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MFD and polairsed shades.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Audio and Electronics' started by aminorjourney, Jun 17, 2008.

  1. aminorjourney

    aminorjourney Mum to two prius!

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    Hi folks,

    Now I've been driving Velma a few weeks and we've had some great sun here in the UK (rare I know, but it's true - it's been nice!) I've been driving around wearing my shades.

    I'm really short sighted, so end up wearing contacts plus polarized sunshades, or prescription polarized shades when I'm not wearing contacts.

    Problem is, I've discovered that my car's MFD is really difficult to see with polarized shades on. Wear regular shades and you can see it great. But the polarization in the lenses is just enough to make viewing the MFD difficult.

    Now, with shades on plus contacts it's easy to remove the shades to see the MFD when I need to - but when I'm wearing prescription shades......

    I wonder if it's possible to either modify or move the polarization filter on the MFD's display to allow me to see the screen more clearly. Or perhaps light it better?

    Cheers,

    Nikki.

    P.S. I don't seem to have the same problem with the screen in our '07.
     
    #1 aminorjourney, Jun 17, 2008
  2. Genoz World

    Genoz World ZEN-style living

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    hmmmmmmmmmm. i wear oakley polarized lenses and i do not seem to have a problem with my screen. can you try another brand of polarized or borrow someone's to see if you have the same problem?

    i'm sorry i'm not more constructive, but i dont seem to have that problem. maybe it's the brand?
     
    #2 Genoz World, Jun 17, 2008
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I wear polarized sunglasses all the time...occasionally it can be a little harder to read the display, but usually it's OK.
    Check your display settings, you may be able to lighten it up a bit...what about your dimmer? Do you drive with lights on and that's dimming the display?
     
    #3 efusco, Jun 17, 2008
  4. mrblaise

    mrblaise Go Lakers!!

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    I have also noticed this problem, though I found it worse when using my Garmin GPS.
     
    #4 mrblaise, Jun 17, 2008
  5. aminorjourney

    aminorjourney Mum to two prius!

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    Thanks guys.

    No, the screen isn't dimmed. The contrast and brightness is currently at the middle setting for both. I'll have a play, and try different glasses. They're certainly not oakley!
     
    #5 aminorjourney, Jun 17, 2008
  6. hiremichaelreid

    hiremichaelreid New Member

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    Yeah, I have no problems with my cheap polarized shades either.

    If you can change MFD color schemes, give that a shot.
     
    #6 hiremichaelreid, Jun 17, 2008
  7. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    It has to do with the angle on the polarizer. The Prius uses a slanted polarization to help avoid this problem, but if you tip your head the wrong way you make it worse. Try tipping your head from side to side and see if it's better one way or the other.

    Tom
     
    #7 qbee42, Jun 17, 2008
  8. aminorjourney

    aminorjourney Mum to two prius!

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    ROFLOL.

    Yeah, I've already done that. I found that the polarization seems to be worst at about 45%, which is what I would expect from my knowledge of the polarization lenses from my high school physics...

    I wonder if it's got something to do with screen visibility being designed primarily for LHD markets? I wonder if the viewing angle is optimized for viewing from the left hand seat rather than the right-hand one. I'll have some spare time this weekend so I'll do some experiments :)

    Nikki.
     
    #8 aminorjourney, Jun 18, 2008
  9. prius12306

    prius12306 2018 prime advanced - Stella

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    I don't seem to have this issue with my polarized prescription sunglasses. Mine are progressive lenses, so this combined with the polarization means I have to look at the display at just the right angle. Sometimes it is hard to see, but I think that has more to do with the progressive lens.
     
    #9 prius12306, Jun 18, 2008
  10. Rest

    Rest Active Member

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    I also wear Oakley polarized shades and have not problem viewing my MFD. By the way, Oakley's have the best polarized lens made.
     
    #10 Rest, Jun 18, 2008
  11. Joekc

    Joekc Member

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    I had to get new prescription glasses made without polarizing lenses. Not only could I not see the MFD display, I couldn't see the speed etc readout. Part of the problem was my original glasses were too dark, but the polarization contributed.

    The store gave me a sample polarized and non-polarized lens to take out to the Prius to try. Yes, it made a difference. So I had a non-polarized, light pair of lenses made and things are better, though not perfect. I guess this is a hidden cost of owning a Prius.
     
    #11 Joekc, Jun 19, 2008
  12. lenjack

    lenjack Active Member

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    Same problem here. Any followup on the LHD question?
     
    #12 lenjack, Jun 22, 2008
  13. Rest

    Rest Active Member

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    Are you talking about the speedometer? If so, that shouldn't even be effected by polarized glasses as it is not an LCD display.
     
    #13 Rest, Jun 24, 2008
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