Rear View? Do You Get Used to It?

i got use to it really quick but i also seem to be attracted to cars with poor visibility ( camaro, FJ Cruiser).

 

HOW TO DEAL WITH BLIND SPOTS -- RECOMMENDATIONS?

After I spent over a year looking for a flawless vehicle with a complete repair record before I finally purchased my 2007 Prius just three months ago -- then three weeks ago, a dump truck decided to cut around me using a yellow-striped median on my left as I was maneuvering into a left turn lane a couple hundred feet before the stoplight -- and its rear tire ripped off my left fender, headlight, the entire front of the car and damaged a pricey motor cooling component on the front left of the car.

My photos prove that this was the truck driver's fault (though he argued a great lie) and I have my car back in perfect repair now -- thought the sting of this having occurred remains. I have treated my Prius sooooo00000OOOOO carefully and driven with extremely caution since I bought it -- yet it seems any clown can just jump out of nowhere and rip your car up.

Even though I was not found at fault, it remains why I never saw this truck coming. Granted, I am not supposed to have to worry about vehicles approaching from a yellow-striped median (or any road shoulder) -- yet people do this -- and I want to be prepared for the next time. I do know that there are BIG blind spots because of the rear view window configuration, so I have had to accommodate by not risking lane changes when I am not 100% sure of what's there (often by speeding up so that the road I just passed is what's in the blind spot).

This is STILL not good enough. The bozo truck driver who collided with me kept insisting I needed to put fish-eye mirror inserts on my side mirrors. I don't know -- I've read that these can cause more trouble than they are worth in terms of seeing around the blind spots -- and they are supposed to be next to impossible to remove once installed.

I would be interested in whether others have found these useful or what other approaches have been used. If anybody can recommend a specific brand or type of fish-eye inserts or other devices, I would very much appreciate it.

Manyu thanks!

 

I cut this article out of the newspaper a few years ago as to how to adjust your outside mirrors to completely eliminate blind spots. To set the left mirror, place your head against the side window and adjust the mirror until you just see the side of your car-much like you would have set the mirror in the past. To set the right outside mirror, lean toward the center of the car and adjust the passenger side mirror until the side of the car comes into view. To make sure blind spots are eliminated, watch as a car passes while you are in your driving position. If the mirror is properly adjusted, you should be able to see the overtaking car in the outside mirror before it leaves the inside mirror. Then you should be able to see the front of the car from the corner of your eye before it leaves the outside mirror-all without turning your head. Always use the rear view mirror as your primary one. Before changing lanes, check it to make sure nobody is coming from the rear. Then glance at the side view mirror to see whether anyone is in your blind spot. It it is clear, change lanes.

 

1. The rear window bar stopped bothering us after a week or two of driving.
2. Yes, we installed wedge-shaped blind spot mirrors on both driver's side and passenger's side mirrors within a month of buying the car. They each had to be positioned to exactly show the blind spot on each side before gluing them on, and we both have to remember to put a glance at them in our traffic scan before changing lanes. They have prevented several accidents. I prefer a wedge shape over the fisheye type as the visual image of a car in your blind spot is noticeably larger with the wedge type and easier for us to see.
3. The irritating thing is the cars I rented in Europe even 10 years back had beautiful "split-screen" driver's side mirrors where the 2/3 of the mirror closest to the car was a normal flate plate, but the outer 1/3 was a curved section which covered the blind spot really well with minimal distortion. It was a simple, elegant solution and much neater than gluing on blind spot mirrors which I have had to do for all my US -purchased cars. Has anyone else seen those? Does anyone know why they are not used on US models?

 

Once installed, do the wedge shaped mirrors help with the blind spot for anyone driving the car, or are they positioned to only work for the driving position in place at the time you installed them?

 

Side vision is my gripe , the side mirrors are almost worthless ,, I've read how to adjust them
But the Prius side mirrors has more blind spots than I care for ,,,

 

I've got 80,000 miles on my G3.

If little things bug the crap out of you.....uncomfortable seats, visors that don't extend, Hellen Keller radio, backup beeper on the inside rather than the outside of the car, a-pillars that are wide as most American's rear ends, felt-thin carpet, X-box 360 steering, easily marred plastic.....just to name a few, then you should really rent a Prius for at least a weekend before you spend $25,000 on one.

Most of these things still bug me.....and many more besides.

You want to know what I got USED to?
-Low maintenance costs.
-50MPG.



Good Luck!

 

DW says yes the blind spot mirror wedges work for her also. She is 5'2" and sits both much lower and much further forward than I do at 6'2" and 35" sleeve arms (orangutan version). But you really should try them out before affixing them to make sure they will work for both you and any SOs who may drive the car. I had DW walking around the side of the car in a parking lot to check that the blind spot was really covered before uncovering the tape surface and affixing them. DW refused, however to make "beep-beep" sounds whilst doing this.
The wedges are mostly convex in the left-to-right direction and only slightly convex or even flat in the up-down direction, but different brands have different curvatures and total areas. You also are sacrificing a spot on the normal mirror to gain the blind spot vision, so make sure you test and like the brand you choose and the position you mount it on. They are, however, not terribly expensive, so you can try different brands if you decide to do this. Good luck!

 

After reading your post I remembered that the vision problem was the worst thing about the car when I bought it. Since i had to be reminded of it I guess I must have gotten use to it and forgot all about it. But Thanks now it bothers me again. I have to stop reading these posts.

 

I made this transition a couple of years ago with no regrets.

It also means that high beams directly behind me don't show in the side mirrors unless I move my head to an extreme.

 

That's interesting. With the v being newer, I'd suspect they revised the rear view camera as result of customer feedback. I find the back up camera on our regular Prius WAY too wide angle. objects 2~3 feet behind you appear to be 10~12 feet back. I glance at it, but really don't trust what I'm seeing. Hope it get's updated per the v.

 

You named about half the ways my 4-year-old Prius is inferior to my 34-year-old "economy" car that preceded it. Also, its misplaced thinly upholstered door armrests, the misplaced dim cargo light, the mountain range of plastic clogging the middle of the interior, the missing or misplaced basic instrumentation, the 101 small ways it squanders the 12-volt battery's state of charge ...

On the other hand, nothing leaks, there's no rust, it's quieter most of the time, it rides better, crashing in it would be more survivable, and it really does get slightly better gas mileage.

 

No it is the worst thing about a great car.. Especially backing up. Thanks god I have rear camera

 

This is an important things for Toyota to fix. The interior of my prius screams cheap. And don't forget the cheesey plastic wheel covers. I have lost 2

 

I've gotten used to it. It is particularly helpful for parallel parking

 

I really have gotten used to mine. If you see things in the lower rear window they're following too close. Vision out the back has really never bothered me at all.
I love the mileage and no real maintenance issues. I would say if it really bothers you, get a Camry Hybrid.

 

In my review, the bar/separation/spoiler blocks the headlights!

 

I have to say that I am already getting used to the rear view and making highway lane changes. I do wish my backup camera had guidelines, though.

 

i wish the backup camera worked while going forward.

 

Can't you buy the override thingy in the PC store? Pretty sure it will go on when you use your turn signal, not sure if it can be permanently set to be on though..