I'm not 100% certain on the location of the camera but I wonder if it's getting "blinded" by its own taillights. As cheap as good quality cameras have become, I'd find it hard to believe it's a hardware issue. Anyone try shrouding their's in any way to see if that helped?
-
Add Yours: VW ID. Buzz Owner's Registry
Backup Camera DARK at Night
Anyone else having issues with the backup camera at night? My visibility is almost zero especially in dark areas. Hopefully this is software related. When I manually turn off the car lights, I noticed the low light visibility improves a bit. Also at times when switching to reverse gear I have noticed a slight flicker once the camera comes on.
1 - 20 of 83 Posts
That's my guess since when I turn off the car's lights when in reverse, the visibility improves.
That makes sense, the camera/sensor is detecting light and digitally stopping down, reducing light. That is hopefully a software thing, but sometimes that is a hard coded thing in the camera module. I'm leaning towards software though.
I noticed same thing. It's really annoying to have such low visibility at night. Let's hope for a software fix!
The bumper surface where the license plate is mounted is angled slightly upwards. This could cause the license plate lights to reflect off the license plate back onto the camera lens.
great experiment right there. tape over the license plate light and see what happens.The bumper surface where the license plate is mounted is angled slightly upwards. This could cause the license plate lights to reflect off the license plate back onto the camera lens.
I'll try this out today or tomorrow night.
I tried taping the license plate lights, but it only improved the visibility slightly. Turning off the car lights significantly improves the visibility. So it's a combination of both the rear lights and license plate lights that is blinding the camera. It was a bit scary yesterday night while I was backing out of a friend's driveway. There were no streetlights and the backup camera was basically useless as I couldn't pretty much see anything.
Thanks for the update. I'm hoping they can manage to improve this with a software upgrade. The clarity in the dark on the backup camera on my 2017 GTI was far superior. Truly disappointing.I tried taping the license plate lights, but it only improved the visibility slightly. Turning off the car lights significantly improves the visibility. So it's a combination of both the rear lights and license plate lights that is blinding the camera. It was a bit scary yesterday night while I was backing out of a friend's driveway. There were no streetlights and the backup camera was basically useless as I couldn't pretty much see anything.
I just got mine two days ago and was backing out of a friends driveway and I was basically blind. I live in the countryside so there was no street lights. I thought this may have been an issue that I had to take back to the dealer.Anyone else having issues with the backup camera at night? My visibility is almost zero especially in dark areas. Hopefully this is software related. When I manually turn off the car lights, I noticed the low light visibility improves a bit. Also at times when switching to reverse gear I have noticed a slight flicker once the camera comes on.
I did a few videos of some different options with the back up camera at night and sent them to VWOA. The license plate light is the main culprit of the poor visibility, a white license plate like mine also hurts it but the back up lights didn't affect it too much. The aperture of the camera does not adjust properly with the additional light sources from the car itself at night. I suggested they find a way to use the software to at least turn off the tag light when reverse is selected. It may not be possible but it is worth a shot as it is not useable at night for me in most situations unless it is an extremely well lit parking lot. But hey, at least we can wash the lens off with the windshield washer system!
What link did you use to send them the videos. If all of us start sending in the complaint then they may fix it faster.I did a few videos of some different options with the back up camera at night and sent them to VWOA. The license plate light is the main culprit of the poor visibility, a white license plate like mine also hurts it but the back up lights didn't affect it too much. The aperture of the camera does not adjust properly with the additional light sources from the car itself at night. I suggested they find a way to use the software to at least turn off the tag light when reverse is selected. It may not be possible but it is worth a shot as it is not useable at night for me in most situations unless it is an extremely well lit parking lot. But hey, at least we can wash the lens off with the windshield washer system!
Just know, the right people are aware of the issue and it is being looked into. VW does follow these forums.What link did you use to send them the videos. If all of us start sending in the complaint then they may fix it faster.
All, I did a little test tonight. I taped a piece of paper to the underside of the camera just long enough to cover the plate and bumper (somewhere around 5/8th or a little more. It seemed to do the trick along with a slight adjustment to the contrast and brightness.
My 2017 Alltrack also had a great backup cam that was very usable in the dark, I remember really preferring my Alltrack backup cam with its smaller screen over my 2017 Bolt backup cam with its bigger screen, because the Bolt's was noticeably lower resolution (amplified even more by the screen being physically bigger lol) and worse contrast/nighttime visibility.Thanks for the update. I'm hoping they can manage to improve this with a software upgrade. The clarity in the dark on the backup camera on my 2017 GTI was far superior. Truly disappointing.
Have only owned the car one day and so far this is the one annoyance. Might try this tomorrow, thanks!All, I did a little test tonight. I taped a piece of paper to the underside of the camera just long enough to cover the plate and bumper (somewhere around 5/8th or a little more. It seemed to do the trick along with a slight adjustment to the contrast and brightness.
Thanks for posting that. Does the tape reduce the field of view of the camera when it is in the "backing out of a parking space mode / crossing traffic" mode?All, I did a little test tonight. I taped a piece of paper to the underside of the camera just long enough to cover the plate and bumper (somewhere around 5/8th or a little more. It seemed to do the trick along with a slight adjustment to the contrast and brightness.
Good to know that helped. If possible could you post a picture of how you have it taped?All, I did a little test tonight. I taped a piece of paper to the underside of the camera just long enough to cover the plate and bumper (somewhere around 5/8th or a little more. It seemed to do the trick along with a slight adjustment to the contrast and brightness.
Edited to correctly attribute prior effort to mrknobel. Would you believe that was my first mistake this week? 🧐🙄
I just tried a modified version of what @mrknobel did above. I taped over the license plate lights but left a small portion uncovered to let the lights illuminate the plate. If you look on your license plate lights, you'll see a small lensed section. I left that uncovered, and also a tiny bit on the corner towards the license plate. The plate is still illuminated, although it's dim. I do think it's legal though. And, as mrknobel reported, the backup camera is slightly improved. It's not great, but a little electrical tape does wonders! Pics below. Note that the taped pic is before I removed the small corner piece. It was just a bit too dim without that.
![3573]()
![3574]()
I just tried a modified version of what @mrknobel did above. I taped over the license plate lights but left a small portion uncovered to let the lights illuminate the plate. If you look on your license plate lights, you'll see a small lensed section. I left that uncovered, and also a tiny bit on the corner towards the license plate. The plate is still illuminated, although it's dim. I do think it's legal though. And, as mrknobel reported, the backup camera is slightly improved. It's not great, but a little electrical tape does wonders! Pics below. Note that the taped pic is before I removed the small corner piece. It was just a bit too dim without that.
1 - 20 of 83 Posts
- This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Volkswagen ID Forum
VWIDTalk.com is a forum community dedicated to Volkswagen ID owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about Volkswagen ID. 4 and ID.3 Vehicles and more!
Full Forum Listing
Recommended Communities
