Running on a tight budget I decided to buy a car with a color that’s probably at the bottom of my wish list: black. Not only will the dirt and whatever else show more readily it’ll be harder to see at night. Any recommendations, aside from frequent washes? Thanks.
The lights on your vehicle are what makes it visable . You worrying about a non-problem.
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If your car has the option to turn on the Daytime Running Lights–or to not turn them on–make sure that you keep the DRLs functional. Then, just be sure to turn your headlights on at twilight.
Don’t be like the doofuses who drive in the dark w/o lights!
In addition to the lights, the car also has reflectors for when it isn’t running. Those can get compromised over time, so you also just make sure that they stay reflective and in good shape.
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I hope you don’t live in a hot climate. You never see black cars in Saudi or Kuwait.
… and keep the reflectors and the lights–front and back–clean.
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You didn’t tell us what year the Versa is, so don’t know if any lighting upgrades are available or not…
Make sure ALL you exterior lights are working as intended…
Maybe buy some reflective tape to put on the bumpers, door handles or something, check with local and state laws to make sure legal 1st…
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Keep your lights on and take a defensive driving course. I’ve had a number of black cars and never been hit.
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Better yet if your car has auto setting on the headlights use that. They’ll turn on automatically. Even a black car is easily seen in daylight.
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Just don’t be that person driving in low light conditions without their lights on, ALL the lights… Rain - lights ON, Fog - lights ON, Dusk - lights ON, night - lights ON
Make SURE your rear lights are working… ALL of them. All 3 brake lights and running lights on each side as well as brake lights. Don’t rely on seeing just headlights, or Daytime Running Lights (DRLs), make SURE your tail lights are on.
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Luckily, the technology seems to have improved, because I was very happy to see that the tail lights turn on along with the DRLs on my 2022 vehicle. If the OP’s Versa is a late model, it might have the same feature… or not.
Really? In daylight? Or just in the dark?
My cars with automatic lights drop the DRLs and go full headlight. 2 of them turn the lights on if the wipers come on.
I use the DRLs only during the day, and as long as they are turned-on, then the tail lights are also lit-up. I don’t usually use the automatic headlights because they cause the headlights to turn on for the brief moment when I drive-into my garage, and before I shut the car off.
Sounds like Lexus decided to eliminate their product’s participation in Ghost cars!
Yes, but what also surprised me is that the driver can turn-off the DRLs. All of my previous cars featured DRLs that couldn’t be shut off, and that’s the way that I think it should be.
I noticed the same thing with my friend’s 2021 Forester and it is really easy for someone who isn’t totally familiar with his Forester or my Lexus to shut the DRLs off, inadvertently.
My earlier cars had a fuse for the DRLs… which I pulled out, but not a switch.
One of my pet peeves is people driving around with just the DRLs in heavy rain or snow because it makes them invisible from the rear or side. Most people seem to have no idea that the DRLs don’t turn on the side ,parking or tail lights.
NY requires the headlights, not DRL:s when the wipers are on but I have never seen it enforced. Might be a good idea for public service announcements.
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My DRL’s were converted to LED’s before I bought it, and I have since replaced every light bulb from the firewall back to LED’s, front turns are still OEM and the head lights are still H9’s, well i swapped out the low beam H11’s to H9’s (converting to LED’s would be $$$$) and you can see this thing no matter what, it is very (legal) bright… I don’t know if the OP’s Versa can handle LED’s or not, but if it can, WOW, what a difference…
And yes, DRL’s are on anytime the engine is on, and the head lights will come on during the daytime in my garage, so very sensitive…
My solution is to take responsibility for BEING SEEN, all lighting conditions INCLUDING sunlight. Get in car, turn on engine/motor (ev), manually turn all lights on, connect seat belt, check mirrors, seat position, then…drive.
Living in the “far north” of Maine it is amazing the number of times I do not see another vehicle except for the pin-pricks of their full headlights, since low sun is glaring into my eyes, visors notwithstanding.
Be Seen, announce your presence…Full lights on when ever driving.
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