Is there a film or spray that I can apply to my sideview mirrors to reduce night-time glare?
I would re-align your side mirrors…somewhere on car talk web page there are guidelines for adjusting them.
Make sure that the mirrors and the side windows are clean. I solved my glare problem by adjusting the mirrors so I must bow my head down a little to see the traffic. When my head is up, the glare is below my field of view.
I agree. You most likely have your side-view mirrors adjusted so that you can see a significant part of the side of the car in the mirror, and this is WRONG. If you adjust your mirrors so that none of the side of your car is showing in the mirror, you will accomplish two things:
*You will eliminate part of the “blind-spot” in reference to cars that are in the lane next to you.
*The mirrors will not be pointed straight back at those glaring headlights.
“The mirrors will not be pointed straight back at those glaring headlights.”
I disagree. I point my mirrors so that as a car moves out of the field of view of my inside rear view mirror it goes into the field of view of the outside mirrors. And I still get the glare off someone’s headlights in my eyes. Last Friday morning it was a Land Rover. But it doesn’t happen often. It’s only trucks for me since I drive a mid-size sedan.
I agree with trying to realign the mirrors. However in my car, whenever I get a pickup truck of any size behind me get glare no matter what I do because the lights are farther apart and higher than my mirrors…and both mirrors have convex “spot” mirrors attached.
I wish there was a “dimming” feature that could be attached to sideview mirrors.
Adjust the mirror all the way up, and use your inside rear-view mirror with the “night” setting until you get to your destination.
Adjusting the mirrors so you can’t readily see the traffic behind you is a terrible idea. Glare is irritating, but you shouldn’t sacrifice your safety because of it.
Adjust the mirrors properly, keep your windows and mirrors clean, use the night mode for your rearview mirror, and slouch or sit up a bit if you must to change the angle of the glare.
If you wear eyeglasses, you could look into getting some with an anti-reflective coating. They’re supposed to cut the amount of glare you see dramatically. You can also buy non-prescription glasses with the same coating. Here’s an example: http://www.amazon.com/DRIVING-GLASSES-POLYCARBONATE-ANTI-REFLECTIVE-PROTECTION/dp/B000LS6HJE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1201615831&sr=8-7
Upscale cars (Audis, Infiniti, Lexus) and some fancier models of domestics often are available with self-dimming and defrosting sideview mirrors. You could look into that for your next purchase. Depending on your current car, you may even be able to replace your mirrors now.
I don’t know of a spray or film that would work.