Thank you for your informative posts. I like having all these options available to me (and others who stumble upon this information). I will experiment with the side mirror adjustments, as well as take more stock in the rear view camera. I love the rear view camera, however, I find that it is one of three apps that I like having on my touchscreen (which maxes out at two), and therefore have decided to not depend on it just yet, but this discussion is leaning me toward using it more.
By the way, here are the four most used apps I have on my touchscreen, in order:
- Tesla Waze (usually using whole screen mode); I find it a nicer interface than my dash mounted phone (and I'm taken to putting my podcast navigator as the main screen on my dash mounted phone). When using Tesla Waze in full screen mode, it is absolutely stunningly sublime and informative in a very quick glance. I can easily divert around huge traffic jambs and be ready for a wide variety of situations.
Note that both of those things could be fixed with superior user interface on Tesla's user interface systems, but I'm not even going to hope for such things given my understanding reading forums about their progress in the many years on those fronts.
- Tesla Navigation. I am learning to instead use the "instrument panel" area (the one directly in front of drive with speedometer) for nav from the car and use Google as a nav on the dash mount phone rather than let it take as much touchscreen real estate. Meanwhile, I like the traffic information given by Nav that Tesla Waze often omits (but not entirely). It also gives me updated information on charge level. As I get more used to the car, I may need this less. I already have the confidence to drive to work and back, and am slowly memorizing my other trips.
- Rear View Camera. I wish there was a steering wheel mounted button to bring it up quickly, rather than having to reach over and fiddle for many seconds with the touch screen, often hurting my back and requiring many many glances off of the road.
While waiting for pie in sky progress (or self*-programmable cars), I'd like a way for the bright lights that are transmitted through the rear view camera onto the screen to be replaced with something that simply shows where the bright lights are; this could easily be done with real time video editing filters. The filter would be very simple: replace high intensity with "something else". Perhaps simply an intensity curve that just removes high intensity lights?
- Music selection. Usually I only use this screen briefly, and attempt to do so only while pulled over or at a long light.
Due to this discussion, I'm going to attempt to put more emphasis on finding a way to dash mount my second phone to move more apps onto it (podcast AND Waze/Google nav), to reduce the likelihood that I ever need to turn off rear view on my touchscreen. If successful, I could get to a point that I have rearview up 100% (when it doesn't have glaring headlamps).
It is a well known issue with Tesla's Touchscreen that it has more apps than there are half screens to put them on. This switching is something that is unique to screen oriented car control (which I first experienced in my Mercedes); in many-knob type dashes, each knob sits there waiting 100% of the time to be twisted, pushed, pulled, or whatever, and any status displays are always present. I'll have to see how to better acquaint myself with this new fashion style of operation, which is even more down the road of screen oriented use than my Mercedes was. So far, I've survived without incident, and I will probably be really good at it in about half a year.
While adjusting mirrors, I'll learn what works and what doesn't, and I'll have rear door windows as a backup during that learning process.
* Self could refer to me or the car, I realize. This time, I meant me.
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You can adjust your side view mirrors to eliminate the blind spot. It involves not being able to see the side of your car from the side view mirrors, but works great.
How To: Adjust Your Mirrors to Avoid Blind Spots - Feature
This looks really promising. I'm going to go outside right now and back up against my garage door and adjust the mirrors like this.
It's odd that in the many driver's safety trainings I've received, I've never been taught to do this. Ok, I realize why: all of my driver safety training is for buses and trucks (real trucks, not little open-ass cars called pickups), which don't have rear view mirrors. I see the Tesla is different in that regard.
The Model X would be harder to depend on the rear view mirror. I guess the backup camera comes into play there.
Onward ...
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I've attempted this. My left eye and right eye clearly see different expanses through the mirrors, and the overlap depends on both working. I attempted to take pictures of the outcome. I realize now the art on the garage door is a necessary component of this exersize that would not be possible without it. The odd little things one depends on stack up in life.
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Edit:
Ok, followup:
I am aready disappointed with the results. I cannot see as far behind me in this configuration. Cars far behind me do not show up in the rear view mirror or the backup camera (resolution too low), and normaly they'd show up in the side mirrors but not adjusted in this manner. I literally have no idea there is apporaching traffic behind me until it is nearly upon me. I think giving up this information simply to avoid stretching my neck during lane changes is not something I want to give up. I will experiment a little more.
