Can the displays be dimmed for rural night time driving?

[Anonymous]

I do a lot of rural driving, away from city lights. By dimming all interior display lights to almost off, night vision improves significantly. Can the Bolt displays be dimmed or shut off completely? to be clear, I would want the radio on so I don't want to shut the entertainment system off.

 

[BikingManiac]

Page 152 of the owner’s manual describes a knob to the left of the steering column.

 

[EldRick]

The magic video mirror on the Premiere is also nice for that - it can be set much dimmer than the auto-dimming mirror setting.

 

[Anonymous]

You can turn off the center infotainment display by holding down the power button and confirming.
Try adding a layer of window tint or matte wrap over the driver side display to dim that.
The dimmest mode isn't dim enough for me.

 

[SeanNelson]

Page 152 of the owner’s manual describes a knob to the left of the steering column.

The trick to this knob is that you have to PUSH it so that it springs out of the panel - then you can twist it to adjust the brightness of the displays and (if you wish) push it back in again.

 

[Anonymous]

You can turn off the center infotainment display by holding down the power button and confirming.
Try adding a layer of window tint or matte wrap over the driver side display to dim that.
The dimmest mode isn't dim enough for me.

Have you used the window tint or wrap yourself? I am close to ordering a Bolt but there is no inventory available in Toronto to be able to actually check the display brightness out myself.

 

[RickCH]

Have you used the window tint or wrap yourself? I am close to ordering a Bolt but there is no inventory available in Toronto to be able to actually check the display brightness out myself.

EV Discovery Centre, near York U, has a Bolt (and other EVs) for test drives. https://plugndrive.ca/electric-vehicle-discovery-centre

 

[SmokingRubber]

Page 152 of the owner’s manual describes a knob to the left of the steering column.

The trick to this knob is that you have to PUSH it so that it springs out of the panel - then you can twist it to adjust the brightness of the displays and (if you wish) push it back in again.

That's great, one of reasons I'm on this forum this morning is to ask that very question. I'm planning on going to the drive in tonight (Thor) so I was sitting in the car last night evaluating what it would take to get the car in "drive-in" mode. Last night, I didn't notice that the button can be pushed but I saw it this morning on my commute. I was driving so I didn't test it.

I found the screen off button by holding the power, but didn't have a way to dim the driver display. The car used approx 2.5 kw an hour with climate control on and the Bose bumping. Once I turned the car OFF, the radio came back on and both displays went off automatically. I'm going to use this mode during the show. I'm assuming it will use less power because the climate control is off. How long will it stay in this radio-only mode? Even if it used 5kw during the show I'm fine with it. I'll probably have to turn the car on a couple times to run the seat heaters or roll down the window. With the Bose sound system and the large front windshield (freshly cleaned), I expect that the Bolt will provide a great movie experience. My wife's out of town and Thor isn't her cup of tea anyway so I'm going with my slob brother-in-law. I might have to backhand him senseless if he spills his popcorn.

 

[SeanNelson]

How long will it stay in this radio-only mode?

This is described as "Retained Accessory Power" mode on page 203 of the owner's manual. Accessories stay on for 10 minutes or until you open the driver's door after you turn off the power.

 

[SmokingRubber]

How long will it stay in this radio-only mode?

This is described as "Retained Accessory Power" mode on page 203 of the owner's manual. Accessories stay on for 10 minutes or until you open the driver's door after you turn off the power.

Well, that won't be sufficient for a 2 hour movie. :?
Are there any 3rd party apps or something that send the car into "drive-in" mode? I know there aren't very many drive-ins left these days, but I've got one and I enjoy going. Am I just stuck with leaving it ON and in Park, then dimming everything? :ugeek:

 

[SeanNelson]

Am I just stuck with leaving it ON and in Park, then dimming everything? :ugeek:

I think that's going to be your best option. An appropriately-sized piece of cardboard propped up in front of the driver information screen will probably work fine to eliminate it as a distraction.

 

[EldRick]

Sure would be nice if that long-press Power button trick to turn off the display didn't show the stupid dialog where you have to tap Yes. That part really gets old fast.

 

[SmokingRubber]

Am I just stuck with leaving it ON and in Park, then dimming everything? :ugeek:

I think that's going to be your best option. An appropriately-sized piece of cardboard propped up in front of the driver information screen will probably work fine to eliminate it as a distraction.

I'd say the drive-in was a success. I left it in PARK the whole time. I kept the climate control at 72 and popped on the seat heaters for a while. I dimmed the dash lights and killed the center display, and it was never a real distraction. The Onstar roof light was probably the brightest thing in my field of view. Overall, it was a very comfortable drive-in experience. It was a definite treat to be able to have climate control on the whole time. I'm used to needing blankets. The car did shut down briefly at around the 90 minute mark (I didn't time it), but a quick open-the-door, restart-the-car, and kill-the-lights maneuver had me back in business in seconds.

The Bose sound system sounded great... not amazing or earth-shattering ... but extremely acceptable for a stock system.

The 2 hour movie plus previews and 10 minutes of pregame drained exactly 10 miles off my range. I went in with 101 miles and came out with 91. NOT BAD! Not bad at all. Therefore, if we would have stayed for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 it would have cost me approx 20 miles. It was 15 miles each way to the show, so I'd need to budget 50 miles for a date night double-feature. That's a nice round number

 

[SeanNelson]

I'd say the drive-in was a success.

Great report, thanks - glad you liked the movie and enjoyed the experience!

 

[SmokingRubber]

Sure would be nice if that long-press Power button trick to turn off the display didn't show the stupid dialog where you have to tap Yes. That part really gets old fast.

I agree. The Kenwood in my FJ Cruiser shuts the display off nicely without an added prompt. It's also brighter than the Bolt's night mode so I find myself shutting off the display any time I'm driving (the FJ) at night. It's not as necessary in the Bolt. Still, the extra prompt in the Bolt is annoying and unnecessary imo.