Hi there.
Can someone tell me if the dash lights get dimmer when you turn on your head lights.
Turning the light switch on or off does not do anything. Usually when you turn on your headlights the dash lights get dimmer. The dash lights also get brighter when turning off your headlights.
The reason I ask is that in Canada the cars come with daytime running lights which means that the headlights are always on. When driving my car its hard to see the dash display (in the sun). Just wondering if there is a way to make the dash display brighter.

Thanks.

 

Don't know if it's the same switchgear, on the vantage in attached pic, headlight switch an adjuster **** to the right.

 

Here's what you should have, it's same setup as vantage, the **** to the right marked by the arrow adjusts your dash ilum.

 

My old 2006 DB9 has all the exterior lights permanently turned on -- headlights, taillights & corner markers. I would have thought that a 2012 Virage would have come with a better DRL setup; maybe just the front LEDs or something.

The dimmer shown in Chris' photo works for me. I've never wanted the dash to be any brighter, but I can see it might be an issue in a Volante with the top down.

 

Thanks for everyone's input.
I realize there is a dimmer switch which I have on the brightest setting.
My question is do your dash lights get brighter at day time when headlights are off. Compared to night time when headlights are on. Assuming one does not touch the dimmer.

 

Is it the main instrumentation you're having trouble seeing or the radio/AC/heater display? I had a similar problem with the RAH display and discovered that I couldn't see it with polarized sunglasses on. The display is also polarized at right angles to the sunglasses and angled as to make it nearly impossible to read.

 

On my '07 Vantage, the dash lights remain at the last dimmer switch setting, regardless if the headlights are on or off. I drove home from Monterey last night and adjusted the dash intensity level for nighttime driving. When I went out this morning, I had to turn up the intensity to maximum in order to be able see the information. In California, we don't have the daylight running light requirement, so this information might not be of any help...

 

Thanks that's good info.

 

In Canada we have daytime running lights and it was a solution for AM..

Being it is a Volvo system, the light system was not designed for daytime running lights. So to correct this, Volvo made the lights stay turned on all the time regardless of the light switch position(off/parking light/on). Again cause it's a Volvo system, Aston just copied the idea and keeps the lights on all the time with ignition turned on. The dimmer **** on the light switch will just dim the dash lights, this includes the center console lights.

Cars that are for the USA market and come to Canada to be registered, need to have the daytime running lights activated. To activate, the dealer requests a file change for the VIN from AM HQ in Gaydon, HQ edits the file and posts it online for the dealer to download and flash to the vehicle.

If a vehicle is sold to a dealer in Canada and will be registered to Canada roads, car will already come with this required activation of the daytime running lights.(In a perfect world)

Newer cars now actually have an "Auto" mode for the lights, but on the Canadian cars there is no "auto" mode, not even a position on the light switch like the USA cars have...simply because it's not needed. There are some Canadian spec cars on the road that have an "Auto" mode on the light switch..but these cars are just subjects to being converted from USA spec to Canadian spec at the dealer during the PDI(World actually ain't so perfect ), even if you put the switch in "auto" mode on these special case cars, it does nothing...lights surrounding the vehicle will always be on with the ignition turned on

 

Thanks for the info Irish.

 

I have both a 2010 Volvo and a 2014 Vantage built and delivered to Canadian specs and can verify that the lights come on automatically no matter where the switch is set. On the Volvo there are separate daytime running lights and the xenon's only come on at night. I'll have to check what the vantage is doing but I didn't think the xenon's were on all the time (it's raining right now so they're on regardless). On both cars the dimmer works just fine.

Unrelated, but valuable to know, is that on both cars when the switch is in the off position the high beams will not toggle on (you have to keep the stalk pulled back). With the switch in the on position they toggle on and off normally. I learned this having had the Volvo in for repairs because I thought the toggle was broken.