(No) cruise control in fog?

[AndrewGR]

Did a 30 mile journey this morning in reasonably heavy fog on a country road. Temperature close to freezing. Cruise control was proving very useful to avoid speed creeping up. But on three or four occasions it dropped out for no obvious reason. Bing bong cruise control not available message. Several left camera blocked or blinded messages but these did not seem to be related to the cruise control drop-outs.Has anybody else had this problem?

 

[NorfolkMustard]

Yeah, probably the fog. See if it has any more info in Notifications

 

[MrBadger]

I hope nothing has changed. I was very impressed this time last year with the performance of NoA in thick fog. I was quite happy to let it get on with it doing its thing, except I slowed it down to a speed that I was comfortable with - I'm sure it had a similar if not better handle on the situation than I may have had.

Impressed with NoA in fog

 

[bitmanEV]

Probably more to do with damp in the camera's. Had this last night too constant messages with blocked camera's and dropping out Cruise Control

 

[hgmichna]

Be aware that radar cannot reliably detect obstacles that do not move. If you run into stopped (possibly collided) cars in fog, be sure you drive slowly enough to be able to stop the car before the obstacle when you see it. You cannot rely on the autopilot either.

Consider driving to the side, possibly off the road in such a situation to avoid being hit by the next car that comes from behind.

It is a pity that we cannot rely on radar to stop us before hitting obstacles in fog, but that's how it is.

 

[AndrewGR]

I fully understand the risk of running into stationary vehicles in fog. That’s why using the cruise control to limit speed would be so useful - if it worked. My left camera problem has been pretty much a constant since I got the car a year ago and I don’t think it was the cause. The drop outs were not related to the camera messages. Condensation shouldn’t have been a problem either. Temperature was 1C and screen stayed dry once de-iced before setting off. Fog could well have been frozen.

 

[Drew57]

I'm noticing a few recent posts about left camera error messages, including with the latest Q4 deliveries. My Q1 car has been been getting this notification in low sun for several days & again this morning with moisture on both door pillars but it's always the LH camera. It may be a coincidence but I didn't notice it before 2020.44.15.

It doesn't stop the ability to use Autopilot, in fact I've discovered that switching briefly to autosteer then clears the message.

I find it hard to believe that this is a random issue so maybe LH camera sensitivity is calibrated differently to the other side. Just a thought but as it's the (US) drivers side, could it be something related to that? (ie auto turn right on red which is pretty important with the latest FSD/software)

 

[Mr Miserable]

Be aware that radar cannot reliably detect obstacles that do not move.

I'm a bit puzzled by this statement. How does this radar work then?

 

[AndrewGR]

I understand that car radar can detect things that don’t move. However, directional discrimination ions is not good. So most of the stationary objects it sees are not a hazard - parked cars, bridge pillars, central barriers, road signs etc, so it ignores them unless they are very close and you are going slowly. The alternative is lots of phantom braking.

 

[Godsense]

I'm noticing a few recent posts about left camera error messages, including with the latest Q4 deliveries. My Q1 car has been been getting this notification in low sun for several days & again this morning with moisture on both door pillars but it's always the LH camera. It may be a coincidence but I didn't notice it before 2020.44.15.

It doesn't stop the ability to use Autopilot, in fact I've discovered that switching briefly to autosteer then clears the message.

I find it hard to believe that this is a random issue so maybe LH camera sensitivity is calibrated differently to the other side. Just a thought but as it's the (US) drivers side, could it be something related to that? (ie auto turn right on red which is pretty important with the latest FSD/software)

I can totally relate to this 99% of the time LH camera is the one to error. Once or twice had multiple camera error but from memory these were on non lit roads at night.

Cruise on the GTi was the same. Manual says the car could no react to static objects. Makes sense that it therefore can't know if the object should be static or not

 

[AndrewGR]

The behaviour I recorded where TACC drops out in fog on a road where it is normally happy suggests that TACC uses the cameras as part of the TACC strategy, as well as radar, which I'm sure it does use. Typically visibility in the fog was 100m or so, occasinally a bit less. If TACC is relying on seeing more than 100m ahead in the absence of a moving radar return from a vehicle in front, this does suggest it is looking further ahead than I would have supposed.

During the journey, as I previously mentioned, I had several LH camera blocked or blinded messages. For much of the journey the sun was on my left and fairly low - however, due to the fog, it was very diffused. I could see to the limit of visibility possible in the fog - I'm surprised the camera couldn't. However, LH camera alerts have been a common feature of the car since I've had it. They don't seem to affect AP operation.

 

[MrBadger]

I've noticed the bias towards LH camera issues. I wonder if its because majority of people either commute west or south, or, whether like when it is triggered when dark, its expecting to see something on the near side that it cannot.

 

[Drew57]

Sorry @VanillaAir_UK, I don't commute, have been doing short journeys 'there & back' to the tip every day for over 2 weeks but the error is always on the LH side when it's sunny or there's condensation on the pillars.

(...maybe I'm getting it wrong, need to set off north east until I find a recycling centre that doesn't want my postcode or I hit the North Sea, stay until dark then drive to arrive home before the dew point )

 

[AndrewGR]

Sorry @VanillaAir_UK, I don't commute, have been doing short journeys 'there & back' to the tip every day for over 2 weeks but the error is always on the LH side when it's sunny or there's condensation on the pillars.

(...maybe I'm getting it wrong, need to set off north east until I find a recycling centre that doesn't want my postcode or I hit the North Sea, stay until dark then drive to arrive home before the dew point )

Me too. On rare occasions I get the right camera warning but it is only when it is clear that there is low sun that side. Never when driving on dark country lanes or when the sun is not an obvious cause. Same is not true of the left camera.