Say you are driving, and it gradually becomes dusk. Some cars have their lights on and some don't. There are no reflections yet because it's too light out still. The Nav D/N doesn't change unless you turn the car on/off and the lights come on.

Is there another way to determine if your lights are on or not from inside the cabin?


03.5 Coupe - Black/Willow, 6MT, Premium, Navi, Aero, Sat

 

My dash light settings are dim enough that I can tell when the lights come on. All of a sudden, my speedo, clock, radio controls, etc are much darker than they were a minute prior. That’s when I know that my lights have come on.

03.5 5AT Sedan
<font color=black> Black on Graphite / Prem / Sport / Aero / Winter / Tint </font color=black>

 

If I keep my lights on auto on/off, the nav also switches between D/N.

 

My Nav background is black during the day and the Night setting is white. Lights come on, Nav turns white. Easy as that.

 

Your nav is set wrong then. It should turn black at night when your lights are on and white during the day when the lights are off. The black is so it doesn't disturb your night vision too much. That is also why the controls are orange, it is less strain on the eyes at night.

Ryan

03.5 Red w/ Willow G35 Coupe, Premium and Nav
Strictly stock for the time being.

 

It's not so simple.

My Nav does the same thing. If it's very dark out and you start the car, the lights come on immediately and the nav is in night mode. Likewise for daytime. However, if it's just changing from day to night (twilight), it's still light enough out to require the day mode Nav, so it doesn't change simutaneously. There is a period where the nav is automatically in day mode and the headlights are on, then it dims later when it gets darker outside.

Also you have it backwards, the Nav background is white during the day and black at night.

Anyone have a sure-fire way to tell headlight status from inside the cabin?


03.5 Coupe - Black/Willow, 6MT, Premium, Navi, Aero, Sat

 

I never really payed too much attention, but I could have sworn the headlights and nav change at the exact same time. (the only time i really notcied is when I pull into parking garages and they DEFINATELY switched at the same time) I could be wrong, but don't they both use the same sensor.

 

I was under the impression that they were together. When the lights came on the nav switched. I have never really looked, because I only pop the nav screen up when I need it.

Ryan

03.5 Red w/ Willow G35 Coupe, Premium and Nav
Strictly stock for the time being.

 

If you use the D/N button to switch the display, it remembers which color goes with which light setting and stays that way until you switch it manually again.. so it's possible to make your car run the nav black during the day and white at night.

Aren't all the center console stereo controls unlit w/o headlights, and lit up with headlights?

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

Well I guess you could say my NAV is set wrong for YOU. I set mine that way. When I got the car it was always black. I like it white at night. Y? I dont know but since I changed it a few months ago I have left it that way. The point is that the change is a good way to tell if your lights come on.

 

I think so Ryo, but it's hard to tell when it's twilight. I also know the manual switch thing changes the Nav logic, but what we don't have is good data on the simultaneous switch (or not) of headlights and Nav background in all cases.

My Nav indeed switches dark when I pull into my shop; at the same time the headlights come on. A more subtle change, however, such as entering twilight, may indeed use the same sensor to turn on the lights, but hold out for a darker environment to turn the Nav dark. At that time there is enough ambient light to require the white background, but safety would dictate a headlights-on condition. It would be presumably easy to code two different light condition closures from the same sensor for independent operation of the lights and Nav system.

I'll check the online pdf and see what says.


03.5 Coupe - Black/Willow, 6MT, Premium, Navi, Aero, Sat