Fuck your headlights - Lemmy.World
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If you dislike being blinded by extremely aggressive headlights or other LEDs, this is the place to vent or organise!

A new community where people can just vent about or actually do coordinate action against the pest of ultra bright LEDs.

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96M

As a Tesla driver (yeah yeah) I’ve noticed in my heavily-Tesla area that 80% of the time when I think someone might have their highbeams on but it’s borderline that it’s a Tesla. It makes me uncomfortable about how bright my own lights are to others. My only consolation is that my car is 6+ years old, so there’s a (slim) chance that the new cars that are being rolled off the line are more poorly aligned than my own. Anyway I don’t know what I could do about it regardless.

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96M

Trade it for something a little lies swastikar-y.

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96M

Honestly I kinda wish I could, but financially it’s not in the cards.

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-106M

removed by mod

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66M

Yeah, I’m so morally bankrupt that I am worried about how my headlights might blind other people. At least I’m not so morally bankrupt that I make other people feel bad on the internet.

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66M

Look through the manual to see if there’s a way to adjust the angle of your lights, or take it into a service center to see if they can adjust it. I’ve never owned a Tesla so I can’t speak on that with any certainty, but all the other cars I’ve driven have had relatively easy ways to adjust the headlight angle.

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36M

It’s something I have noticed too. 9/10 times an oncoming car is blinding me, it seems to be a Tesla. And not because their high beams are on. It might be confirmation bias, but it just seems like Tesla headlights have dogshit beam control optics on top of having fairly bright light sources.

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6M

Nope, not just you. I live in the greater Seattle area (nearly the tesla capital of the world) and 8/10 times I’m blinded is a tesla in oncoming traffic.

Rivians are also terrible, and most crossovers in the last 2-3 years have been increasingly bad.

Driving a lowered sports car with no windshield tint has made driving at night a horrible process. I’m debating getting a low % window tint just to take the edge off of the headlights.

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206M

What about overly bright LED signs? Like billboards or business signs? Those things also suck.

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116M

Or LED’s in modern electronics. I have a wine fridge that insists on telling me its temperature in the brightest possible blue segmented display. And apparently, I must be informed of the temperature at all times because I cant turn it off. Blue LED on the subwoofer brighter than the sun. I had to put a yoshi plushy infront of it to block the light. Wireless phone charger next to my bed… you bet that puppy needs a bright ass light to light up my sleeping area… FUCK! Electrical tape is my best friend today, I use it to cover up any of these stupid LEDs now.

azdle
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16M

I know this website seems sketchy/scammy AF, but I found that these actually do a good job dimming the LEDs to reasonable levels, but keeping them visible.

https://www.lightdims.com/store.htm

I imagine (mostly because of all the “patent pending” bs) that this is a film you just just buy from somewhere else way cheaper, I just don’t know what it is.

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26M

This is why I have a lot of black electrical tape covering a lot of petty lights throughout my house.

Also noises. A lot of household machines like a microwave are unnecessarily obnoxious with noises, with little to no options or choices for it.

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16M

Gaffer’s tape is better, it doesn’t dissolve into a sticky mess.

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16M

The real stuff (the kind that doesn’t leave residue) can get expensive as hell though.

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6M

My samsung microwave has the need to beep 10 fucking times. Shut the fuck up already. God damn it. Instead of giving us the options to turn off these noises and lights, we are given other functions we never use.

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16M

And we drive all LED elements at 100% of their rated value, no matter what. there used to be a Youtuber that rewired electronic things and dimmed all the lights as he was going through them, it’s been ages since I’ve see him tho.

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-186M

Like the sun, if the lights are bright, don’t look at them. Problem solved.

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I mean, sort of, but I live in a place with narrow winding roads that all too often don’t have a line painted on the edge of the road.

There’s definitely a strategy to look down at the edge of the road until the perpetrator has passed, but that assumes you have something to look at that will help

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66M

So I’m on an undivided highway at night, curving leftward. Oncoming traffic is using bright ass light, blinding me, I can’t even see lane or lines. I’m supposed to look away and hope for the best?

Or even better, there’s divider, about 1m tall and there’s always some douchebag in pick up truck that have their lights just high enough to blast over the divider over to my eyes and I can’t even see lane beside me or where the divider are.

So please, use your actual common sense when posting nonsense like this. It’s a legitimate concern.

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26M

Thank you for this useful insight. What do I do when my eyes quickly adapt to this stupidly bright light in my peripheral vision and I now can’t see anything in my own headlights ?

I have tried closing my left eye before, out of desperation. Doesn’t really work and I wouldn’t recommend losing depth perception while driving.

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16M

I came back from the mall, they had one of those little trains for kids. The locomotive had two incredibly bright 6000K (blue-white) headlights. What for? You’re in a mall. It’s lit. You’re going 2 km/h. It’s just cheap one size fits all Aliexpress junk. Not a single thought went into the selection of these abominations.

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46M

A quick question for Americans: here in the UK, cars have to pass an annual inspection once they reach three years old. It’s called an MOT test and it’s primarily concerned with making sure the car is safe - they check for rust, seatbelt tension, brake wear, and, yes, they make sure all the lights are not just working but also aligned properly. Do you not have an equivalent?

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16M

We used to have inspection in Oklahoma but I think it violated our “freedom” so they got rid of it.

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It’s by state. I’ve always lived in states with relatively strict inspections, at least compared to other states, but I’ve never heard of them checking lights or window tint. They’re supposed to

I suppose it’s good that they focus on more urgent things like brakes, emissions, that there be lights, tire treads, and windshield chips/cracks, but I wish they’d do everything

Actually it’s mildly annoying that I have to pay the same for inspections that include the emissions check, with my EV

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16M

I’ll add onto the answers already. I lived in both an inspection state (Virginia), and a non inspection state (Washington state). I was in Va for about 2 years. I never saw more janky ass cars on the road and broken down ones. I saw more in those 2 years than the 20+ years I’ve lived here in Wa.

When it came time for mine, all my neighbors sent me to a mechanic down the road. It was a long ass line, but moved pretty fast. No appointment needed. “WTF is this?” I thought. I got to my turn. The guy was in a short stool, like a dr’s one. He didn’t even leave it. I was in and out in 5 minutes. I’m anal retentive on our vehicle maintenance. So I’m not a danger, but man, I know how others are.

One of our neighbor’s friends brought his car by one time. When it was off, oil was flooded into the spark plug holes. I swore it would never start. He cranked it. It turned over right away and all the oil sucked back down into the engine. I’ve never seen anything like it, nor since. I’m still flummoxed by it.

I saw one car where the person cut the roof away from just behind the driver’s seats. Regular old car. They half ass put a piece of plywood and, what I assume, is plexiglass to act as a wall. The “bed” of the vehicle was now the passenger seat area. It also had some janky work going on back there.

Our inspection system is really shitty, even in the states with them. There are so many, “I know a guy”, things going on that they might as well not have them. Then there are exemptions as well. Year ranges exempt. They do no real good if they’re there. Completely defeats the purpose.

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16M

Not in my state in the US. Arkansas did away with vehicle inspections. As a result you not only have to contend with bright headlights but severely misaligned headlight housings. Most are done on purpose and the funny part of it, if there is a funny part. When they bright light you its really better than when they are on dim.

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76M

I think some states have laws similar to this but in a lot of the country you can basically drive your car until it falls apart unless a cop specifically stops and tickets you for something egregious.

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26M

Some states have something similar, but it’s more for emissions I think. Michigan doesn’t seem to care AT ALL.

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1026M

Oh, it’s bullshit. It’s a bunch of cockfucking bullshit.

You’re sitting, waiting for the bus, trying to look down the street to see if you notice the bus coming. What do you see instead? White. Just an all encompassing blinding white light which just consumes all reality and everything you’re experiencing right now.

NOW how am I supposed to know if I should be getting my bus pass out? Also, 50% chance my retinas were just singed to a crisp.

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416M

I agree, fuck those headlights, but I don’t understand the point of a community for it.
Somewhere for me to go and make myself annoyed?

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56M

It is like road rage videos. I hate road rage. I hope they lose their license. But I can’t watch them because they pointlessly get me worked up.

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326M

Welcome to the Internet

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Have a look around

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106M

Anything that brain of yours can think of can be found

fraksken
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326M

I’mma get some downvotes for this. But is this community also for the headlights of bicycles who like to shine into the face of other road users instead of illuminating the road?

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266M

Totally, I’m commuting by bike almost every work day of the year and it’s infuriating how many cyclists have their headlights misaligned.

Thelsim
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66M

Oh god yes, especially now that all of them use led lights. Mine still uses an old-fashioned light, which is great when you’re alone on the road because your night vision can deal with the rest. But I turn completely blind when an oncoming bike shines one of those led-lights directly in my face.
I’ve already ran off the path twice so far because I couldn’t see where I was cycling (it was at a bicycle path through the park without street lights)

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166M

Yesterday, some idiot on a bike came right at me with a strobing light pointing at my eyes. Fuck you…

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136M

What I currently do is to take out my own headlight from its holder and deliberately point into their eyes. At least the message should be clear.

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16M

❤️ StVZO-compliant illumination ❤️

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76M

No downvotes from me. I cycle every day, it’s my only mode of transportation, and the number of poorly adjusted lights on other people’s bikes is staggering.

Dark Arc
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96M

Ugh yeah that’s been an increasing problem too. I had some guy last year just as dusk was starting to set with a bike headlight blinding me on the bike trail.

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316M

1000016232

I still get mad about this aftermarket center high beam. way more blinding in person than the photo, also makes it impossible to see the plates

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176M

That is definitely “please ticket / pull me over officer”

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66M

Aircraft approach lights level.

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186M

It’s a probably a cop driving it.

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116M

I wouldn’t be surprised. After seeing that video interviewing a guy that goes around his town and fixes plate obfuscations, many being on cop cars, I noticed that in my city too. Stuff like muck on just the plates or the colour of the lettering buffed off.

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96M

And put it in neutral.

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6M

Stock car flamin’ with a loser and the cruise control

Higgs boson
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Baby’s in Reno with the vitamin D

We got a couple of couches, sleep on the love-seat

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86M

Hah, nice. The more the merrier!

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106M

Can we vent about loud motorcycles too?

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06M

No. Loud = safe for motorcyclists. Its the only way they can be noticed inside sound proof cars by people on their phones.

I dont ride anymore because bad drivers killed every motorcyclist i used to ride with.

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16M

My man, I watched an accident yesterday in a grocery store parking lot. A raised up truck was backing out and a car was behind it. The car honked. Laid on that horn. It was a loud horn. Truck didn’t even flinch. Backed right into it.

I’ve been passed by “loud” motorcycles many times. I saw them in my mirrors. I have a tiny blind spot, but I tracked them the entire way. What I didn’t do is hear them. Especially at highway speed, they’re undetectable.

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-16M

Your argument is the equivalent of, “I saw someone get stabbed to death so you shouldnt wear your motorcycle helmet.”

I have no doubt you did see these things but that doesnt mean loud pipes dont add a bit of safety at the expense of noise comfort. Every bit of safety adds up and can save your life. There is no one thing that will do it but if you do enough it can have an effect. Maybe you didnt hear those pipes but a few hours later someone else did and didnt see them and they were saved.

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36M

I only know that for me, driving with windows up, radio quiet, I don’t hear most loud pipes until too late. It’s probably not a good idea to startle drivers just as you’re passing them

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6M

As someone who didnt have an excessively loud bike. … I’ve almost been killed so many times by people who didnt see or hear me and who switched lanes or pulled out in front of me.

Loud pipes do save lives and no amount of bullshit research about one particular scenario that doesnt factor in everything else will change that.

If you think you cant hear loud pipes if you are in front of or beside a motercycle then your an idiot who probably doesnt even ride.

No amount of anything will prevent headons .

But i dont ride anymore and if you do and you want to cruise quietly then you do you.

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6M

This lawyer doesn’t post the actual study referenced anywhere in that blog. After looking for the study, it seems to be referencing a quite limited series of tests in a YouTube video made by the Association for the Development of Motorcycling in Romania.

https://youtu.be/v9QTPyMJGgo

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16M

Argh, hate them!

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56M

While we’re at it, let’s also vent about cars and trucks with loud modified exhausts.

JackbyDev
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166M

The most annoying thing about bright LED headlights is that LEDs don’t have to be bright. Yet because so many are, people view LED headlights as the problem. You can get varying brightness LED bulbs for your home, why not your car?

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186M

If all LED headlamps followed a new polarization standard, things could be very cool. As an example, let’s say the headlights could only shine horizontally polarized light and the windshields could only pass vertically polarized light. That means that one could see every thing very clearly because you wouldn’t be blinded by the cars coming on the opposite side. Your light would illuminate everything in from of you, which would then reflect non polarized light back at you plus all other light reflections from other sources like street lamps. Houses could be fitted with the same filter film as older cars. Similarly, people could wear polarized glasses and get the same benefit.

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16M

Yup pretty simple.

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26M

But check the date this is a very old idea. Would probably make a very interesting YouTube video or two

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16M

I know. It’s not my idea, this is old old. So its amazing how much we seem to like people crashing at night.

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16M

I do have some concerns about polarizing the light. If I can get a hold of some cheap filter material I might be inclined to do some tests. Maybe I can rescue the polarizer out of an old LCD TV.

Polarizing’s not completely magic, It does seriously reduce the amount of light coming in. There’s just usually enough light around that it doesn’t affect us, our pupils dilate a fraction of a fraction and it’s no big deal.

But at night when there’s already relatively little light out, It does reduce the overall light amount.

I’m also concerned that any light that bounces off something but maintains the polarization will be blocked, so there will be a higher chance of you not being able to see some percentage of your own headlight illumination, I would think that the average diffraction off everything in front of you would thoroughly destroy the coalescence of polarization but I don’t really know for sure, it’s possible that would make your own headlights less effective to you.

I suspect if we were thinking about this in the '50s if it were viable somebody would have pulled it off by now. But we only have had windshield sized polarizers in TVs for maybe a decades so maybe?

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16M

All I can say is that it works. I’ve tested this using a flashlight and polarized film on the lamp and on my safety glasses. It makes everything evenly lit. Other light sources become useful since you’re not blinded by the incoming light.

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6M

In North America we can’t even get signal lights to not look different than break lights. I hope Europe has better luck.

Edit: that sounds like an awesome idea

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56M

I agree with you. Our king Elon tried to make our cars automatic. Our felon president trumpfus will be banning electric cars and orange lights because he doesn’t like to be called orange face.

But yeah otherwise not too crazy of a solution.

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56M

Yeah but see that would require the government to do something, and right now they can’t even tell their asses from their elbows. Oh and they’re cutting at least half the jobs. Because eFiShAnSeE.

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46M

Maybe guns are the solution. Just gotta aim for the LED’s! Lol.

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06M

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46M

I didn’t pay attention in physics class, why is the light reflected back not polarized? what happened to the once polarized photons that they come back non polarized?

Also what is polarization? I know that Electro Magnetic Radiation or EMR is made up from pulsating magnetic and electrical fields that propagate through space at a fixed rate or frequency… but what does polarization mean? does it mean the fields are slanted to one side or into one direction or something? or is it like some sort of spin or other sort of modulation?

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56M

There’s Horizontal and vertical polarization as well as circular polarization. In a simple explanation , think of horizontal as a fence with horizontal bars so that only the horizontal part of the photons pass thru. Now once those horizontal photons pass, they will meet surfaces, which will reflect back their light so your eyes can see it. However, in this experiment only the vertical photons will pass your windshield. Because polarization depends on the angle of incidence, you will get some of the horizontally polarized light back as vertically polarized light which will pass thru. The effect is psychedelic. I totally recommend you to try it. You need polarized glasses, a flashlight and a piece of polarized film to place on your flashlight. The colors and shapes come back to you without defined form or glimmers so stuff looks normal, but weird as heck.

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16M

I don’t want anything about driving at night to look psychedelic or weird as heck

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16M

I think ‘uncanny’ would fit better, as certain surfaces would fluoresce despite having no apparent source of light, artifacts, or glaring that you could see.

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16M

Its just weird. Once you see it, its just like any other thing in life.

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16M

It would add to the price, which would suck, but I’d love to see some sort of HUD assist system. Even if it was a wire frame or something that appears as a HUD on the windshield. Not bright enough to blind you or be in the way, but enough to see. User could adjust the color (within limits to maybe not negate the system). To me, we don’t take enough advantage of HUD tech and different types of vision that a computer could do that a human can’t. Make it come on with the headlights or something. That way it’s not on during the day.

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36M

One big challenge with this is that the human eye has not followed all the technological advances… Its still gonna give you shit after the age of 40. So that means you cannot have a simple mirror reflection system where the driver simply focuses on stuff outside of the car and then from time to time onto the HUD. But I think Mamazon and the apple companies have figure either automated focusing or long distance focusing such that the eye doesn’t have to focus on shit up close while driving. So it’s totally doable.

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166M

I drive a van, so I could easily be the culprit. I therefore make a habit of adjusting my beam dip appropriately. Apparently that is unusual enough for them to note they had been adjusted in the service. There’s literally a dial on the dashboard. You’re SUPPOSED to adjust them to the vehicle and road conditions! Apparently not having them set to max is now considered a “fault” to fix!

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56M

If you normally drive the van with a load on the rear axle and it went for a service with nothing in the back, that could explain why they adjusted it higher.

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66M

The load varies, though I’ve found the suspension is hard enough that it doesn’t shift for a normal load up. I mostly do it because I’ve noticed that, when I hit a bump, my lights can sweep up over the windows of cars in front.

Also, I don’t mind them readjusting it. It’s calling it a fault that bugged me.

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236M

I recently had a high beam tailgating me. I moved my side and rearview mirrors to reflect it back and he passed me on a double yellow line with him in front of me I just turned on my own high beams. He turned off soon after but I hope it made his day a little more frustrating ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Match!!
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136M

perhaps there could be an automatic mirror to handle this for you. that’d be a good project

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26M

Hah I’ve thought of this maybe I can look into it, I’m an amateur Arduino enthusiast but it might even be more simple than that.

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56M

I’ve thought about turning my entire rear window into a mirror, but I imagine there is a law against it, so I haven’t looked into it.

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36M

The same crossed my mind but that would be hell for everyone around you on a sunny day. Sometimes even just a car with a lot of chrome is annoying 😔

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