Steering Wheel Lights

The general theory is that Toyota made the steering wheel lights dim to give owners one thing to complain about.

 

Once you get used to them, they are bright enough. I had the same complaint when my Prius was new. The button lights are bright enough to see the buttons when it is dark, otherwise ambient light is bright enough. That said, it would be nice if they were adjustable.

Another minor brightness complaint that I have involves the relationship of brightness between the speedo display and the MFD button lights. On dark nights I would dim the speedo a bit more, but then the MFD buttons go out completely.

Tom

 

I havm the sa,e fee;ing abiut the QWERTY kwybrd.

Rom

 

,jay co ',.pyf

 

Seems true.
Toyota maybe trying every possible way to save money on Prius production.

I suspect the steering wheel buttons maybe just lit by a single LED on each side only. Not to mention the power window switches are not lit at all.

 

Wait a minute, The steering wheel buttons have lights??? lol

 

Why isn't the AC fan speed control on the steering wheel? I rarely adjust the temperature control, which is on the steering wheel, but I am always adjusting the fan speed which requires a distracting use of the display controls. And since I can't touch type, better lights on the wheel controls would be greatly appreciated.

 

It seems that the design is that you use the Auto AC, which adjusts the fan speed automatically. You can easily adjust the temp from the steering wheel, and then let the system take care of the rest.

When I'm driving at night, I turn down the speedo display (to reduce the green glare), and I can see the steering wheel lights just fine if I need to glance down.

 

If I can trust my memory cells this morning, the QWERTY layout was designed to slow people down. The mechanical arms on ancient typewriters kept getting stuck because the typists were going too fast. The DVORAK layout puts the most-used letters in the easiest-to-reach places, but people reject it because it 'looks weird' or isn't what they're used to.

 

Like Tony, I just feel the buttons. Each one either has a unique location or feature. I don't like taking my eyes off the road for very long so this seems to work out.

Anyone ever try to mod the steering wheel lights?

 

Yeah I think people have tried modding the lights... or at least thought about it. But I think by the time you get close to coming up with a solution, you've gotten used to the feel of the buttons. Making fun of QWERTY is fun, but honestly, if you use the buttons a lot you'll know them by touch pretty quickly. I don't take my eyes off the road to find buttons anymore.

And re: fan speed, yes, try forcing yourself to use the auto a/c button and temp +- buttons for a while without using the climate screen. I was skeptical but I forced myself to do it, and I literally NEVER use the climate screen anymore because the buttons take care of it all... the a/c controls humidity very well, temp, etc. and if I want higher fan speed, I bump the temp a little.

 

This is how I dress when I drive, so I don't have an issue seeing the steering wheel controls. I do however get that glare that everyone complains about.

 

I think I would find it distracting, or at least annoying, if the steering wheel had brighter lights on it.

 

Adjustable would be cool, and we could all have our pick.

 

A little off-topic, but does anyone know how to get to the underside of the buttons. I have a squeaky one that needs attention. Does the silver (surrounding) frame simply snap off?