Peculiar black blob on the front of dashboard

There is a black blob on the fron of the dashboard on my
2004 accord coupe, just behind windshield in the center.
It looks like a light sensor or something like that...
.... but I do not think I have daytime running lights.

I checked the Owner's Manual but cannot find it there.

What could it be and what is it used for?

 

Does your car have climate control? I believe it is a sensor for that
system - my Audi has it.

Dan D
'07 Ody EX Slate Green
Central NJ USA

 

Yes, it does have automatic climate control
- I set the temperature and car does the rest ;-)
The sensor would do what exactly?

After I wrote my post I look back to my Owner's Manual
and I see the Canadian version has the daytime running
lights option, which my US version does not...
Maybe this sensor is used in Canadian version and
is left there, unused for my US version ?

Anyway, it would be cool to get my hands on the
wiring diagrams of this accord - I could change
the system electrical connections to not dim the
dashboard lights when I turn the headlights during
the day... This sensor would be quite usefull to
dim dashboard lights only during night not day

 

It senses if sun is shining from the front. If it is, climate control
bumps up fan speed to keep you cool. On accords with nav, climate control
combines sensor data with data from nav to determine if sun is shining
on driver side, passenger side or both and will bump up fan speed on
one side or the other based upon that data.

====================================================================
Khalid
khalid gonehiking org

 

It's probably there for cars that have automatic headlights, I know on other
vehicles I've owned with autolights something similar was there for that
specific purpose.

It's not for DRLs as those don't require a sensor. DRLs are on when the
normal headlight system is off.

 

I don't believe that Accords have automatic headlights as an option.
(I assume you're referring to the lights coming on automatically when
it's dark enough). No, this sensor is one of several for the automatic
climate control system, as I noted above. There are others throughout
the car, I'm sure.

Dan D
'07 Ody EX
Central NJ USA