Dashboard lights!

[lady topaz]

I was using the Sat Nav Saturday and noticed that intermittently the screen and also dash lights would dim for about ten minutes then return to normal brightness. Half an hour later the same again. This continued.
I am presuming an electrical fault, but does anyone know if a common one?


Di

[hussar10a]

Just wondering if there may be an internal ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen brightness according to cockpit darkness (ie in towns with streetlights the screen will be made brighter, in rural areas darker).

My Discovery 3 has this system, and in truth have never driven the Vantage in a town at night !

[lady topaz]

hussar10a said:

Just wondering if there may be an internal ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen brightness according to cockpit darkness (ie in towns with streetlights the screen will be made brighter, in rural areas darker).

My Discovery 3 has this system, and in truth have never driven the Vantage in a town at night !

This was on daytime motorway driving and was only the first time it has done it (that I have noticed) All the lights dimmed including Nav, radio and instuments.

[SHIFTY]

Mine seems to do the reverse, go through a tunnel and the dashboard lights come on (not the headlights) come out of tunnel go off.

Would be nice to know where the light sensor is as this may help you.

[3200gt]

More likely to be something to do with what else was switching on and off automatically at the time, ie rad fans.
The alternator supplies a finite amount of power and will not be sufficient to power everything at 100%, all of the time.

[Murph7355]

SHIFTY said:

Mine seems to do the reverse, go through a tunnel and the dashboard lights come on (not the headlights) come out of tunnel go off.

Would be nice to know where the light sensor is as this may help you.

I'm pretty certain the lights are on all the time, you just can't see them in daylight.

I could be wrong, but think that's the score.

[Jay_Davis]

That's definitely the sensor adjusting things for the light level. If its not doing it at the right times than perhaps the sensor is blocked or dirty. If not, than it could be a bad sensor or loose connection to the sensor.

[lady topaz]

Jay_Davis said:

That's definitely the sensor adjusting things for the light level. If its not doing it at the right times than perhaps the sensor is blocked or dirty. If not, than it could be a bad sensor or loose connection to the sensor.

Can you advise where the sensor is so I can give it a clean and check it out please.

Thank you

[hussar10a]

Murph7355 said:

SHIFTY said:

Mine seems to do the reverse, go through a tunnel and the dashboard lights come on (not the headlights) come out of tunnel go off.

Would be nice to know where the light sensor is as this may help you.

I'm pretty certain the lights are on all the time, you just can't see them in daylight.

I could be wrong, but think that's the score.

Yes the dash and console lights are permanently on.

[SabreN400]

you can adjust the dash lights brightness using the pop-out rheostat switch next to the light switch. Works even when the cars lights are off as the dash lights (inc Sat-Nav display when active) are always on.