Hi Everyone: I've had my new-to-me 2010 "level III" for about six weeks now. Basically, I really love it, but there's some real odd things about the "user interface" that get me - I used to do user interface design for software, so maybe I'm overly sensitive. 1. Wearing polarized driving glasses - the engineers who designed the regular display, and the ones who designed the Nav unit - clearly failed to understand polarized sunglasses - or talk to each other! Both units tend to black out the displays in polarized viewing (bad design - should be the other way around!), but at different head angles. For one you need to tilt your head one way to see it, the other way for the other. Bad engineer, no biscuit! Go back to physics 101, do not collect $200. 2. The Nav unit and the regular display dim when you turn on the headlights. OK, you get a few points for that (better at night), but in California you're now required to turn on your headlights if it's wet enough to use the wipers (a good idea anyway) - which makes the display almost impossible to see when it's bright and drizzley. The Nav especially. In a lot of driving situations it's safer to turn on the headlights anyway, but you can't see the darned displays. So, is there a setting where the display brightness can be turned up (dial is all the way up already) for daytime headlight use? 3. The content of the displays is another thing altogether... for another time. /rant Happy trails, Stuart
People have complained about the polarized glasses/hard to see displays. It's annoying I agree, but I've gotten used to it. If you rotate the dimmer on the left side of the dash up until it clicks it will make the dash display with speedometer etc bright (max) and turn the nav display to day mode. Alternatively, you can put the nav screen display into day mode manually. I believe it's an option if you hit the lower left button around the screen which says display, turn on day mode.
Welcome, Stuart. I haven't noticed the problem with my polarized sunglasses & Toyota's displays but they do block my Garmin's. Did you get the Nav book & the Owner's manual? Maybe you have to increase the brightness on the Nav. The night setting is bright enough for me. With a used car there is no telling which settings were customized so it may take some poking around to get everything to your liking.
Installing a polarizing filter over one (or both) of the displays might help, if you put it at an angle in between the display's polarization and the glasses' polarization. (Fun science experiment; hold two polarizing filters at 90° to each other - they will block all light as expected. Now add a third polarizing filter in the middle at 45° from each, and light will be let through again!) The other option; buy cheaper sunglasses! And as Paradox noted - turning the dial up all the way isn't quite all the way it can go. Push it a bit further, and it will click, turning all the displays to their daytime brightness.
Non polarized glasses are typically a bit more expensive - not less. Every pilot will know about this problem - any pilot store ONLY sells non-polarized glasses. It's the design of polarization to block glare and that design conflicts with electronic displays. With the exception of being on the lake, I think most will prefer the non. The clarity difference of a quality pair of non will amaze you. In short - it's not Toyota's fault....
Hmmmm, I was going to say mine haven't caused any issues, but then I remembered that I haven't used them since I got my Prius. I did have that issue a little bit with my HCH I had, but not with the Prius. I have "drive wear" sunglasses that I wear now (prescription), that I purchased online and they work great. Now, if I could just get a pair of good "wrap around" ones for when I'm on the Harley, I'd be happier. The ones I use now aren't wrap around, and they tend to vibrate a bit when I ride. Not an issue unless I'm trying to read that sign in the distance a little bit. For those curious, the website is: rx-safety.com and no, I'm not affiliated with them in anyway, but I have found their sunglasses to be good.
On my 2011 Prius 2 without nav, the top LCD display looks fine with polarized sunglasses on. The bottom one is partially blacked out. I think it's the plastic windows over the display that are at fault. They somehow got polarized during manufacturing. Another one I test drove had the same problem.
I know how confusing new technologies can be for people, so I've attached a photo as well as a link to a description on LCD operation. When viewing the image, please take note of the two sheets of polarizing film contained within the assembly. HowStuffWorks - Creating an LCD
