PHEV... what's the score with the cargo light? And where did the puddle lights go?

[Terry10]

Hi

And the reversing lights! They are rubbish and definitely need changing.

£5.99 for 2 led ( canbus ) worth every penny.

As previously suggested, what are toyota thinking of when they build such a great car and then put diabolical lighting into various parts of the car.

I fitted a set of led bulbs to the complete interior and actually found that the front roof lights were a little too bright as they knocked your night vision when you got in and out. Problem solved with a £1.99 tin of  window tint paint. One good coat took the glare out so well happy with the results .

Terry

[ernieb]

I’ve also done the reversing lights, left that off my list, the difference is huge. Prior to the change I could hardly see the area behind the car now it’s a whole different world.  A very easy change at a low cost.

[Nick72]

Only thing I've now noticed is the reversing cam is heavily saturated by the led reversing lights. Whites out a lot as I back up the drive towards the house.

[ernieb]

4 minutes ago, Nick72 said:

Only thing I've now noticed is the reversing cam is heavily saturated by the led reversing lights. Whites out a lot as I back up the drive towards the house.

I agree and guess the camera sensitivity is set for the poor halogen lights that are OEM fitted. The camera/screen is not the best but I’d rather have the brighter lights than the originals, the view in the side mirrors is so much better and I can see the areas on either side of the car. I wonder if there might be a setting available that could be adjusted for night time use within the firmware via the OBD2 port? It’s always going to be a compromise to some extent.

[Flatcoat]

From a quick search The camera brightness is adjustable on Camry and Corolla so potentially also on the RAV. 

[Lawnmowerman]

1 hour ago, Nick72 said:

Only thing I've now noticed is the reversing cam is heavily saturated by the led reversing lights. Whites out a lot as I back up the drive towards the house.

Pitch dark this evening - couldn't say the camera gave me any problems. Delighted with the new bulbs.

[Nick72]

1 hour ago, ernieb said:

I agree and guess the camera sensitivity is set for the poor halogen lights that are OEM fitted. The camera/screen is not the best but I’d rather have the brighter lights than the originals, the view in the side mirrors is so much better and I can see the areas on either side of the car. I wonder if there might be a setting available that could be adjusted for night time use within the firmware via the OBD2 port? It’s always going to be a compromise to some extent.

Worth a look into. Looking now.

[Terry10]

1 hour ago, Nick72 said:

Only thing I've now noticed is the reversing cam is heavily saturated by the led reversing lights. Whites out a lot as I back up the drive towards the house.

Interesting point. Only used mine once right after I fitted the new bulbs and looked brilliant with no white out at all. Will certainly look for that and come back in a few days after a bit more use. Logically it makes sense that the camera must be set for a certain level of brightness . Hopefully there is an adjustment for those that need it.

Terry

[Lawnmowerman]

2 minutes ago, Terry10 said:

Interesting point. Only used mine once right after I fitted the new bulbs and looked brilliant with no white out at all. Will certainly look for that and come back in a few days after a bit more use. Logically it makes sense that the camera must be set for a certain level of brightness . Hopefully there is an adjustment for those that need it.

Terry

 

1 hour ago, ernieb said:

I agree and guess the camera sensitivity is set for the poor halogen lights that are OEM fitted. The camera/screen is not the best but I’d rather have the brighter lights than the originals, the view in the side mirrors is so much better and I can see the areas on either side of the car. I wonder if there might be a setting available that could be adjusted for night time use within the firmware via the OBD2 port? It’s always going to be a compromise to some extent.

Just a thought - isn't the Sun a bit brighter than the LED's?

Don't have an issue then either - other than the distortion (which wasn't an issue on the 4.4).

[ernieb]

9 hours ago, Lawnmowerman said:

 

Just a thought - isn't the Sun a bit brighter than the LED's?

Don't have an issue then either - other than the distortion (which wasn't an issue on the 4.4).

I’d wondered if the sensitivity was adjusted by the system based on the time of day but I’m not sure that this is the case, needs researching.

[Nick72]

20 hours ago, Lawnmowerman said:

 

Just a thought - isn't the Sun a bit brighter than the LED's?

Don't have an issue then either - other than the distortion (which wasn't an issue on the 4.4).

I expect the light sensitivity mode of the camera will be moded off the light sensor which also sets the mode for the displays and auto headlights etc. That's how I'd engineer it to cope with very different lighting conditions at least. Suspect when light sensor says it's dark the sensitivity of the camera is turned up, or, the reversing image on infotainment screen has increased brightness. Either way try reversing towards a vertical surface and see if things white out. 

[Lawnmowerman]

1 hour ago, Nick72 said:

I expect the light sensitivity mode of the camera will be moded off the light sensor which also sets the mode for the displays and auto headlights etc. That's how I'd engineer it to cope with very different lighting conditions at least. Suspect when light sensor says it's dark the sensitivity of the camera is turned up, or, the reversing image on infotainment screen has increased brightness. Either way try reversing towards a vertical surface and see if things white out. 

Hi Nick

I reverse to within 3 feet of a 4ft fence that after 10 years has turned that silver way that they do. Not sure if that is enough of a test though.

Appreciate everyone's superior knowledge on this subject - hope no one offended by my flippancy 😀.

[Nick72]

7 minutes ago, Lawnmowerman said:

Hi Nick

I reverse to within 3 feet of a 4ft fence that after 10 years has turned that silver way that they do. Not sure if that is enough of a test though.

Appreciate everyone's superior knowledge on this subject - hope no one offended by my flippancy 😀.

I'm sure it will depend upon the materials behind the car. Glass or anything remotely reflective like metal bollards and things start to white out on the camera. It's not a big deal and has to be balanced with how well the road is lit up when reversing around a corner or whatever. Still looking for a setting that could help.

[ernieb]

Not tried this yet but I’ll give it a go tomorrow.

 

[Nick72]

14 minutes ago, ernieb said:

Not tried this yet but I’ll give it a go tomorrow.

 

Great spot. Please let us know how you get on.

[ernieb]

OK, I’ve checked it out and there are menu options as per photo’s.  I’ve only tried this during the day but it was early morning, overcast and raining, welcome to Derbyshire.
Anyway there does not appear to be individual settings for day and night, just the display and camera.  In the camera mode there are two controls, Contrast and Brightness. Interestingly the brightness control acts initially like a highlights control ‘highlights’ control if you are used to making adjustments to photographs, so impacts the brighter parts of the picture and as the setting effect is increased affects the whole image. I played with slight reduction of brightness and reduced the contrast a little. In the conditions I was testing the saturation of the brightest parts of the image were less bright without making a massive difference to the other parts. Purely subjective and would need to be played with at night and then retested during the day but my gut feeling is that a compromise could be readily achieved without any major problems with judicial use of the controls. Needs further work..

bottom right corner, I missed the first time..

[ernieb]

Next screen…

[ernieb]

Last screen….

[nlee]

I've taken the recommendations of people on this thread and bought replacement reversing lights (I bought the same as the link Ernie posted).

So here comes today's dumb question....

How do you check/look at the reversing lights when you are on your own? If you put it in reverse and take your foot of the brake, it'll run away backwards and end up in the garage door!

Next question is the replacements for inside. I don't fully understand all the different bulb versions. The manual says the vanity lights are wedge type 8w and the front interior wedge type 5w. There's a good website (they sell bulbs but it's a US site) that shows the stock bulb type and these are 175 and 168 respectively. I gather these are the same size but different power so different brightness. But looking for LED replacements on the usual sites most seem to cover 168/175/194. Those that have swopped these, have you just used the same bulbs for vanity, front and boot? All the same brightness?

[ernieb]

You have to wait till it’s dark and then hit reverse I had the same issue. I was able to check that they functioned by getting my wife to stand behind the car.

I used the same bulbs for the vanity, curtesy lights,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085DMDTPF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the boot light, I original used the ones above but then changed to a more powerful version,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09C8C3JQG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 

the rear seat bulb is a festoon I used this version, it was a pain to take out the old one and I had to use plastic tweezers which I also used to fit the new, I had to bend the contacts slightly, not sure it it should have been a different size but I know I’d pushed them out of place,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NJNQCBN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

the LED internals are bight so you have to decide if you want that. I wanted a good level of light so I’m very happy with the results. Hope that helps

[nlee]

Thanks Ernie. I've had a look at yours and it looks like the original ones you put in the vanity and courtesy are 75 lumens, the one in the boot 400 lumens and the back 300 lumens.

Foolishly I didn't consider lumens when I ordered, just reviews, and I've just looked at the ones that should arrive tomorrow and they don't say what they are. They are similar to the boot lights so if you think 75 is too bright, these might burn my retinas. I can always try but hopefully ok for the boot either way. It's a pity they don't say how bright because of like to match the front and rear with similar levels. I'm not tackling the interiors yet anyway, the reverse and the boot were the priority.

[ernieb]

You want the boot light to be as bright as possible in my view. The light as you know is to one side and with the OEM build hardly reached the other side of the car.

as I said above these ones were a big improvement

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NJNQCBN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also have a bright metalled tape and I cut a small section which I stuck in the holder as a reflector, not saying it’s needed but I wanted more light. Nick bought a separate rechargeable LED light which he rated very highly.

[nlee]

Just done the reverse lights. 2 minute job, very straightforward. I did put it in reverse and apply the handbrake. It allowed a very quick look to check they were working but it was a squeaky bum moment and I wouldn't advocate it to anyone.

I wondered if you wanted to really light up the boot space about using led tape lighting on the back of the seats or under the boot cover housing. They are mainly 12v DC so the transformer could be cut off and connect it to the appropriate wires in the stock light then it would come on when the boot was opened. It wouldn't be for me but just a thought to share. 

[Terry10]

1 hour ago, nlee said:

Just done the reverse lights. 2 minute job, very straightforward. I did put it in reverse and apply the handbrake. It allowed a very quick look to check they were working but it was a squeaky bum moment and I wouldn't advocate it to anyone.

I wondered if you wanted to really light up the boot space about using led tape lighting on the back of the seats or under the boot cover housing. They are mainly 12v DC so the transformer could be cut off and connect it to the appropriate wires in the stock light then it would come on when the boot was opened. It wouldn't be for me but just a thought to share. 

😂😂😂😂 Thats exactly how I checked my reversing lights. Ended up with wobbly legs! Won’t be doing that again.

Terry