Terrible placement for headlight status indicators

[MassModel3]

If I remember correctly, one of the latest major software releases enabled auto-dimming high beam headlights based on the forward looking camera sensing the headlights from other cars. So with that [fantastic] feature, placement of the headlight indicators is irrelevant. But not everybody had auto-dimming -- some of us are on old technology.

With the sun setting just after 4 PM these days, I'm doing a fair amount of night driving, and occasionally I do use the high beams. The problem is that it's easy to forget you have them on. Too many times I've realized that I've been passing other cars for a while and I've had my high beams on. The problem is that you can't tell unless you either look for the indicator lights, or you check the on/off wand on the steering wheel.

This is where the indicators are in the top left corner:

...and this is what I see when I'm driving (okay, it's parked, but just imagine I'm driving...):

And suddenly I feel like a complete a-hole because I've been blinding people for who-knows-how-long. :cursing:

I really don't understand the placement of those indicator lights, and I really wish Tesla would relocate them. Yeah, I've tried raising the steering wheel, but that's just terribly uncomfortable.

 

[jeffro01]

You simply can't please everyone. Adjust your steering wheel if that's that important, problem solved. There simply isn't a one size fits all approach to this so no matter what Tesla does someone is going to have a problem with the location of this indicator or that indicator.

Jeff

 

[SW2Fiddler]

I agree with Mass. It is too unreasonably far in the corner.

(See, this proves I am not a "Tesla Can Do No Wrong" "Apologist" as classified by some)
The good news is, OTA software update can fix it. It's not a glued-behind-the-dash OldSchool lightbulb.

 

[Todd Burch]

Your head swivels and rotates, does it not?

 

[Larry93428]

Those important indicators could be better located, yes.
Hopefully they will be moved in the future.
~Larry

 

[HankLloydRight]

You simply can't please everyone. Adjust your steering wheel if that's that important, problem solved. There simply isn't a one size fits all approach to this so no matter what Tesla does someone is going to have a problem with the location of this indicator or that indicator.

Jeff

Yes, you can. The pre 7.x firmware had all the lights in optimal locations.

Tesla entirely farked it up with 7.0.

 

[CHG-ON]

I find them too remote also. But I have gotten used to it.

FWIW, the snippiness of some of these replies is really uncalled for. Mass was simply stating it doesn't work for him. What's wrong with that? I'm sure that we all have a few things that we don't like about the car and would like changed.

 

[jeffro01]

Yes, you can. The pre 7.x firmware had all the lights in optimal locations.

Tesla entirely farked it up with 7.0.

I completely disagree.

Jeff

 

[HankLloydRight]

I completely disagree.

Jeff

I never saw even one person complaining about the 6.x interface.

If people didn't like it, they sure didn't speak up like people have with the crippled 7.0 interface.

 

[MassModel3]

You simply can't please everyone. Adjust your steering wheel if that's that important, problem solved. There simply isn't a one size fits all approach to this so no matter what Tesla does someone is going to have a problem with the location of this indicator or that indicator.

You're right -- one man's Hell is another man's Nirvana. But tucked up in the top corner is far from ideal when there's a frickin steering wheel in front of it. In fact, that's right where your left hand would be if you drove with the appropriate 10 & 2 hand position.

Your head swivels and rotates, does it not?

It swivels when I think to swivel it! (boy, that just sounds so wrong...)

But seriously, how many people are going to make extra effort to tilt their head periodically to see what their headlights are doing? That high-beam light is there for a reason. Hiding it away is far from helpful.

 

[Jool]

I actually do like the 7.0 interface, but the location of that headlight indicator is terrible! Can't see it unless I raise the steering wheel to an awkwardly high angle.

 

[Soolim]

If I remember correctly, one of the latest major software releases enabled auto-dimming high beam headlights based on the forward looking camera sensing the headlights from other cars. So with that [fantastic] feature, placement of the headlight indicators is irrelevant. But not everybody had auto-dimming -- some of us are on old technology.

With the sun setting just after 4 PM these days, I'm doing a fair amount of night driving, and occasionally I do use the high beams. The problem is that it's easy to forget you have them on. Too many times I've realized that I've been passing other cars for a while and I've had my high beams on. The problem is that you can't tell unless you either look for the indicator lights, or you check the on/off wand on the steering wheel.

This is where the indicators are in the top left corner:

View attachment 105168

...and this is what I see when I'm driving (okay, it's parked, but just imagine I'm driving...):

View attachment 105169

And suddenly I feel like a complete a-hole because I've been blinding people for who-knows-how-long. :cursing:

I really don't understand the placement of those indicator lights, and I really wish Tesla would relocate them. Yeah, I've tried raising the steering wheel, but that's just terribly uncomfortable.

I agree that the location of the headlight indicator is less than ideal. Hope it can be improved in the next release.

 

[ArtInCT]

I am a bit puzzled by all this. Are the Model S high beams somewhat weak so that you actually need an indicator to tell you they are on? For the 46 (yards) YEARS I have driven vehicles, my eyes pretty much inform me if my high beams are on.... Unless a dense fog is present. What am I not understanding??

 

[Todd Burch]

FWIW, the snippiness of some of these replies is really uncalled for.

You must be referring to my post, since no other post before yours was even remotely snippy. At the risk of sounding snippy, please refer to the smiley with which I concluded my post. (It's of the sarcasm variety).

To be honest though, I couldn't see the light indicators very clearly with the v6 interface because the steering wheel was in the way. I have always had to move my head to see things on the console. I didn't complain, however, because I recognized it was just a result of where I sit, my torso height, and where I like the steering wheel. I could move the steering wheel to see everything, but then the steering wheel rides too high for my liking.

I'm not sure you could find a position to show all the things clearly for all people without significantly restricing screen space and using cluttered icons.

- - - Updated - - -

For the 46 yards I have driven vehicles, my eyes pretty much inform me if my high beams are on.... Unless a dense fog is present. What am I not understanding??

Given that you've only driven vehicles for a total of 138 ft in your life, I am amazed at your skills! <--also sarcasm.

 

[JPP]

I vaguely recall some issue where the US DOT stipulates how and where such warning indicators are located, their design and color, etc. If you note, they all come on when the car boots up--why? Probably required as a 'lamp test' under the same rules. In a way they emulate old fashioned lamps on a traditional dashboard. Making them a different size or color or moving them might not be so simple. Hopefully someone with some expertise can comment further....

 

[Cyberax]

You simply can't please everyone. Adjust your steering wheel if that's that important, problem solved. There simply isn't a one size fits all approach to this so no matter what Tesla does someone is going to have a problem with the location of this indicator or that indicator.

BS. I have steering wheel covering the indicators in all comfortable positions. Thankfully, I have a tech package so I'm not that worried about high beams.

But it would have been EASY to move indicators to the lower bar.

If you want something fancy-millenial-hipsterish then the toy car might be used to indicate high beams. For example, it can show them with blueish color of fake headlights.

 

[MassModel3]

I am a bit puzzled by all this. Are the Model S high beams somewhat weak so that you actually need an indicator to tell you they are on? For the 46 (yards) YEARS I have driven vehicles, my eyes pretty much inform me if my high beams are on.... Unless a dense fog is present. What am I not understanding??

The thing is that if you're on unlit back roads and you have your high-beams on, then you transition to an area with street lights, the high beams no longer stand out. We constantly glance to the console to check our speed, so the console should easily tell us everything we need to know, such as "you're driving 30 mph and your high beams are on."

BS. I have steering wheel covering the indicators in all comfortable positions. Thankfully, I have a tech package so I'm not that worried about high beams.

But it would have been EASY to move indicators to the lower bar.

If you want something fancy-millenial-hipsterish then the toy car might be used to indicate high beams. For example, it can show them with blueish color of fake headlights.

And that would be such an easy thing for Tesla to do -- to have the toy car's headlights shine half a far on low beam, and have them to where they are now on high beam. Or a change of color from white to blue.

As for those of you with the "quit whining" attitude, that's easy to say when you have a built-in resolution with the tech and the camera. But the older Model S's don't have cameras, and some of us don't have tech, either. The thing to remember is that if nobody whines, nobody hears that there's something that could be improved upon.

Clearly the engineers don't take the older or lower end cars into account when they're designing (crazy that $80K is low end!). You get what you pay for, yes. And I didn't pay for Tech, but it's certainly not unreasonable to ask to see all the console lights under [my] normal driving conditions. Regardless of what I paid.

 

[rlang59]

You're right -- one man's Hell is another man's Nirvana. But tucked up in the top corner is far from ideal when there's a frickin steering wheel in front of it. In fact, that's right where your left hand would be if you drove with the appropriate 10 & 2 hand position.

For what it's worth they changed the recommended hand position a few years ago to be 9 and 3. I think the reason had something to do with air bags.

 

[ArtInCT]

The thing is that if you're on unlit back roads and you have your high-beams on, then you transition to an area with street lights, the high beams no longer stand out. We constantly glance to the console to check our speed, so the console should easily tell us everything we need to know, such as "you're driving 30 mph and your high beams are on."

Ok, I can see that point now.... come to think of it, I have never done a Tesla S test drive during the evening or night time. I just hope the headlights are a good as the active HID's in my Volvo XC60. The Volvo HID's are really bright and auto leveling and turn radius bending. I know the S does not have auto leveling or bending headlamps.

 

[Zarwin]

I too have left my high beams on a couple of times since the steering wheel blocks the indicator.

Seems like common sense would dictate anything that is "real time driving info" should be easily visible while driving, such as speed/PRNDL/turn signals and the like. High beams would be in this bucket. Where things that are not critical "real time driving info" such as ODOMETER can go into a less visible portion of the screen.