[Royalott]

I have not taken delivery of my 2011 Terrain but have been reading these forums and one thing I was thinking about and have seen it touched that I think would be a great idea, is to be able to turn on the backup camera on demand, not just when in reverse. It seems to be a no brainer to me to ad it to the Nav system. It would make a great rear view mirror to check out the blind spots before changing lanes.

Is this being considered or is there a hack to include this?

Thanks, Royal

 

[RIT333]

I, personally, don't think it would do a good job of "seeing blind spots". If you do a search, there is mention of "new" ways to adjust your side-mirrors to eliminate blind spots - or you can buy a cheap convex mirror to stick onto your current side-view mirror, but I have switched over to the "new" adjustment method, and after getting used to it, it is awesome. So far, no accidents ! And you don't have to turn your head to "see" the blind spots.

 

[Royalott]

I, personally, don't think it would do a good job of "seeing blind spots". If you do a search, there is mention of "new" ways to adjust your side-mirrors to eliminate blind spots - or you can buy a cheap convex mirror to stick onto your current side-view mirror, but I have switched over to the "new" adjustment method, and after getting used to it, it is awesome. So far, no accidents ! And you don't have to turn your head to "see" the blind spots.

Well seeing into the blind spot was certainly not the only reason I thought it might be a good thing. It looks like it would give you a much better view of what is behind you than a mirror alone. I would not want to be without the rear view mirror but it seems it would be nice to have a button that could be pushed to give the driver a look when he wanted one. There might be an obvious reason they don't have this ability but I don't see it.

 

[RIT333]

You do lose about 1/3 of the rear-view mirror when in camera mode. Maybe that is why ??? Or maybe they thought it would be to distracting to give too much information. Must some some odd reason.

 

[FedorekC]

You do lose about 1/3 of the rear-view mirror when in camera mode. Maybe that is why ??? Or maybe they thought it would be to distracting to give too much information. Must some some odd reason.

True, except that Royalott was talking about having it added to the Nav system, therefore it wouldn't block out any of the rearview mirror. I think this would be a neat feature as well. Perhaps if they were concerned about safety they could have it so that you can't access it at certain speeds or even while driving at all...but then why have a button for it? If you could only use it when stopped then you might as well just pop it in to reverse to see what's behind you even if you aren't going to back up...maybe I am just rambling now haha but I do think it's a neat idea.

 

[Royalott]

True, except that Royalott was talking about having it added to the Nav system, therefore it wouldn't block out any of the rearview mirror. I think this would be a neat feature as well. Perhaps if they were concerned about safety they could have it so that you can't access it at certain speeds or even while driving at all...but then why have a button for it? If you could only use it when stopped then you might as well just pop it in to reverse to see what's behind you even if you aren't going to back up...maybe I am just rambling now haha but I do think it's a neat idea.

Yes my Terrain will have the Nav system. I don't see how it would be any more distracting than looking in a rear view mirror, especially if the cargo in the back and passingers were blocking the mirror. A button on the steering wheel seems like a good idea to me.

I sure would not be any more of a distraction than the GPS.

 

[Roesterman]

I have asked for that hack in prior posts. Would be good for checking out if it's someone you know behind you!

 

[kuppyr]

Yes my Terrain will have the Nav system. I don't see how it would be any more distracting than looking in a rear view mirror, especially if the cargo in the back and passingers were blocking the mirror. A button on the steering wheel seems like a good idea to me.

I sure would not be any more of a distraction than the GPS.

I thought about this myself, I like the idea though I'm not really sure why I need it... There may be a way to hack it, just like you are able to over ride the nav to be able to type while your moving, or play a dvd and see it in the nav while driving. (I haven't done this yet but I am thinking about it, as I know it is done for other GM vehicles)

 

[Royalott]

I thought about this myself, I like the idea though I'm not really sure why I need it... There may be a way to hack it, just like you are able to over ride the nav to be able to type while your moving, or play a dvd and see it in the nav while driving. (I haven't done this yet but I am thinking about it, as I know it is done for other GM vehicles)

Hummmmm.... Where is the Hack for the DVD thing? Sounds interesting

 

[kuppyr]

Hummmmm.... Where is the Hack for the DVD thing? Sounds interesting

Its some sort of over ride I don't know the exact details..
I was told by a friend whose a mechanic (I just know how to use, abuse and come up with ideas for him to figure out and put into my car ) that he is able to do it.

 

[scottyyyc]

If you do a search, there is mention of "new" ways to adjust your side-mirrors to eliminate blind spots

This "new way" is actually the correct way to have mirrors adjusted, and has been all along. For some reason, this mentality of needing to 'see your own vehicle' in your side mirrors has permeated much of the public. I've never heard ANYONE, even a couple driving instructors, provide a reasonable explanation as to why you need to have your own car in the side of your mirror. They all just say 'that's the right way to do it', and can't actually explain why. If you take a detailed look at a vehicles blind spots you'll understand why you want your mirrors adjusted far outwards.

I believed the same thing until I was showed the difference in a parking lot with cones.

 

[GMCdriver]

I would like to be able to turn the camera on once in a while when I have the kids dirt bikes on the my hitch carrier.
Any time I hit a really big bump with something on the carrier I find myself tempted to pull over and make sure nothing has come loose, one quick look with the camera would be very handy.

 

[Narg]

This "new way" is actually the correct way to have mirrors adjusted, and has been all along. For some reason, this mentality of needing to 'see your own vehicle' in your side mirrors has permeated much of the public. I've never heard ANYONE, even a couple driving instructors, provide a reasonable explanation as to why you need to have your own car in the side of your mirror.

It's called perspective.

Without a general point of reference most folks can't actually tell the location and distance easily of what you are looking at in your mirrors. In the end there is no "Correct" way. It's all a matter of personal tastes and abilities. So be careful not to force your opinion on others, as that may cause undue problems. Give them the choice, fully disclosed and reasonably described and let them decide. For a lot of people without the perspective of position and distance, that so-called "new way" can be a danger. For others it provides what is felt they need to drive better.


Now, back on topic. I tried something called a "GM Lockpick" in my Traverse. It provides many features, including turning on the rear camera at any time. Very neat idea, but I found it to be a problem for the car as the unit caused issues with the radio/nav too. So I returned it. I think the easiest method is to add a switch to fake a reverse situation to the camera system. I'm sure a quick glance of the wiring diagram could give you all you need to install such a switch. Might be worth a try.

 

[scottyyyc]

It's called perspective.

Without a general point of reference most folks can't actually tell the location and distance easily of what you are looking at in your mirrors. In the end there is no "Correct" way. It's all a matter of personal tastes and abilities. So be careful not to force your opinion on others, as that may cause undue problems. Give them the choice, fully disclosed and reasonably described and let them decide. For a lot of people without the perspective of position and distance, that so-called "new way" can be a danger. For others it provides what is felt they need to drive better.

Granted, any new way of doing something can take a while to get used to, so be extension it might not immediately be the most beneficial. However, particularly when it comes to mirrors, I would generally believe that there is indeed a "correct" way (that is to say, the method that is the most beneficial, and by extension, the correct way).

There's a tons of places where you can read up on it, but the first few hits on google basically cover it: http://www.linquist.net/motorsports/tech/mirrors/

Just my 2 cents, I'm not forcing anyone to do it. The real issue here is Status Quo Bias, Loss Aversion, and the famous Lake Wobegon Effect, 3 well known cognitive biases. Look it up, it's freaky.

 

[dietz4ibanez]

I really only refer to the rear view mirror camera view to see how close I am to things. I don't use it as my main source of vision. I use the mirrors mostly.