Questions about visibility/mirrors
 

Am a new owner of a 2005 with real low miles. Love just about everything with the car, but having usually driven somewhat bigger cars, am having trouble adjusting to the visibility from the rear view mirror, side mirrors and back seat windows.

The auto dim on the rear view just doesn't seem consistent (too bright or dark) and the car sits so low that the driver side mirror is always shining lights right back in my eyes.
Moving it out doesn't really help in visibility, cause you lose the blind spot and can't really peek out over your shoulder and see much out the back seat windows. Mostly a problem at night (and I drive alot on the 4 lane wide freeways in Atlanta).
Helps to raise the seat up a bit, but then I lose all headroom - can't even wear a ballcap and I'm only 5'6".

Doubt there are any great "fixes" for this - but anyone else go thru it? Any suggestions?

I would drink your milk. I am 6' 1" and I can just look over my shoulder and see right out the rear side windows.

For the side mirrors mive them out then buy those ugly blind spot mirrors that you stick on.

Spot mirrors will eliminate the blind spot issues. Overall visibility will probably just take some getting used to.

Not sure what the laws are in Georgia, but tint looks good and solves the brightness issue. Though it may increase your night visibility issues, so choose wisely.

I bought the spot mirrors when I 1st got the 8, but couldn't force myself to put them on. So I moved the mirrors way out to reduce the blind spot as much as possible, and only need to slightly turn/tilt my head (like an inquisitive dog) to see the blind spot. This method, combined with the fact that I'm usually the fastest car on the road make the blind spot less of a concern.

Good luck & welcome!

Welcome to the SUV world. Those damn things give me a head ache with the same problems.

I drove GM cars when they first came out with those Auto dim mirrors. Still have drive cars with those damn contraptions. Yiu either like them or you don't.

I found out that if you get the rear window tinted lightly, it takes care of the problem.

In fact I love it it and it works perfectly with this modification.

Seat adjustment, or movement of the mirrors out, solves the other problems.

Wait until you get into your daily driver, 94 Buick, hell you can't adjust manual mirrors!

Now that's a real problem.

Argghh -- spot mirrors
 

First, thanks..
I had thought about spot mirrors but they look hideous - trying to avoid that, but if all else fails...

Milk or not, don't think I am seeing 6'1" in this lifetime....

Thanks for responding

Dano

Form over function
 

I always wonder why so many guys choose form over function, especially when the form is such a little thing, with such great function.

Pilgrim

Visibility takes some getting used to. I tweak the mirrors out about as far as I can on the driver's side, and just enough so that I can still see the rear wheel arch, without shifting from the centre position in my seat. You're most blind down low; unless you're sneaking up behind on me on a skeleton board, I'll probably see you.

i just don't do the auto-dim. it doesn't give me a true shot and just makes things look odd. as for the blind spots, i find that pushing the driver's side out and down gives a good shot for that blind spot. i use my rearview to see what's coming up, a quick look over the shoulder for what's next to me, and the driver's side tilted down and out to hit that spot. just keep your attention on what's coming up on you and stay alert - the 8 has some tricky blind spots.

The auto dim mirrors are lame on this car. Poor performance.

People adjust their side mirrors wrong. For optimum visibility, you shouldn't really see any of your car in the side mirrors. You should be tweaking them to see the side lanes and not the side of your pretty 8.

A proper adjustment should have seamless traffic transition from mirror to mirror.

...I have one of those broadway mirrors, might look ricey but it works for me! I have a slightly bigger convex version, I can see through the rear side windows from my rear view mirror.

Use whatever works. If it prevents an accident--then use it!

Thanks all - have started trying to move the side mirrors further out - and it does help. As one of you said it should be far enough out that you don't see you own car. Now THAT takes getting used to. Obviously i know where i am, but used to having me there so a quick glance give me reference.

WTF is a broadway mirror? I am picturing one of those mirrors showgirls sit at with all the light bulbs around it to put on make up.....

Experiment with your side view mirrors, trying to eliminate the blind spot at the back of your car. You thus move the blind spot closer to the rear doors. Then you can do a slight turn of the head either direction to check for other vehicles before merging.

*Note: experiment in your driveway, not the highway. lol

**Learn to backup only using your sideview mirrors for guidance. Of course. Check your rear view to ensure no objects are directly behind you. This is how I was taught to drive when my father was teaching me. Now i'm a pro. But looking behind you or through the rearview mirror is useless.
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the way i have all 3 my rearview mirrors set up is, i move the side mirrors so far out that, when i see a car coming up from the lane left of me, first i see it in the main rearview mirror, then as the car gets closer, it seamlessly transitions from the rearview to the left sideview mirror. There should be VERY LITTLE overlap between what you see in the rearview and sideview. same type of adjustment applies to the right sideview mirror.

if you can adjust your mirrors to that point, *most* of the blind spots behind the 8 should be eliminated.

One thing that helped me was to twist the rear view mirror so it was upside down and up close to the headliner. Gained a decent amount of forward visibility.

Despite moving the mirrors around and pushing them out all the way, I still have a small (less than 10") blind spot in the passenger side, lower down. It's probably due to the way I drive and where I like the seat (upright a bit more, pushed back as far as I can and still touch the floor behind the brake/clutch) - left overs from my rally-wannabe days.

Really good idea about turning the rear view mirror upside down - it does give you a couple more inches of front view. That was the least of my visibility issues, but I did just try it (in the driveway :-) and looks great.
Will have to see if it degrades the performance of the sensor for the auto dim night vision, but that sucks already....

Thanks again all, hard won experience is helping me overcome one of the very few drawbacks I felt with my new (actually used) RX.

Look for my new thread - Help me name my car.....

Seems like lazyness to me. If you change the positing of your head, the mirrors will reflect differently to you. its geometry. if youre just sitting there expecting to see everything through your mirrors without moving your body to the left or right, dont expect to see everything.

Thanks for your opinion. To be honest, I don't need it. If you had read my posts (and the posts of dozens of helpful people), I am not a non-rotating vegetable that plans to have my head "HANS Deviced" to the driver's seat.
I am also not an owl. My head only "positing" to a certain number of positions.
None of that helps the poor operation of the auto dim rear view, or the fact that there are blind spots on this car.
Geometry? - Oh, that was that class they taught while I was getting my bachelor's and master's at an engineering school. Forgot I could turn my head and change the angle.

From here on out, I will samba my way thru traffic, moving left to right in my seat as to correct the angle that causes blind spots.

hehe.

This post is probably about the most helpful so far.

I'm 6'3 with leather seats and a sunroof so needless to say my fit is rather tight. One thing that SAVED me was learning that the Rear view mirror is on a ball joint and can be moved *up* the windsheild. I was having a blind spot in the middle of my forward view due to the rear view mirror blocking. This also moves the line of sight in the rear view over the top of the seats through the back window.

On your side mirrors many people for some reason have them adjusted so they can see the side of their car in the reflection. This is just wasteful- you should know your car is there! Be sure to adjust them OUT until you are no longer able to see the side of your door from your head's neutral position. It takes some getting used to because it makes it seem more like the side view mirrors are "floating" but you get a much better view coverage area. Adjusted properly I have found to have very little to no blind spots. Cars are first visible in the rear view and seamlessly appear in my side view. The blind spot I am aware of is the B pillar when approaching from another lane out or merging.. but that's what physically looking is for....

first - make sure the rearview is pushed up on the window side hinge as much as possible. that will help with the view and the dimming. but ther are just times when the dimming doesnt work because the sensor is int he shadow fo your spoiler(if you have one)

2nd adjust your side mirrors like this- http://www.motorists.org/other/home/...-your-mirrors/

3rd - stuff the "im an engineer with degrees" attitude. if they helped you in this situation you would have been posting your solution rather than your problem.

Awsome link Zoom.

I just wish our mirrors (atleast on mine) didnt move so much while washing them. I keep on finding myself readjusting them after I go through a touchless car wash or even at home with the hose hitting them. Almost got into a accident because of this one time, was scary to say the least. My previous truck and car the mirrors never moved so I never thought I should readjust them with each washing.

Myself since I'm in suburbia SUV heaven I tend to have my side mirrors angled down slightly to negate the glare of the SUV's headlights blinding me constantly.
Now if only the Service Dept would learn to leave my mirrors alone or better yet my stearing wheel and seat placement alone but aparently putting it back into the propper position is to much to ask.

Thanks for the links. I think it is good info for those who need to adjust their mirrors for better visibility.

the mirros do move abit when washing- enough to need readjusting. a touch down or up to reduce the glare is a good addition, thanks.