Dim Light Issue

MPK said:

First of all I want to thank the board already for helping me with my engine light problem. I searched for an answer to this issue but I had no luck so I decided to sign up to the board.

Anyways, sometimes when I turn on my car the cd player/clock lights will be dim. Today I got in the car and it was really dim, almost unreadable. I noticed that the dashboard lights were dimmer then normal too. Other times I have no issues at all. Could someone help explain what the problem is and what I can do to fix it. Thanks in advance...

Matt

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Well a couple of thing could be wrong.
You'll feel real dumb if this is the reason... but right next to the fog light switch there is an adjustment nob for how bright/dim your dash and radio lights are. Try twisting that and see if that works.

Otherwise, maybe you have too much power going to other accessories?

It could possibly be a bad dimmer switch too. If there's some bad contacts in it, just being jiggled by road bumps might be enough to make it vary between normal and dim if its not always dim.

Could also be a battery going out. Try revving the engine a little to see if that brightens them up.

could be that is is dark enough that your auto lights come on. Example, you parked under a tree in the middle of the day and light isn't getting to the sensor. You pull out in the sunlight and your dash is still dim from the lights being on. Once out and driving around, lights turn off and everything is bright again?

Well I noticed today that when I was parked under a tree and at the gas station when I turned the car on the dashboard and cd/clock lights were dim. When I left the dark area I turned off the car, restarted it and the lights were back to normal. When I turn the car off, the lights go back to the normal brightness. I have read that this has happened to someone else before. This has happened in the past, but now the lights are dimmer then usual.

Is there an easy fix and what can I expect to have to pay?

Oh and thanks for the responses so far.

Did you try adjusting the dimmer? If I recall, I think you should be able to turn it up to full brightness and it should be nearly as bright as the headlights-off daytime brightness.

I would imagine the dimmer switch was the first thing that was tried. Everything is controlled through the computer. There is a time delay in the computer that brightens the lights after leaving darkness. Perhaps the computer needs reset or reprogrammed. Dealer can reset the computer for you.

OR,, you can go into the menu on the radio and turn Auto Dim off..

I'll try that auto dimmer option, thanks

MPK said:

I'll try that auto dimmer option, thanks

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Did you ever fix this problem? What did you do? Thanks