Doug DeMuro put an end to the critics of the VW ID's "No Backlit HVAC & Vol. Controls."

7S POWER said:

Once you've learned the location of the controls, then it s/b a breeze.

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Oh so now you should learn the location? What about OH lights, aren't those for finding the buttons? I am confused.

Also having them backlit would have not in any way shape or form made it more difficult to learn the location of.

Again, zero gain from removing the backlits, something VW has had for 20+ years, no savings to speak of, and it did create issues. Whether those are huge or minor can be debated, but let's just put to rest all silly theories about it being nothing but a stupid decision and a mistake.

NeverhadanEVbefore said:

Oh so now you should learn the location? What about OH lights, aren't those for finding the buttons? I am confused.

Also having them backlit would have not in any way shape or form made it more difficult to learn the location of.

Again, zero gain from removing the backlits, something VW has had for 20+ years, no savings to speak of, and it did create issues. Whether those are huge or minor can be debated, but let's just put to rest all silly theories about it being nothing but a stupid decision and a mistake.

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Take a deep breath. It's going to be ok...

Think about the myriad of things you learn the location of in the car without lighting. Almost everything on the steering column. Locks and windows, cup holders, etc. At least in the past, and often still today, we just know where these things are without direct illumination.

That said, I agree that they should have made a different decision than they did, and backlight those controls. But let's not be hyperbolic... It's not like they just forgot the lights. They decided to omit them in favor of the motion detectors for swiping between screens without direct contact. Apparently they couldn't do both.

I would have chosen differently, but it wasn't just a "whoopsie" moment. It was a decision, that I think most users would rather they chose differently. Just like the window switches.

mtc416 said:

Take a deep breath. It's going to be ok...

Think about the myriad of things you learn the location of in the car without lighting.

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I never said I had any problems with the buttons. The discussion wasn't about whether it's easy, difficult or manageable.

There could be an led spotlight where the reading lights are located.

Dougie01 said:

There could be an led spotlight where the reading lights are located.

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I've mentioned that in the past. My 2003 Audi A8L had red LED floodlights in the Rear View Mirror and they were a subtle but surprisingly-terrific feature that would have entirely mitigated this problem.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while. Tested fiber optic and deflecting light from the screen downward. Just didn’t work well or look good.

Finally decided to try the LED route and ordered the one below. Should be simple to drill a small hole in the cover behind the rear view mirror and wire to the mirror power source.

Does anyone know if the steering wheel buttons are programmable? There are 4 unused buttons on the right side, which seems like a waste. A few more on the left. Maybe user customizable steering wheel buttons are a regulatory violation in the US but that seems like a missed opportunity.

sledgehammerface said:

Does anyone know if the steering wheel buttons are programmable? There are 4 unused buttons on the right side, which seems like a waste. A few more on the left. Maybe user customizable steering wheel buttons are a regulatory violation in the US but that seems like a missed opportunity.

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I'm unclear what buttons you're speaking of. Do you mean the unlabeled areas that MIGHT be implementable as buttons?

Atlant said:

I'm unclear what buttons you're speaking of. Do you mean the unlabeled areas that MIGHT be implementable as buttons?

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Exactly. I have seen those areas in use (apparently) in images of the ID7 and Golf R. I suspect it may be entirely different steering wheels. when you push these dead areas on the ID4 you get haptic feedback but nothing happens of course.

sledgehammerface said:

Exactly. I have seen those areas in use (apparently) in images of the ID7 and Golf R. I suspect it may be entirely different steering wheels. when you push these dead areas on the ID4 you get haptic feedback but nothing happens of course.

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That would be interesting. I'd love a simple way to turn off the climate control, if that could be right there by the volume buttons on the wheel, much better than the 3 clicks it takes on the screen. I bet it could be hacked to do that - I'd expect only the labeling on the wheel is different to keep costs down on making different hardware. Maybe also heated steering wheel... the pull down on the screen is better than nothing for that, but a real button would be great.

mtc416 said:

That would be interesting. I'd love a simple way to turn off the climate control, if that could be right there by the volume buttons on the wheel, much better than the 3 clicks it takes on the screen. I bet it could be hacked to do that - I'd expect only the labeling on the wheel is different to keep costs down on making different hardware. Maybe also heated steering wheel... the pull down on the screen is better than nothing for that, but a real button would be great.

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It's always been my opinion that the only benefit of software based buttons is you can edit their functionality. You can turn off climate control (something I would never ever want on my steering wheel) and I can map the fresh air control. Customizable buttons isn't rocket science. I'm shocked I haven't seen it in popular use yet in a car. Maybe a Tesla can do this?

sledgehammerface said:

It's always been my opinion that the only benefit of software based buttons is you can edit their functionality. You can turn off climate control (something I would never ever want on my steering wheel) and I can map the fresh air control. Customizable buttons isn't rocket science. I'm shocked I haven't seen it in popular use yet in a car. Maybe a Tesla can do this?

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Haha, that would require Tesla to have any physical controls at all. Which they don't.

Well I guess they were generous enough to have door handles to get into the car with. When they work...

mtc416 said:

Haha, that would require Tesla to have any physical controls at all. Which they don't.

Well I guess they were generous enough to have door handles to get into the car with. When they work...

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That’s not quite true, they have programmable thumbwheels on the steering wheel. The options for programming are pretty limited, though.

Dougie01 said:

That’s not quite true, they have programmable thumbwheels on the steering wheel. The options for programming are pretty limited, though.

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It was more hyperbolic than literal. But yes, you're correct.

If the steering wheel doesn't fall off, there are a couple controls on it.

mtc416 said:

It was more hyperbolic than literal. But yes, you're correct.

If the steering wheel doesn't fall off, there are a couple controls on it.

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Now try getting the Model Y windshield wipers to cooperate on a rainy night. You can’t cast the wiper speed control to the steering wheel thumb wheel. Oops.

Dougie01 said:

Now try getting the Model Y windshield wipers to cooperate on a rainy night. You can’t cast the wiper speed control to the steering wheel thumb wheel. Oops.

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I think a rain sensor is like $400 for a replacement so what would the build in cost be on an assembly line? $150? Rather than use a real rain sensor Teslas uses a camera, with poor results. But that's why they have $9000 of margin I guess.

You must have missed the part about not looking good…

It is just another option. Besides, if you want to sell the vehicle later, the buyer might shy away from it. But it's your vehicle.

7S POWER said:

The minority has the problem, not the majority.

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Again, whether it's a stupid design or not is not the same as how big of an issue it is.

And arguing the OH lights are intended to be used to light up the infotainment - you can use them, but intent and option are also different - is asinine, as is arguing that you save power by not having them backlit.

The only upside to not having them backlit is to allow for the swipe-menu-without-touching-the-screen -function no one uses. There literally was absolutely no benefit to removing the backlits, and there would have been zero negative impact if they were included.

Why not remove electronic controls from driver-side mirror? You would save electricity and you can open the window and adjust by hand, like it was the 70s.