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Rear-wiper: Anybody miss it yet on the new Prime?

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by PokemonPrius, Dec 24, 2016.

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  1. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    I can see through rain drops. Snow and slush is the problem.
     
  2. Old Bear

    Old Bear Senior Member

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    The view through the Prime's rear window is so constricted that it really doesn't matter that much.

    When driving, the side mirrors are more important (including the blind-spot detection warning.) When backing up, the rear view camera is much more helpful, along with the cross-traffic detection warning.

    Having driven in snowy conditions, I would much rather see a mechanism for keeping the rear camera lens clear.

    I would love to have a display built into the center-windshield rear view mirror which, while driving, provided a real-time view as seen by the rear camera. I believe that the Chevy Bolt offers this feature.
     
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  3. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    I find the view through the rear window to be surprisingly good, even when I have the cargo area very full.

    I find the blind spot warning to be nearly useless because Toyota failed to include beeping when you turn on your signal toward a direction with the blind spot warning active.

    Since there's no way to turn on the rear camera when moving forward, that would do little or no good.

    Toyota dropped the ball on this. You should be able to put the rear view camera on either the center console display or the MID at any time, especially since the rear window doesn't have a wiper. This is a safety flaw, big time. I have been in conditions where the rear window and both side mirrors accumulated slush and ice while I was driving and I had no visibility out the back whatsoever.
     
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  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    A digital rearview mirror could solve that problem. It’s a wider view than the standard mirror and it’s like having an always on camera except it’s pointing up and not down at the ground.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    I could see a rear view cam as another distraction for bad drivers.
     
  6. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    By that argument, so are the rear view mirrors.
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Necessary evil
     
  8. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    The point of a rear view camera in this context is to replace the mirrors when they are occluded by ice and snow.
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    No question, but it would unlikely be limited to that scenario, although possible with sensors I suppose
     
  10. Zed Ruhlen

    Zed Ruhlen Active Member

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    I like the idea of a virtual rearview mirror. Or maybe some sort of overlay? Sensible solution to the problem
     
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  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    You could say that about wipers and the radio (both of which were opposed as distractions when they were first introduced... and the wipers I'm talking about are the current electronic ones with a wiper stalk not the manual ones you flicked with your hands with a dial from the interior)
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Agreed, everything is a distraction to poor drivers
     
  13. W8LV

    W8LV Junior Member

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    Absolutely agree with the rear view camera. Add to this a wide angle and the blind spot sensors all in one place. It also makes the cargo area much more useful, since loading things there blocks the rear view mirror.

    73 and All the Best!
    DE W8LV Bill
     
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  14. Rosanne Shalf

    Rosanne Shalf Junior Member

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    I have a 2019 Prime Plus. Imiss the rear window wiper. In spring and fall, when pollen, leaves and tree seeds pile up on the rear window, I miss it most. Although I did notice that there is improved rear visibility compared to my old 2004 Prius, so maybe that has to do with the curved window.
     
  15. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

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    I do. There are specific conditions that visibility is compromised where a wiper would fix it.
     
  16. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    I don’t miss car washes doing damage to them.
     
  17. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I keep seeing other cars with about the same slope on the rear glass and they don't have wipers back there. I wonder if their forums are full of complaints, too. I still don't miss the little rear wiper.
     
  18. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I would like a rear wiper. I'll live without it on the Prime for the cool rear window but I usually prefer one. Note I haven't owned a sedan (family cars when I was a kid not withstanding).
     
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  19. GregersonIT

    GregersonIT Member

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    Oddly enough, I added some vortex generators near the center of my own prime for a different reason, and one of the things I notice is the turbulence of the wind has an effect of essentially cleaning off that area a bit. My reason for the vortex generators was central valley california wind in my commute up the I5 over to livermore. It likes to make gnarly crosswinds etc. Just two of them seems to be creating a stablizing effect. I wanted to somewhat justify my possible future purchase of the Prius TRD roof garnish so I bought a couple of cheap generators as a test and they are effective enough that I've had no real need to spend the 200 on a factory setup. Though, if I could put together a large enough group buy, I could probably get the factory model, cast it, and sell it through group buy at fraction of the cost in volume.
     
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  20. Randi

    Randi Junior Member

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    I don’t miss it. Keep a coat of rain X on it and you won’t miss it. :)