Car: Lexus LS 400, 1997 (GenII) with 94k miles.

Q: The following seems odd to me. I have owned the car since last November. When passing under a bridge or going through a tunnel or even traversing a roadway with overhanging trees, the dash lights dim; when I come out into full light the dash returns to its normal level of brightness. What could cause this? Surely, this isn't normal; if not, what could cause it? Is the sensor bad that controls the dash lights, if there is one?

I would think the reverse would be true -- that on entering a darker area, the dash would brighten rather than dim, or at least remain as set.

Any help or suggestions you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Don Tomlin

 

this car has automatic headlights. it turns on the headlights when the car senses a certain level of darkness.

your dash lights are normally less bright when the headlights are on as the car, any car, assumes it is dark outside, and you don't need the brightness to see whatever is indicated. test this by manually turning the headlight on, instead of leaving them on the auto setting.

on the stalk, you can set the headlights to "on", or put them on the automatic status.

thanx for asking a question even i can answer.

 

Thank you for your concise explanation. Now it makes sense.

 

I concur with denverdog. My 1995 behaves the same way. Nothing is amiss.