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Unusual item between courtesy lights


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New Sandstone Journey just received yesterday from order. We are trying to get through all the programming of gadgets, which seems like a daunting task in itself, and we came across this little item. It appears to be a camera or sensor of some sort located directly between the 2 front courtesy lights in the overhead console. We can't find any mention of it in the manual. We have a RET radio with U-Connect. I've attached a photo (I know the quality is bad, but you can see what I'm talking about).

What is this?

TIA,

Mike

post-172-1212972570_thumb.jpg

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New Sandstone Journey just received yesterday from order. We are trying to get through all the programming of gadgets, which seems like a daunting task in itself, and we came across this little item. It appears to be a camera or sensor of some sort located directly between the 2 front courtesy lights in the overhead console. We can't find any mention of it in the manual. We have a RET radio with U-Connect. I've attached a photo (I know the quality is bad, but you can see what I'm talking about).

What is this?

TIA,

Mike

Betcha it has something to do with the Uconnect phone stuff.

Microphone, perhaps?

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Betcha it has something to do with the Uconnect phone stuff.

Microphone, perhaps?

The manual says the U-Connect mic is in the rearview mirror, which we can see on the right, next to the auto-dimmer on/off switch.

I don't think it's that.

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New Sandstone Journey just received yesterday from order. We are trying to get through all the programming of gadgets, which seems like a daunting task in itself, and we came across this little item. It appears to be a camera or sensor of some sort located directly between the 2 front courtesy lights in the overhead console. We can't find any mention of it in the manual. We have a RET radio with U-Connect. I've attached a photo (I know the quality is bad, but you can see what I'm talking about).

What is this?

TIA,

Mike

hey Mike, I can't tell for sure but I think maybe a manual close for the sunroof. All power sunroofs/moonroofs have a manual close just incase of power lose. Can you see if the disc is removable or pop it off? It may take a small ratchet with a 10mm socket. I will be watching this one for the repliesw that come in just to see the correct answer

Rob

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As part of the USA PATRIOT act, all cars are now required to have a camera so the government can watch occupants that might be engage in nefarious activities. :-D

Seriously though, it is a heat sensor, similar in nature to what you might find on one of those motion-activated yard lights. It is part of the temperature control system for the heating/air conditioning (only on models that have the thermostat control-like temperature settings, such as the dual/tri climate control). This sensor measure the temperature of the cabin, using infra red, to determine whether an increase or decrease in temperature/fan speed is necessary to maintain the cabin at the desired temperature setting. It works better than a simple electronic temperature probe because it is able to read the temperature over a much larger area of the cabin and derive an average temperature upon which it can adjust the settings appropriately.

The U-connect microphone is indeed in the mirror.

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I think its the trasmitter for the wireless headphones (if they are IR) and the remote??? Thats what I thought at least.

So you don't believe me, eh? ;)

Check page 294 in your manual:

Automatic Operation - Two- and Three-Zone ATC

The Two- and Three-Zone ATC systems automatically maintain the climate in the cabin of the vehicle. To accomplish this, the system gathers information from the climate controls, from a dual sun-sensor located in the top of the instrument panel,
from an infrared sensor located between the sun visors
, and from various sensors located thoughout the vehicle.

Further down:

  • The infrared sensor independently merasures the surface temperature of the driver and passengers.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 7 months later...
  • 4 months later...
The manual says the U-Connect mic is in the rearview mirror, which we can see on the right, next to the auto-dimmer on/off switch.

I don't think it's that.

No, the thing next to the switch isn't the mic. That's the light sensor that makes the mirror work. Play with it at night while you're on the highway and have the switch turned on while there's a car directly behind you. If you place your finger over the sensor, the mirror will eventually lighten up. Take your finger off...and it darkens again.

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  • 4 years later...

I was told by a salesmen it was a very low intensity light that shined down to the arm rest area. if that is try my don’t work

That salesman obviously has no idea what he's talking about. I'd tell him he needs to learn more about the cars he's selling.

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