Instrument Display Going Dim

[RobNorm]

Occasionally when the headlamps are on the instrument panel and the centre console lamps and display go dim.Turning the headlamps off and then on restores the lamps and displays to normal.

Has this happened to anyone else?

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

When does it happen? Dusky or dawny times, or when driving under trees/bridges in near daylight with headlights on?

I use my headlights even in the day light when driving on fast A roads to make sure every tractor see's me, and it does happen in the circumstances mentioned above.

It's the photo sensor I reckon, occasionally it thinks it's getting dark and so dims the lights insid, the satnav etc. It goes into night mode? Or is it something else on yours?

[RobNorm]

In the morning when it's nearly light

[RobNorm]

In the morning when it's nearly light.

This morning it kept going dim so I switched the headlamps off and then on,for a while the display was bright then but it kept going dim

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

In which case I'm sure it's normal - just turn the dimmer switch fully clockwise until it clicks - that I believe over-rides the settings and it'll stay full on.

[Rich_Bee]

In which case I'm sure it's normal - just turn the dimmer switch fully clockwise until it clicks - that I believe over-rides the settings and it'll stay full on.

That'll do it, the reason you can overide it by turning the lights off and on is the different switching points for dimming - it goes dim at say 20% light level, but won't go back bright again until 50% (just example numbers to get the point across). So, if the light level drops below 20% it'll dim, but then the light level only goes back up to 30% they will stay dim - unless you turn the lights on and off and hey presto bright display as the light isn't below 20%.

[bernie_the_bolt]

I'm sure you can set the sensor sensitivity. It's in the configurable options at the back of the manual. Although this only refers to the headlights, I'm sure they use the same sensor for the dash/sat nav etc. Think you need to take it to a dealer to set though (unless someone else knows different).

[Scarlet Pimpernell]

If I remember, the settings that the dealer can modify are the "auto Headlights Activation Sensitivity" - 3 settings -

Almost pitch dark before Auto lights come on

Average

Bright day (almost all the time) - in this mode the instrument lights will probably stay "bright" unless it gets dark outside, even though the headlights might be on all day - like day running lights on the Volvo's and new Audi/Beemers coupe's

The interior instrument lights no doubt work off the same sensor, but when you set the headlights to Auto you see this flicking low and high when the dimmer is activated. On the whole it coincides with the headlights coming on too, though once or twice it happened (for example when queueing in traffic and being under a bridge in daylight) where the speedo lights dim, but the headlights don't actually quite come on...only happened a couple of times that I've noticed...

[Rich_Bee]

On the whole it coincides with the headlights coming on too, though once or twice it happened (for example when queueing in traffic and being under a bridge in daylight) where the speedo lights dim, but the headlights don't actually quite come on...only happened a couple of times that I've noticed...

That's wierd as in mine the headlights can turn on and off on auto, but the dash can stay bright until it gets that little bit darker. The dash will only dim when the headlights are on however...