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LIGHTS CAMERA POOR ACTION !!!!

4K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  Optimist 
#1 ·
The GM Volt and ELR suffer from poor night time visibility/image from the rear view camera. Day time images are
satisfactory but at night the image suffers from poor detail, poor color and flare/scattered unwanted bright refections that dominate the image. This has been reported in the ELR section.
Today, I have reported on my camera replacement which failed to correct the problem (which I report below). I am left wondering if this night time image issue is perhaps more a function of our Backup Light Bulbs, than the quality of the camera?

Does anyone, in our rich source of experts, have any ideas?


(READ BELOW--POSTED EARLIER IN THE ELR SECTION)



I HAVE REPLACED MY 2014 ELR CAMERA WITH THE 2016 ELR CAMERA

First, the Good News.
The new camera has a significantly wider angle lense. That was an unexpected discovery. Now you view not just what is directly behind but what is happening on your flanks.

Now the Sad News.
Although as before, the day time image provides adequate detail, the night time image suffers from "Flare", poor detail and failed color reproduction.
The fact that natural light does not suffer from these problems leads me to believe that the "Problem" may be caused Not by the camera, but by the light source.

I believe we need a new Gang of "Experts" who might be able to suggest Replacement Bulbs for our backup lights.
Wouldn't that be a happy inexpensive solution ?!

Would I recommend replacing your existing camera for the added advantage of a wider angle lense ? NO!
With the wider angle has come a reduction in detail which I miss but it is relatively minor, given the purpose of the camera.
You definitely don't want to do this replacement in your garage at home. My dealer allowed me to watch the process and I love fixing things but the hour of shop time that I paid for was a BIG BARGAIN !!

May we Please hear from the Lighting Experts
 
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#3 ·
The short answer is, no, a new bulb doesn’t help. I tried replacing the bulb and did not get any benefit. Another Volt owner posted long ago about adding additional accessory backup lights in the form of a license plate frame that had LEDs built in. That may have been somewhat more successful.

I believe the essential problem is the camera’s inability to handle the excessive contrast between the light and dark areas in the image at night. Some aftermarket cameras seem much better at that. Also, I think the Volt OEM camera in 2014 or 2015 was much better.

The other part of the problem is the low, central, downward-pointing backup light on the Volt puts a hotspot of bright light on the ground close to the car that is much brighter than objects that are farther away. This basically overexposes the image. If this could be aimed more upward, I think that would improve the image quite a bit. I don’t see an easy way to do that.

I think the best solution is a better camera.

My car is a 2013 Volt with OEM camera
 
#4 ·
The image quality of the backup camera at night on my diamond white 2011 Volt was particularly bad. Part of the problem was the license-plate light, which illuminated the white bumper surface just below the plate. This glare was visible in the wide-view camera and caused the automatic gain control in the camera’s electronics to reduce the gain to a level where it was hard to see anything other than the bumper. As a crude fix, I cut out a very small crescent-shaped piece of black electrical tape and positioned it carefully on the camera lens so that the view of the bumper was blocked. It improved the night-time image very significantly, although it was still very poor compared to my Gen 2 Volt. Not an ideal solution though, since you had to be careful not to disturb the tape when washing the car or camera lens!
 
#5 ·
If you want to test the light source hypothesis, why not just see what it looks like while somebody stands behind you with a mag light or two? Or if you're like me, you've got two giant flood lights on the side of your garage you could test it with.

Because of how it looks I think it might actually be a bigger problem than this though. To me it seems almost as if the camera, or whatever is communicating with it, is switching to some sort of "low light" mode. This could possibly be from the light sensor on the dash or even the camera itself. I have no evidence for this, just another hypothesis based on the picture quality I see.
 
#6 ·
I applaud you for trying. As you note, and others, the back up light is poor (I say worse things about it in person) and the camera does not brighten up dark areas so well, and the Auto gain control repsonds to both the overly bright bumper (even my black bumper shines in it and to the overly bright spot on the ground directly below the backup light. I have found 4 ways to improve the image, though I'm not claiming that this makes it even fair compared to a modern (not designed in 2009) technology system:
1- clean the backup light, it is a dirt magnet.
2- clean the camera cover- it is also a dirt magnet
3- turn up the dash lights brightness to full, I keep mine rolled all the way down at night, but I turn them up when I put the car in reverse, and then back down to drive, and this has a inordinate positive effect on the image displayed.
4- step on the brakes, the extra light helps a bit.

having read the others responses, I'm going to try to put some flat black felt on the bumper to see if that helps, and I may try to change the broadcast pattern of the backup light, and I will try to add some secondary backup lights triggered from the primary one, that will provide broader light , and more information to parking lot pedestrians, who currently have no idea that I am about to backup. (who thought this single ground facing backup light was a good idea? I'm sure they are long gone, but it sure is frustrating...
 
#7 ·
Ive added two cree? Style LED lamps on the bumper one each side just inside of the red reflectors to stay as hidden as possible, they have solved the image in darkness issue for me. I nearly backed over a pet as i live on a busy entrance to the neighborhood. I drilled the right sized hole and popped them in, stainless steel lamps pushed in place and wired them into the backup light harness. A half hour and $20 makes me daily 6am commute start much less frightening backing up....
 
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