mirror as
`an option, be sure to test drive the car at night on a well-traveled street lit by a bunch of streetlights. Be sure to note the mirror’s
`performance. Your eyes will thank you later.
`
`Just Curious: Questionable Car Equipment
`
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`Written by: Dave Hall on December 21, 2012.on February 6, 2015.
`
`Comments
`
`7 comments
`
`http://blog.consumerguide.com/why-i-dislike-auto-dimming-rearview-mirrors/
`
`10/5/2015
`
`Magna 2032
`TRW v. Magna
`IPR2015-00436
`
`
`
`Page 1 of 5
`
`Dec
`21
`Why I Dislike Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirrors
`
`7 Comments
`Written by Dave Hall in Safety, Technology
`
`In some four and a half years with Consumer Guide Automotive, I have driven many different vehicles. Every time I get into a test car
`equipped with an auto-dimming rearview mirror, I cringe a little. These devices are intended to free the driver from the oh-so-difficult
`task of flipping a little latch on the bottom of the rearview mirror to save his or her eyes from the blinding effects of the headlights of
`the car trailing behind. However, these automatic devices (which are supposed to be smarter than the driver and save a tiny bit of
`effort) sometimes work poorly.
`
`Recently, I drove a 2012 Volkswagen Passat and a 2013 Mazda 2 equipped with this “luxury” and “convenience” feature, and the
`mirrors in both cars failed to do their simple job correctly. Even my own car, a 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, is equipped with one of
`these devices, and I have entertained the thought of tearing it out and replacing it with a standard flip-it-yourself mirror. Had I had the
`chance to order the car without an auto-dimming rearview mirror, I would have jumped at it.
`
`I log mostly city miles and sometimes drive after dark, especially in winter. This means that I am on the road when the city’s
`streetlights are illuminating the roadway and drivers use their headlights. Be it the combination of those two factors (something for
`which engineers should compensate) or some other intervening force, this type of mirror sometimes refuses to dim at all, even if
`there is a driver behind me who, unbeknownst to them, has their ultra-bright xenon HID (high-intensity discharge) headlights
`accidentally set to retina-searing high-beam mode. In these cases, to avoid being “blinded by the light,” I have to tilt the mirror so
`much that I cannot see the cars behind me anymore, rendering the device useless, and I have to rely on the two outside mirrors
`instead (which usually do not dim at all, compounding the problem).
`
`However, my recent drives of the 2013 Acura RDX, 2013 Infiniti FX, and 2013 Lexus ES yielded different results. The mirrors in these
`vehicles worked almost flawlessly and dimmed appropriately when a car was behind me. If you’re thinking that the expensive cars
`would, of course, have the better mirror, consider this: Last week, I drove the Mazda 3, a compact car, equipped with an auto-
`dimming mirror, and it worked well, too.
`
`The moral of the story is this: If you’re seriously considering buying a car, and the car comes with an auto-dimming rearview mirror as
`an option, be sure to test drive the car at night on a well-traveled street lit by a bunch of streetlights. Be sure to note the mirror’s
`performance. Your eyes will thank you later.
`
`Just Curious: Questionable Car Equipment
`
`Share this:
`
`Share
`
`0
`
`Share
`Share
`
`95
`
`Tweet
`
`3
`
`
`
`
`Written by: Dave Hall on December 21, 2012.on February 6, 2015.
`
`Comments
`
`7 comments
`
`http://blog.consumerguide.com/why-i-dislike-auto-dimming-rearview-mirrors/
`
`10/5/2015
`
`Magna 2032
`TRW v. Magna
`IPR2015-00436
`
`
`
`Why I Dislike Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirrors | The Daily Drive | Consumer Guide® T...
`
`Page 2 of 5
`
`7 Comments
`
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`Add a comment...
`
`John
`Picarello
` ·
`New York, New York
`What if some jerk doesnt have
`headlights on... can you see him or
`her??? Auto dimming headlights are a
`FAIL unless you can turn them off!!!
`Like · Reply · Nov 29, 2014 4:07pm
`
`Bill
`Rondello
`I hate them. Totally agree with this
`writer. Also, sometimes you need to
`dim it in the daytime from the Sun. Not
`an option!
`Like · Reply · Nov 6, 2014 5:36pm
`
`Max
`Schmitt
` ·
`Works at Somewhere
`hmm, problems with them in so many
`different cars? Methinks in this case
`the source of the problem might be
`between the driver's seat and the
`steering wheel.
`Like · Reply · Nov 4, 2014 11:49pm
`
`Dunham ·
`Craig
`
`Brother at Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
`The auto-dimming rear view and side
`view mirrors on my 2014 Subaru
`Forester work fantastically all the
`time...
`
`Well, except sometimes when I'm
`backing out of the garage in middle of
`the day - the dark of the parking area
`and the bright sunlight will fool the
`sensor and dim the mirrors...
`Like · Reply · Nov 4, 2014 6:03pm
`
`Andy
`McKinnon
` ·
`Vanderbilt University - Owen Graduate School of
`Management
`I have had them on multiple Fords
`since 1983 and have never had a
`problem.
`Like · Reply · Nov 4, 2014 11:32am
`
`Michael
`Brewer
`I've never had a problem with the ones
`I've had on a variety of vehicles but
`one thing most people don't realize is
`that many of these mirrors rely on a
`film that changes from light to dark
`based on a charge guided by input
`from the sensor. Over time, these films
`lose their ability to change and become
`useless, requiring a rather expensive
`mirror replacement. I had this issue in
`a 2000 BMW M Roadster. At the end
`of the day the old school mirrors have
`
`http://blog.consumerguide.com/why-i-dislike-auto-dimming-rearview-mirrors/
`
`10/5/2015
`
`
`
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