Take a video of the display before you put it in reverse and after. Check that the video shows what you want it to show, or there is a good chance the dealership will try to blow you off.

 

Hi I am checking back in to see if anyone has encountered this issue?

To remind people, the backup camera is totally dark and grainy at night - its unusable. Its almost like it needs a light source it isnt getting. My taillights work fine. 80-90% of the time the camera is unusable at night although occasionally I can see.

As predicted, the dealership is saying they havent ever encountered this and dont know what to do. Also hard as they can only diagnose it at night when there is no one there!

I am hoping someone else maybe has come across this issue? Ideas?

Thanks community.

 

Where are you located? It's still pretty dark here when the sales dept is open. You can compare your camera to that of a new car and take pictures to show the service dept the next day.

 

I can try - they dont seem very interested in helping and keep saying they have never seen this before.
Was hoping someone here had other ideas or inspirations!

 

The "night vision" function might not be working on your camera. It probably needs a replacement as yours is defective. Pretty messed up that they didn't address this when you initially brought it in when it got dark before they closed as opposed to now when it doesn't get dark until ~7p

 

This was taken in my garage in pitch darkness. I just started the car (with lights in auto) and put it in reverse.

 

Well, it needs the back-up lights as a light source. Have you been able to confirm they are working?

( In the image from anoop, the backup lights have nice white surfaces to illuminate, at close range ).

I doubt the camera is infrared sensitive, and that would only be effective in recording a full "black and white " IR image if there were an associated IR light source. IR detection of warm bodies ( people or animals ) is a different feature, and I don't think RDX has it.

I doubt the camera has an adjustable iris, but the system should be able to adjust digital amplification gain, and that should happen automatically. If the back-up lights are working, this is probably the failure.

Having said that, the night performance of mine isn't exactly stellar ( pun intended ), but it is usually somewhat useable.

 

Really? Even with absolutely no light source (outside of the back up lights) and in an open driveway with nothing but trees and plants around, I have absolutely no problem seeing my rearview camera imaging.

 

I would agree with your assessment. My backup camera looks as you describe it. Terrible. I have a 2019 RDX Advance AWD (manufactured in Oct 2018, purchased end of May 2019) and it's so grainy in my driveway that it's unusable usually. Even worse if it's raining. My 2012 TL Tech had a much better backup camera - clear as day (in the night). My 2015 MDX Tech backup camera I think is worse than the '12 TL, but still much better than the '19 RDX.

I've not brought it to service yet....perhaps I'll mention it when I go for my first oil change soon.

 

How can this be so with high quality miniature cameras being commonplace in everything from cheap dash cams to cheap drones. How did they even find bad cameras?

 

FWIW Advance has a different rearview camera than other trims, because of the surround view system. Different part number.

I don't have a clue what's different about it; it's actually a bit more expensive, but that might be because of requirements that have nothing to do with low light performance.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Anoop - thats how it should look. And on occasion it does, but the rest of the time it does not. (dont know if its relevant but I have different icons on the bottom of my screen but I dont think this is a settings issue?)

For update - my dealer took the car and sent it home with a tech overnight so they could check. they reproduced the issue and ordered and replaced the camera.

I tried it last night - it was smidgeon better...instead of totally dark I could just barely make out some features and it was minimally usable, but still not bright like the one in Anoop's picture, or as bright as it sometimes gets on mine when it works from time to time.

Calling the dealer again although I have a feeling they will now be at a total loss!

 

The different icons may just be because of a different trim level. Mine is a Tech. What is yours?

If it's not working right even after the fix, just take it back. It's frustrating, but they will (should) eventually get someone from Acura to address the issue.

 

Mine is an Advanced

 

That would explain the difference in the icons. I suspected yours was an Advance trim because the first icon looks like the surround view.

Perhaps someone can take a pic for you with an Advance because I have seen discussion that the rear camera has a lower resolution on the Advance (that's not a typo, for whatever reason Acura chose to put a worse camera in their higher trim).

In any case, I think you should take back in and insist that it be fixed. Talk to the manager first and if they cannot fixed it then talk to Acura customer service. It's a pain, but that is the best option short of selling the car.

 

I've been having trouble with the dash lights not changing brightness appropriately for ambient light conditions. Manual adjustment with the buttons on the dash seems to make it right, but I haven't isolated the issue with the automatic adjustment.

The backlight for the display goes along with this adjustment, so if it's too dark to see, maybe try turning up the dash lights.

 

Upon further review, I don't think the infotainment display changes illumination along with the dash lights when you use the manual adjustments. But it does change with the day/night setting, and there is a soft button on the lower right of the display to toggle that. It looks like a sun and crescent moon.

Sadly, it seems to have the same lackluster resolution in either setting ( pun intended ).

 

Yes that day/night setting doesnt help at all. It does brighten the screen but thats not the issue. The camera is not picking up the external light it needs to resolve the images...so it just brightens a picture of darkness...

 

Well, the reflectivity of the imaged surfaces matters. My concrete driveway stands out pretty well, but asphalt might be a challenge.

But it kinda sounds like yours is busted.

 

I was trying to troubleshoot this tonight and found something interesting.
When I turned on my car, held the brake and put it in reverse, same issue - totally dark screen.
I wanted to take a look from behind so I had my wife do the same. She turned it on went in reverse with brake helf and the screen was dark. When I walked behind the car to see if the tailights were working (they were) something suddenly happened and the camera started working, illuminated. Seemed like my motion behind the car triggered something...
any ideas?

 

Well, I noticed in the images you posted before that there are a couple of bright light sources, and that could bias the metering of overall light level. My guess is that for some reason the camera/controller system isn't properly metering the scene and adjusting the image accordingly.

When you entered the scene in close proximity to the primary light source, that certainly would have shaken things up a bit.

As to why it's getting "stuck", dunno. I think it's busted. And I would guess it's the controller that's the busted part. Whether that's internal to the camera assembly, the infotainment system, or a separate module, I don't know.

 

There's no infrared illumination like someone was suggesting, your reverse lights (whites) are working, there's no motion sensor on the back of the car, and there's no special set of buttons or sequence to reverse in order to activate the rear view camera at night, I think is time you realize you have a defective camera and you need to address the issue with your dealer, it needs to be replaced.

 

they already replaced it a couple of days ago - this is the second one.

 

Maybe they need to replace this:

 

If this is repeatable, you can share it with the dealer. Take pictures of before and after you are behind the car. Once you do find out, please come back and let us know! Then when the next person comes here with a problem, we'll know where to point them!

 

My car has been back to the dealer. AFter checking everything again I am being given the dreaded "operating as intended." When I ask how its possible that its INTENDED to operate as pitch black at night, I get no answer.

I got a loaner while my car was in - an A-Spec. The camera works really well on that one...bright and easy to see. I was told by the dealer that the ASpec and Tech trims have a different camera, which is known to be better than the Advanced trim (which is the one I have). They claim that this is how the Advanced cameras function (dark at night) and not how the other trim models function.

So frustrating....the complete nonsensical nature of the entire conversations makes me feel like I am in the novel Catch-22. Dont know where to go from here...

 

Yeah, when they don't want to deal with it anymore, they just say whatever comes into their head with the hope you'll believe it and go away. Have you escalated to regional/corporate support? I recently had a difference in warranty interpretation with a Subaru service manager and Subaru corporate sided with me after a phone call. I'm not so thrilled with Honda/Acura customer support but it might be worth a phone call or email.

 

One more update - and maybe someone has a new idea.

The dealership returned my car again after having a special regional Acura engineer look at it. They continue to say it is operating as intended.

One thing I noticed: as I mentioned above, the A-Spec loaner works fine. As soon as you go into reverse, theres a nice, bright image.

On my Advanced, if I turn on the car and start to backup, the image is very dark - too dark to really make anything out. However, if I wait for about 60 seconds after turning on the car and THEN I go into reverse, I am getting a lit up image. So the issue doesnt seem to be that the camera cant display in the dark, but something is only kicking in and making it illuminate if I wait a longer period of time after starting before engaging the camera by going into reverse.

Ideas?

 

This is likely due to what systems have fully booted up as to what functions. I’ve found that if I let the infotainment fully boot up before putting my car into reverse I don’t have issues.

 

Can you toggle through the surround camera modes immediately after engine start, by pressing the button on the end of the right steering wheel stalk?

 

Thanks for the follow up.. Yes the surround camera modes come right up. The rear camera also comes right up, it just for whatever reason isnt illuminated right away so it stays dark and grainy. If I leave it in reverse, it doesnt light up at all. But if I wait to go into reverse for about 30-45 seconds after starting the car, then when I go into reverse the camera comes up AND the illumination is present.

 

It's been a few months, since this post had a reply, but wondering if the OP found any solution other than physically getting out of the car, walking around the car, and getting back in - that's what I have to do when I actually need it.
I have a 2020 RDX Advance with the same problem. Have to trigger a sensor to be able to trigger night mode and see in the dark. Before that it is almost completely black, except a slight reflection of the reverse lights on the blacktop. Once night mode is on, it works fine. Accord touring 2018, 2021 A-Spec TLX (loaner) work find in the dark.

 

Sadly Acura has not found any fix to this problem. They say it is operating as intended, which is impossible to believe since it works on occasion, but when not working it renders the back up camera useless. I was considering purchasing this car at lease end, but this is pretty much a deal breaker for me continuing with Acura.

 

... and do any other Advance trim owners have the same problem. If parked in a garage, the sensor already detect stuff, so it invariably works. If other other Advance trim owners can try it in an empty driveway. The car has to be turned on while in the empty driveway.

 

I seem to have better success if I turn the car on and wait a couple of minutes before going into reverse, then when I turn it on and immediately start to back up.

 

I'm going to file a complaint with the NHTSA. This is a safety issue. They mandated all cars manufactured from 2018 to have a functional reverse camera for a reason. At night, with blacked out rear windows, it is difficult to make out crossing pedestrians while backing out until you are too close and trigger a sensor.

 

After two+ years with my 2019 Advance, NO backup camera issues. I can't read a newspaper in it when backing out of my dark garage to a VERY dark driveway, but I can certainly see enough to know there is not anyone or anything in my way, (which is the purpose) and honestly, I have had other cars with back up cameras, and this works the same as they did. It works as I expect it to.

I have also been parked on a dark driveway, and backed up without a vision issue in the camera. Mine must be going into "night mode" as it should.

I hope you can get your situation resolved.

 

I haven't followed this thread and I don't really have a problem with the camera in the dark. It works fairly well in low light conditions. But I do think the backup lights are not as bright as other cars I've owned. I'm going by what I see in the mirrors, as this is my first car with a camera.

My other cars really lit up my driveway. The RDX, not nearly as much.

 

I have a 2019 Advance. My camera does exactly what OP's does. Dark sometimes. I always just assumed it takes some time to work. If i recall correctly just waiting for it to display correctly eventually brightens the screen. (Or possibly have to put it back in park and then reverse). Next time it happens ill pay more attention.

 

This car is like an old DOS PC and takes a while to boot up. If I drive off before it is booted, some things take a while to work.