Thread: D4 - Blind spot monitors

Originally Posted by Celtoid

I never saw it as a flaw of the car …. I thought it was inherent in all cars due to the perspective of looking across the car into a mirror....thus the term 'Blind Spot'. I always assumed turning your head was just good driving practice …...

Absolutely it is, and I like you spend a lot of time in heavy traffic and a head check is still part of my lane changing routine because even though I don't have a blind spot on the hilux for vehicle coming up either side of me, I'm sure we've all tride to merge into a lane someone else is tring to occupy the same spot from a lane the other side. 😊 Blind spot monitors won't pick this scenario up either until it's probably too late if you get used to relying on them.

On that subject I'm sure we'd all say we don't but I only realised how much I rely on my reverse camera last week when I drove a **** bix around all week in Adelaide that didn't have one. 😁

Originally Posted by DI5CO

Yeah, no noise when indicating. I’ve had mine nearly 2.5yrs and never heard a noise except for rear traffic alert.

Yeah I have to amend my earlier post …. my MB doesn't make any noise either, unless you use the indicator when somebody is in the blind-spot detection area. It only changes from Amber (armed) to Red (detecting).

It's actually very good.

Last year I hired an almost new (400 miles) Chev. Impala V6 in Los Angeles. A delightful little car a bit smaller than a Commodore. I can't understand why GM-H don't sell a right hook version here instead of the eurobox they have chosen. Anyhow after two days of things that lit up, flashed, beeped, went toot, whistle, plunk and boom, I sat down with the owner's book to fathom out what all these things were. I also researched the meanings of the strange symbols on the many switches. I managed to turn most off and proceeded to motor along peacefully afterwards. It had proximity lights on the mirrors which I couldn't turn off but didn't make warning noises, thank the Lord. LA freeways being what they are.

Originally Posted by Bigbjorn

Last year I hired an almost new (400 miles) Chev. Impala V6 in Los Angeles. A delightful little car a bit smaller than a Commodore. I can't understand why GM-H don't sell a right hook version here instead of the eurobox they have chosen. Anyhow after two days of things that lit up, flashed, beeped, went toot, whistle, plunk and boom, I sat down with the owner's book to fathom out what all these things were. I also researched the meanings of the strange symbols on the many switches. I managed to turn most off and proceeded to motor along peacefully afterwards. It had proximity lights on the mirrors which I couldn't turn off but didn't make warning noises, thank the Lord. LA freeways being what they are.

Yeah Bigbjorn, I was thinking further about the OPs original question .... a tone on your blind spot system would drive you insane on any multi-lane road.

Originally Posted by Celtoid

Years ago I probably had the mirrors 'looking' further in … as in seeing more of my own car. I actually changed that due to a TV ad by some sports driver/rider … can't remember whom. I then turned the mirrors out further so that I have a lot less of my car in view …. dunno… less than 10% of the mirror and more of the road.

I was pretty surprised by the blind spots considering the D4 hasn't got the smallest mirrors in the world. Whilst the pillars do definitely get in the way, turning your head gives a true perspective and something would have to be really small or coming in at an oblique at just the 'wrong' angle, to miss....which probably does happen too in multi-laned-multi-merge environments.

I guess there are a lot of variables …. traffic density and speed. In my main driving conditions (generally heavy traffic), I tend to spend a lot of time looking more forward trying to anticipate the next knob-move in front of me (no indication before rapid lane change, erratic speed changes, braking for no particular reason, etc., etc., etc) so I maybe get less time to monitor the side mirror to build a picture of the traffic beside me. That way I haven't been tracking a car that suddenly 'vanishes' for a short period of time.

I never saw it as a flaw of the car …. I thought it was inherent in all cars due to the perspective of looking across the car into a mirror....thus the term 'Blind Spot'. I always assumed turning your head was just good driving practice …...

It is,but in the van it doesn't help too much.
Large mirrors, having them set up correctly,and using indicators is the answer.

Originally Posted by Celtoid

Yeah Bigbjorn, I was thinking further about the OPs original question .... a tone on your blind spot system would drive you insane on any multi-lane road.

I had it on a Merc and it was OK - not on continuously.