NIGHT LIGHT Drivers are just realizing what mystery button inside cars is really for – and it makes driving at night so much easier

June 14, 2023

NIGHT LIGHT Drivers are just realizing what mystery button inside cars is really for – and it makes driving at night so much easier

THE purpose of a poorly understood button found in many cars has been revealed in a Reddit thread.

A little power button or switch is a common feature on the bottom bracket of many rearview mirrors.

But lots of drivers have no idea what the button does, KFYR reported.

“The only thing that happens when I click the power button is the green light turns off,” one Reddit user said in a thread on the What Is This forum that’s currently unavailable.

But another user revealed that this button actually activates a car’s auto-dimming feature.

The change would only be perceptible at night, so it makes sense that some drivers wouldn’t see anything happen when pressing the button.

Reddit isn’t the only social media platform where people have been talking about the feature.

“You ever be driving home from a long day, then there is a chap right behind you who doesn’t know anything about social distancing & is all up in your personal space with their lights full beam?” one Twitter user asked.

“Well, your rearview mirror has that toggle that enables anti glare mode,” they said.

“This changes how the light reflects off the mirror so as not to blind you. You don’t have to adjust the whole mirror, just toggle that little thingamajig & you good.”

More details were provided on one Mazda dealer’s website.

“When auto-dimming is turned on, your rear-view mirror will automatically darken in order to reduce headlight glare,” the dealership said.

“There is a rear light sensor that can detect when a vehicle behind you is shining its headlights toward your mirrors. Anytime the vehicle is started, the auto-dimming feature will be activated.”

Still, not every car has this feature, and it should be noted that some vehicles have one button to turn it on and another that disables it.

But Reddit users were still happy to have an answer.

“Another great life mystery solved,” one said.