Just wanted to check with others on this.

I'm used to the manual day/night mirrors. When you flip the switch you mainly see the headlights dimmed, not much else. With the TCH's everything gets dimmed a bit, but I can still make out all details and the lights can still be annoying. Is this what everyone else sees?

 

I do not like it because it comes on as a default function. I like to switch it on manually only at nights when I need it.

 

You must had some special mirror, I never heard of. Most dimming mirrors work on the principle of reduced reflectivity to all incoming light. I'm not aware of any mirror in existance that would reflect less bright light and more dim light. I think the green tint is something you're not used to, it is also possible your eyes are not very good in this part of the spectrum. For example I noticed that I have trouble seeing blue, if there is blue neon sign I can't see it as clear as red, green or any other color except maybe purple. Maybe you have a problem with green, but green is the color human vission is tuned the best for, even newest Sony video camcorders have as many green receptors as all the other colors all put together to match our vision. I have no problem with my mirror, high beams are dim enough and everything else seems to be bright enough. I love the fact that I don't have to constantly adjust it, like I did before. I just wish the side mirrors dimmed also. You could probably get old fassioned mirror for few dollars and replace the whole assembly if it's not to your liking. Also you can pull out the fuse to keep the mirror at full brightness or put tape over the sensor to keep it dim at all times.

 

Headlights in the distance look mostly normal. As the car behind gets closer, the color starts shifting to a bright light green. When the car is directly behind me the color will continue to shift to a more darker green. The brightness intensity is kept in check by the color change. I am kind of surprised how many people don't like this, I found this gadget one of the coolest things in this car besides the HSD system itself, but it is my first auto-dimming mirror so maybe I don't have the experience of comparing it to something else. I know I like it much better than the old flip mirrors. The only thing I've found lacking is the fact that the side mirrors don't have this functionality too. If they did, I'd be in auto-dimming happy land.

I guess I'm the only vote in the completely satisfied column.

Edit: I just saw Pete4's comments, make that 2 votes in the happy column

 

The TCH is probably the third car I've had with an auto-dimming rear view mirror (my '99 Lexus GS even dimmed the side mirrors as well). They've always worked fine for me and I'm quite happy with the mirror in the TCH.

But every car forum I've ever participated in as an owner has had complaints about this feature and frustrations with the inability to turn it off as a default. Seems funny that such a small item could cause so much consternation, but maybe car manufacturers ought to clue in and make it possible to set auto-dimming off as a default.

 

I would start with 800-331-4331. I have not yet called to inquire about the mirror but they should be able to help.

 

I also like the autodimming mirror and this is my first experience with it. With my old car, it was too dark when flipped. The TCH mirror gets it just right, at least for me.

 

In my Prius days one person turned his mirror over (180 degrees). This put the ambient sensor behind the tinted portion of the windshield and made it more agressive in dimming.
Another put a filter (smoked) over the same sensor which does the same thing without having to turn the mirror over.
J

 

Register my vote in the "dislike" column. I've never liked the auto-dimming mirror, and I particularly dislike that it's not possible to disable it as the default.

Aside from disliking the aesthetics, my original reasoning was that it further distorts a "reality" that, if you think about it, is already distorted. When the headlights behind me become too bright, isn't that valuable information that I'd want to know? In the olden days, you couldn't miss the fact that a jacked Ford F150 was riding three feet off your bumper...and that was healthy. Now, I'm not so sure.

But now I've got a kid, and that adds more fuel to this fire: when the thing dims, it also makes it almost impossible to see the baby in the backseat.

Aren't those two legitimate, quasi-safety-related reasons why they should make it possible to turn the thing off for good?

 

absolutely, auto-dimming is one nice feature to have...