Ghosting

[Sweens]

I love my Gen3 prius, but there is something that drives me mad. I'm wondering whether anybody else has had the same problem and whether there is a fix. It's more noticeable at night. When a car is driving towards you, with headlights on, there is a double image, almost like they have foglights illuminated, which fades and disappears as they get closer.

It is really distracting when driving at night, as every lit object has a double image.

Anybody noticed anything similar?

Cheers.

[Jan&tone]

I love my Gen3 prius, but there is something that drives me mad. I'm wondering whether anybody else has had the same problem and whether there is a fix. It's more noticeable at night. When a car is driving towards you, with headlights on, there is a double image, almost like they have foglights illuminated, which fades and disappears as they get closer.

It is really distracting when driving at night, as every lit object has a double image.

Anybody noticed anything similar?

Cheers.

No.

It could be there is a flaw in your windscreen or you could have a problem with your glasses if you wear them, or you could have an undiagnosed eye peoblem.

Years ago I had an old Corolla and the windscreen got cracked. autoglass came and replaced the screen but the replacement had a flaw where as something got closer it was magnified about half way up the screen and then went back to normal in the top of the screen... It was replaced again the next day!

[Sweens]

Lol. Not an eyesight problem. And I haven't had a bang on the head recently. I'm wondering if there is a problem with refraction in the glass.

[Jan&tone]

Lol. Not an eyesight problem. And I haven't had a bang on the head recently. I'm wondering if there is a problem with refraction in the glass.

As a Gen3 it will still be under warranty - take it to the dealer and get a second opinion.

[kithmo]

There is a solution to this problem, stop driving on the wrong side of the road ! :D

I haven't noticed it with my Prius, but I used to have a similar thing, spurious reflections of street lights etc, when I first started wearing glasses, until I got used to them. I'd advise to try and not look directly at the oncoming car headlights.

[DrCez]

Lol. Not an eyesight problem. And I haven't had a bang on the head recently. I'm wondering if there is a problem with refraction in the glass.

Hi Sweens, well I see this effect so there are at least two of us :) Sometimes I drive using glasses and sometimes with contact lenses and the "ghost" images are identical, so I'm convinced it is to do with refraction or something similar happening in the windscreen. The effect I see is as you describe: for example headlights of oncoming cars appear to have a slightly dimmer image just below them, a bit like foglights (or DRL's). I can't remember but there may also be a ghost in the HUD as well.

My guess is that it is just to do with the angle and thickness of the windscreen (possibly it is more pronounced depending how tall you are / your seat position?). I suppose you could ask your dealer to try out sitting in another Prius to see if the same effect is visible, at least you'd then have an idea whether the effect is better or worse in another car.

I've just got used to it - for me it is noticeable but I reasoned that other conditions (e.g. rain) have more impact so I just live with it. Also I live in Aberdeen and the nights are so short at the moment that few drivers are using their lights when I'm out and about. Perhaps you should ask me again in the winter and I might feel differently, but I've managed two winters in my Gen 3 so far without it getting too annoying.

[ian rooke]

Hi Just to throw my spanner in the works I had a similar experience with double headlights at night found out to be cataracts two eye ops later and now with 20/20 vision all ok.

[dwilson]

Hi Just to throw my spanner in the works I had a similar experience with double headlights at night found out to be cataracts two eye ops later and now with 20/20 vision all ok.

Yes it could be something to do with eyes but I would expect that to produce other effects. I suspect it is to do with multiple reflections within the windscreen and this to will vary with angle of incidence of the light from the headlights and also thickness of glass (which will vary). The effect was very common with old mirrors that had a thick sheet of glass in front of the silvered surface and was known as "ghosting" !

You coud try altering the seat height (if that is possible - I don't have a Gen 3) and see if that helps.

All the best,

David

[Chris Dance]

At my last eye test I was prescribed driving glasses. The glasses I chose react with light at any time and at night they definitely reduce the glare of oncoming vehicle headlights. I did not think I needed driving glasses as my eyes would have been OK for the requirements of the driving test. However since using them the strain on my eyes from driving long distances is much reduced. Never had the problem you have outlined Sweens on my Gen 2 or my Gen 3.

[Sweens]

Thanks for all the replies, chaps. As ever, a great forum for discussing Prius issues!

Interesting what you say DrCez. It's 100% as you describe it. I've got a dealer service coming up so I'll see what they say!

Thanks again.

[Doesn'tExist]

Can't say I notice anything like that...

Then again I do wear glasses and only at night as at any other time my eyes are absolutely fine. A minor tiny correction for night blindness and all the double vision just went away. Best trip I've ever made to the optician.

But it could be a fault with your window, or perhaps even a dirty traffic film over it.