Auto Dimming Mirrors.... Kinda Dark

[EV-lutioin]

The auto dimming mirrors on my Model 3 are about 3X darker than my Model X making it difficult to see cars at night. And the auto dimming triggers very early at dusk before it is really dark and when many cars don't have their lights on yet. Is anyone else experiencing this?

 

[MP3Mike]

The auto dimming mirrors on my Model 3 are about 3X darker than my Model X making it difficult to see cars at night. And the auto dimming triggers very early at dusk before it is really dark and when many cars don't have their lights on yet. Is anyone else experiencing this?

Yes other people have reported the same thing. (@K-MTG being the main one.)

Our understanding is that the software is not yet complete to control the dimming level based on the headlights of the cars behind you. (Like the manual says it supposed to.)

 

[K-MTG]

I was told they are still working on the software...currently it is just time based.

 

[littlelibo]

Does anyone have an update on this? I can barely see at night (went with a light tint on Windows). All I want to be able to do is override or disable the auto tint

 

[itskv]

They need an option to turn it off completely

 

[EV-lutioin]

Does anyone have an update on this? I can barely see at night (went with a light tint on Windows). All I want to be able to do is override or disable the auto tint

They fixed this long ago in an update, it was really bad with the early builds. They work perfectly for me now. Might be a window tint issue.

 

[littlelibo]

They fixed this long ago in an update, it was really bad with the early builds. They work perfectly for me now. Might be a window tint issue.

That's weird. What does fixed mean? Can I turn off the feature? I am not meaning to sound at all argumentative as I truly appreciate the insight.

I even went with the lighter tint on my front side windows and can barely see anything but headlights on the side view (or rearview) mirrors. You can see in this photo with the windows down (no tint) that the auto-dimmed mirror is pretty dark. Again, if there is a way for me to disable the dimming, that would be great. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[EV-lutioin]

That's weird. What does fixed mean? Can I turn off the feature? I am not meaning to sound at all argumentative as I truly appreciate the insight.

I even went with the lighter tint on my front side windows and can barely see anything but headlights on the side view (or rearview) mirrors. You can see in this photo with the windows down (no tint) that the auto-dimmed mirror is pretty dark. Again, if there is a way for me to disable the dimming, that would be great. Thanks in advance for your help.

Interesting, my mirrors are quite light. I wish they were darker, because the light in my eyes is fatiguing. It's definitely much lighter than my Model X. I not sure why we are having different experiences and I agree that allowing us to choose our darkness gradient would be awesome. Tweet Elon!

 

[Ejl80]

Has anyone figured out how to stop the side mirrors from dimming?

 

[Daniel in SD]

Has anyone figured out how to stop the side mirrors from dimming?

I’m sure you could unplug them. I bet you can remove the mirror glass in a similar way to other cars (usually with a towel wrapped around bottom of mirror). Obviously there is a risk of snapping some plastic bits.

 

[brandonee916]

What software are you guys on? I'm on 34.1 and my build is 8/2018... no problems here

 

[Jedi2155]

Anyone figure out if there was a sensor you could cover or something? After driving a Loaner S which had the driver mirror dimming function broken for some reason it was amazing to see traffic again. Wish I could disable it.

 

[brandonee916]

Actually I take back my previous post.... once I got my windows tinted I realized the auto dimming has nothing to do with a sensor but has to do with time of day... so frustrating.

 

[Fusion]

Everyone needs to email support that you wish for a feature to toggle it on/off. I already did but with more people on the same boat, they might actually implement the feature.

 

[Ciditad]

Here's what I'm using instead:

Broadway BW744 270mm Flat Mirror https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013GF8YS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_sP1.BbVW62EPF

I've had various JDM mirrors since my first car and it's always worked pretty well. The 300mm version I had was too long and 240mm is a little too small.

 

[ConcordeSST]

Glad to discover this thread and find out that it's not just me that's bothered by this. It's been frustrating me lately because the overhead light of my garage opener causes the side mirrors to darken so much when I pull in that I can't see anything at all behind me. This is problematic as I use the driver's side mirror to gauge the distance of the rear of the vehicle from the entrance to the garage (narrower than the actual garage wall) as I pull in. Would really like an option to disable or turn down the dimming level. I can't rely on the distance info on screen as I only have a few inches of clearance from my mirror when pulling in on the left side, so the screen goes from telling me inches of distance to just screaming stop.

 

[MP3Mike]

Glad to discover this thread and find out that it's not just me that's bothered by this. It's been frustrating me lately because the overhead light of my garage opener causes the side mirrors to darken so much when I pull in that I can't see anything at all behind me. This is problematic as I use the driver's side mirror to gauge the distance of the rear of the vehicle from the entrance to the garage (narrower than the actual garage wall) as I pull in. Would really like an option to disable or turn down the dimming level. I can't rely on the distance info on screen as I only have a few inches of clearance from my mirror when pulling in on the left side, so the screen goes from telling me inches of distance to just screaming stop.

That is the first I have heard of it actually being light sensitive instead of time based. Have you tried covering up cameras to see if you can get it to stop dimming? (Just so we know what sensors they are using.)

 

[ConcordeSST]

That is the first I have heard of it actually being light sensitive instead of time based. Have you tried covering up cameras to see if you can get it to stop dimming? (Just so we know what sensors they are using.)

Sorry, I shouldn't have stated so categorically that it is due to lighting conditions. I don't really know that, it was just my theory because I don't notice the mirrors being too dark when I'm driving. It's just the moment I start to pull into my garage that I look over and notice that they are downright DARK, nearly black. I mean I can barely even make out the illumination from my brake lights until I put it in park or reverse and then suddenly I can see again. If it was this dark when driving I don't think I'd be able to see anything at all.

I know you referenced above that the software wasn't working the way the manual says it is supposed to, but maybe that has changed? For the reference of others that don't know, the manual states, "The driver’s side mirror automatically dims in low lighting conditions (for example, when driving at night or through a tunnel) in proportion to the level of glare from the headlights of a vehicle behind you (except when in Reverse)."

Haven't had a chance to cover anything up yet. If I ever have more time, I need to try having someone shine a bright flashlight right into some of the rear cameras and see what it does.

 

[groovyd]

I also noticed the side mirrors are already relatively small in size and hard to see what's beside you even without the tinting but mine too are a bit too dark always and especially through 35% tinted windows which is the max legal tint here. In general it would be nice if Tesla standardized on simple sliders for all features that set levels for things such as regen braking and steering, etc. Having only 2 or 3 discrete values is fairly limiting.

 

[tesababa]

The side-motors are way too dark at night. I have not tinted windows, thanks god otherwise I would not have been to see AYTHING at all. I have to say it’s really dangerous when I’m trying to change lanes at night on freeway. I almost don’t do it because I can’t see anything but some headlights, barely.