question on dash light auto dim '97
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 19
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From: CA
question on dash light auto dim '97
Hey guys,
This is an observation I made. I dunno whats going on, but would like some comments.
On a cloudy day when I manually switch on my headlights.. and whenever the car passes under an overpass (or probably any darker areas) I notice that the dash lights and the clock/temperature lights go dim and after the car clears the overpass, the lights brighten up after a second.
What is going on? I'm thinking the headlights brighten up under darker areas and so interior lights go dimmer? or what.. I checked the manual and did not notice anything in particular.
This is on a 1997 LS..
This is an observation I made. I dunno whats going on, but would like some comments.
On a cloudy day when I manually switch on my headlights.. and whenever the car passes under an overpass (or probably any darker areas) I notice that the dash lights and the clock/temperature lights go dim and after the car clears the overpass, the lights brighten up after a second.
What is going on? I'm thinking the headlights brighten up under darker areas and so interior lights go dimmer? or what.. I checked the manual and did not notice anything in particular.
This is on a 1997 LS..
I guess First gen's didn't come with auto-dim. Or I just haven't noticed it.
I notice the lights come on and go off on their own in 'auto' mode.. which is handy. An auto-dim would be nice. Consider yourselves with added luxuries in 95+
I notice the lights come on and go off on their own in 'auto' mode.. which is handy. An auto-dim would be nice. Consider yourselves with added luxuries in 95+
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 82
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From: CA
My 98 LS does the same thing when going through an underpass/tunnel on a cloudy/ rainy day. I assumed that is was normal; the dash lighting is just adjusting to the change in ambient light. It was disconcerting when I first noticed it, as I thought maybe it was the beginning of a dash problem. But now I attribute it to thoughtful engineering; Toyota doesn't want me to have too much dash glare at night or in darker conditions.
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The fist gen auto dims as well. The car has a sensor on the dashboard, near the windshield, and when it gets dark out, or if you pass under an underpass or any other dark area, it will dim the instrument cluster lights. However, it only does it when your headlights are on, if your headlights are off, it won't do anything. Also, the same sensor turns on the headlights when your headlight switch is set to auto. I believe there's a way to adjust it, but I have no idea how.
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Pole Position
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 319
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From: az
only "auto dim" when you turn on your lights and you have the dash dial turned down.
yup, auto dim rules. 1st gen doesnt have it.
Pole Position
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,278
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From: ct
My 93 dash lights dim when I go through a tunnel with the headlights off. Maybe it has something to do with the dimmer used when the Headlights are on b/c I keep mine turned down almost all the way, 1 notch before off.
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