Instrument panel illumination

[Alan Nash]

I have a 61plate Auris sr a would like to modify the instrument panel to light up when the ignition is turned on.it is difficult to see the fuel gauge in day light in normal running mode,

 

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Could be that your instrument lighting is dimmed.

With the ignition on, and the side lights on, press the odometer button until you see a series of dashes displayed on the instrument panel. Holding the button in the dashes will cycle through - the fewer dashes displayed the dimmer the lighting, the more dashes displayed the brighter the lighting. Think there are about six levels of brightness.

Turning the side lights off will show you how bright the instrument lighting in the day will be.

[Alan Nash]

I have a 61plate Auris sr a would like to modify the instrument panel to light up when the ignition is turned on.it is difficult to see the fuel gauge in day light in normal running mode,

 

 

[Heidfirst]

Have you (or a previous owner) dimmed the background illumination previously? The level of background illumination should be adjustable.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Little point in posting the same topic more than once - topics merged

[alan333]

Our 11 plate Auris TR had auto headlights.  When the lights were off the dash was brightly lit, but when the lights were on the dash lights were dimmable as Frosty described earlier.  I don't suppose your lights are somehow automatically switching on when you start the car, thus entering dash-dimmable mode?

[Alan Nash]

Have tried the suggestion by frostyballs but this does not do what I am after.

for the dash to light up I need to switch on side lights or full beam.i would like to have the dash fully lit up without having any lights on.

even during the summer months it is very difficult to see the fuel gauge which is tucked away in the right hand corner of the dash.

[FROSTYBALLS]

There have been members who have changed the lighting colour of the instrument cluster - probably doing a search for similar topics would provide some info on putting brighter bulbs or LED's in place.

[Devon Aygo]

The Post model change Auris SR had a unique set of instruments which are not illuminated until the lights are switched on ( only then can the brightness be adjusted ) all other Auris had Optitron dials which illuminate immediately and dim when the headlights are on. There is no "setting" on the SR to force the illumination, so the only way to make the illumination permanent would be to try and locate the trigger wire from the headlamps to the instruments and make it live with the ignition this would have to be trial and error and i certainly couldn't guarantee that is even possible nor that it wouldn't cause other issues

 

[16_Auris_HSD]

On 1/3/2018 at 2:39 PM, Alan Nash said:

Have tried the suggestion by frostyballs but this does not do what I am after.

for the dash to light up I need to switch on side lights or full beam.i would like to have the dash fully lit up without having any lights on.

even during the summer months it is very difficult to see the fuel gauge which is tucked away in the right hand corner of the dash.

I believe that this is by design and Toyota wouldn't get a homologation if dash illumination was to come on without lights.

[FROSTYBALLS]

4 hours ago, 16_Auris_HSD said:

I believe that this is by design and Toyota wouldn't get a homologation if dash illumination was to come on without lights.

The Optitron instrumentation, which is illuminated whether the side lights are on or not, was on versions of the 2002-2006 Corolla, and the 2007-2012 Auris - so obviously met homologation requirements.

In fact each of the new cars we've had since at least 2000 have had illumination of the controls/instruments without the lights being on: 2000 Honda Civic, 2001 Nissan Primera, 2003 Mazda 323, 2003 Mazda Premacy, 2006 Toyota Corolla, 2007 Mazda 2, 2009 Toyota Auris, 2012 Hyundai i20, 2012 Toyota Auris, 2015 Hyundai i20, and 2016 Toyota Aygo.

[16_Auris_HSD]

That's interesting, do you mean that the whole thing (instrument cluster) is lit without lights being on? I'd understand this if the dials were digital/Lexus style where they need to come on to be visible but for regular analogue dials this is a strange approach and must be a Japanese thing if true? This is my first Japanese car hence why I'm surprised.

[Cyker]

Yeah; During the day with all lights off the dash is lit at maximum brightness - When you turn side/dipped/beams on it goes to one of several levels of user selectable dim-ness so your eyes don't get fried.

All my Yarises have/had full digital dashboards so they're always lit.

I don't know why more cars don't use digital dashes... dials are so old fashioned and hard to read at a glance. They waste so much space too!

I've always wanted a car with a dashboard like KITT's :D

[FROSTYBALLS]

49 minutes ago, 16_Auris_HSD said:

That's interesting, do you mean that the whole thing (instrument cluster) is lit without lights being on? 

Yes.

When the ignition switch is put to the accessory position, the instrument cluster is illuminated. The cars we've had have had analogue dials, aside from our current i20 - which has analogue speedo and rev counter, and a secondary digital speed display (presumably for the cruise control and speed limiter). Brightness is/was adjustable on each.

All of the new cars we've had (21) have been from Japanese marques (19) or South Korean (2). Certainly the ones we've had since 2000, as detailed above, have had instrument cluster illumination whether the lights are on or not. Think also my 1998 Primera was the same.

Actually quite useful. For example when the car is in an unlit garage (which ours is), in poor daytime light, etc.

On my Corolla and both Auris, these had the Optitron instruments as per the lower photo in Devon Aygo's post above (Wednesday at 7.33pm).

[16_Auris_HSD]

Thank you guys, man learns every day. One reason why this might not be helpful is at dusk, since many (seems like increasing number in fact) people only switch their lights on when they can't see the dials, instead of when it's dark outside.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Not really had a problem as regards when to turn on the side/head lights, as you get the usual ''lights on' warning light in the instrument cluster.

Think the tendency nowadays for some owners to delay putting the headlights on is probably due to more cars having daytime running lights, especially the brighter LED drl's.

[alan333]

34 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Not really had a problem as regards when to turn on the side/head lights, as you get the usual ''lights on' warning light in the instrument cluster.

I posted earlier about our previously owned Auris with auto lights, however I've remembered a bit more/differently.  Ours did have auto lights but the dash wasn't lit unless the sidelights/headlights were on.  However there was no 'lights on' light, the only tell-tale was that the dash was lit (and bear in mind the dash lights could be set to dim, so in some lighting conditions you could miss that the lights were on).

I've a feeling I posted something on here about it at the time, but maybe I'm mistaken.  I do, however, remember talking to a fellow Auris owner parked next to me about it, and his had a tell-tale light but didn't have auto lights.

 

edit - I did post about it at the time, here's the thread (but it doesn't tell any more than this thread does)...

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Both of my Auris had the Optitron instruments, which were lit without the sidelights being on, and neither had auto lights.

[Heidfirst]

my 2007 & 2012 Avensis had Optitron dashes.

1 hour ago, Cyker said:

I don't know why more cars don't use digital dashes... dials are so old fashioned and hard to read at a glance. 

the research suggests that humans find analogue dials easier & quicker to read ...

My latest Avensis gives me the option of having the analogue speedo dial but with digital speed also in the centre panel.