NAVI: Is it Night out?
 

OK, I can't find a setting for this, so if there is one, please just point it to me and tell me to shut up.

I just discovered the "Night" setting for the NAVI display.
I also noticed it's MUCH MORE APPROPRIATE for night.

My Lexus used to switch automatically. Is this fancy new car not capable of switching it automatically, or is it a (weird) design choice?

I knew when I switched to a German car there would be many.. quirks.. to get used to, but so far so good. It has actually been very "organic" and not at all difficult, but some things are puzzling. This being one of them.

I finally got why I have to SWITCH ON my automatic wipers.
Might not be appropriate to turn them on and they would go on if they weren't turned OFF - I get that.

I understand why I have to either unlock it with the central unlock button OR pull the handle twice. Although in a Porsche, this is a user-configurable item. It is slowly driving my regular passengers mad. It does amuse me, however.

Seems to me, though, that in a cabin that is VERY OBVIOUSLY optimized for ease of use in the day and superior NIGHT VISION that the fact that the NAVI doesn't switch automatically is an oversight. I don't have a problem with it, but it's way too bright - throwing off the "red vision" - and the contrast is kind of harsh, so the "Night mode" is much better.

So.. Why doesn't it switch automatically?

I understand the whole "the driver should be in control" philosophy, but if that were wholly true, why do they offer all of these automatic features in places X and Y but not Z?

Do yo have the Real time Traffic alerts on. I have found that the night mode works when when you do not have the traffic on.

what happens when you go into a carwash with them automatically on. I know i may be talking crazy for going in a car wash but it happens.

In past vehicles I've owned that had automatic switching between day and night modes (ford, gm, saab), I usually found that they were tied to the activation of the headlights. If I wanted the headlights on during the day, the display on the nav would go into night mode and I couldn't change it. I usually turned off the auto-switching feature.

I have no idea why BMW designed theirs without this option, but I would surmise it was either a design choice for reasons like the above, or it was an integration feature with other car systems that they couldn't get done, while also providing manual control of the ability. Who knows though. :dunno:

I tripped into the night mode one time myself. My 2008 Acura MDX automatically flipped to night mode (and it was very useful). I'm also a bit surprised BMW doesn't offer an automatic change when the headlights turn on.

BMW does offer this. I believe that it does not do this when you have real time traffic info on. Just turn off traffic alerts and see what happens at night. Also observe the map colors once you turn of the traffic alerts.

Cool, I'll check this out later then.

FWIW, my 2010 X35d does not switch to night mode automatically. However, it does dim the display with the control that dims the instrument lights. They only way to switch to night mode is manually.

I have set one of the push buttons to switch the display from night mode to day mode and back to make it easier to change.

I don't think the display changes to night mode automatically - I've tried each of the different modes without success. I too programmed one of the preset buttons to switch modes.

I've been playing with this a bit with the suggestions (thanks!) but..

Turning off real time traffic does not let it switch to night mode.
Manual (or easy access button) it is then. <sigh>

Dumb.

not to sound slow, i could not find the night mode in my Navi
i have 07 x5 with 1st generation idrive

some help please