Aurion dashboard lights

[prometheus]

Im new here ... but here goes.

I currently drive a 1996 Camry , 4cyl 2.2l and I'm considering some time in the future getting either a current model Aurion or Camry.

I had read that the dashboard of the current Aurion/Camry is very bright when lit up at night.

Recently , I was sitting in tram going through the city in the evening and an Aurion drove past fairly slowly.

I did notice that the dashboard was all lit up quite brightly ... very brightly in fact.

So , have any of you guys/gals had issues with the brightness of your dashboards at night ?

Have you gotten used to it or have you done anything to fix it ?

All comments , input is welcome.

I'm quite amazed that Toyota overlooked this matter and has no dimmer.

I can understand that it would certainly be a potential problem if driving in the country at night , where there would be very little ambient outside light.

[DJKOR]

I'm quite amazed that Toyota overlooked this matter and has no dimmer.

I can understand that it would certainly be a potential problem if driving in the country at night , where there would be very little ambient outside light.

I'm not sure where you heard about that, but the dash lights on the Aurion can be dimmed. It can either be set to be bright all the time regardless of your parkers/headlights, or set to full brightness and then dimmed when the parkers come on, or be set to a a variety of brightness levels and then go even dimmer when your parkers come on. I must say though, on quick glance, you wont find the brightness dial where you usually would on most cars. To adjust the brightness, you twist the stork coming out of the dash display, kinda like setting the in dash clocks on older cars (just without pulling on it).

With mine, I keep it on maximum brightness just before the click where it locks onto maximum brightness all the time. The dash dims enough when the parkers are turned on that it is still bright in a way, but it doesn't obstruct my view. The dash on these cars is so wicked though. Usually when I take someone for a drive in it for the first time, it is the first thing they notice.

Here is a quick video I took to demonstrate that it can be dimmed. It's a quick video and is just to show the dimming. Actual brightness in person is more dynamic. At the half way mark when the display 'bursts' to bright, that was the effect of turning the parking lights off then on again. That's an example of how mine is set. At the end, the 'burst' of light was clicking the brightness dial into full brightness mode.

Please wait a few seconds for Video to Load!

On a side note, while I have space in this thread to expand, anyone out there with the Aurion notice this next to your speedo:

I just noticed it one day and guessed it was the model/version number of the dash unit. Out of curiosity, does anyone else have a different code? Completely irrelevant to anything; but that's me.

[Speedz]

I like mine nice and bright...!

I got no problem with it watsoever...! lol

Yes it can be dim... however the 'opitron' gauge is only available from the sx6, zr6, prodigy, presara and trd models... but sure of touring have the same gauge...

cheers

[apg39]

The radio area can be quite bright at night....but it wouldnt stop me buying the car, its very minor to me.

Can be easily fixed, just buy the 7" DVD screen replacement :D

Im sure someone will come up with a way to link it in with the dimmer.

I just noticed it one day and guessed it was the model/version number of the dash unit. Out of curiosity, does anyone else have a different code? Completely irrelevant to anything; but that's me.

I've got it too, same code.

[zxc33]

hey,

i find that the lights on the CD head unit are to bright at times, it would be useful if the dimmer knob in the instrument cluster controlled the lights in the head unit as well.

cheers

Chris

[cranky]

i don't have a problem with the stereo lights at night but i wish that dash lights had independent night and day settings. the only thing i wish my atx had was the optitron dash cluster.

[DJKOR]

i don't have a problem with the stereo lights at night but i wish that dash lights had independent night and day settings. the only thing i wish my atx had was the optitron dash cluster.

Well technically the dash lights do have different night and day brightness. If you have the dial set right, when you turn your parkers/headlights on, the dash will dim. As well, if you leave your parkers/headlights on during the day, the dash will stay at full brightness and when you go undercover or it gets darker, the dash will automatically dim thanks to the ambient light sensor. Does yours not do either or both of these?

[cranky]

i find if i set the day light to how i like it the night lights are a bit too dull.