Dimming the dash lights

[MelWA]

Just wondering if there is a switch somewhere to dim the dash lights. We've got a 2010 D40 ST-X King Cab and the dash lights are extremely bright. Most cars some kind of switch that enables the driver to adjust the brightness of the dash lights but we can't find one anywhere and there doesn't seem to be any reference to this in the manual.

 

[Old.Tony]

G'day and welcome to the forum.

It's the right-hand trip-meter setting spinny widget thingy in the instrument cluster. Give it a spin left to dim the dash, right to brighten. Press it momentarily to switch between tripmeter 'A' and 'B' and hold it in to reset the viewed trip meter to 0km.

 

[Leprechaun]

The red dust will dull them off nicely.

 

[MelWA]

Thanks Tony.

The red dust will dull them off nicely.

Yeah that dust seems to find its way in no matter what.

 

[KraftyPg]

It's the right-hand trip-meter setting spinny widget thingy in the instrument cluster. Give it a spin left to dim the dash, right to brighten. Press it momentarily to switch between tripmeter 'A' and 'B' and hold it in to reset the viewed trip meter to 0km.

It even makes a noise as you do it, such a worthwhile feature The dash lights will also reset back to default if the battery is disconnected or the dash fuse is pulled out.

 

[petes navstr]

Just wondering if there is a switch somewhere to dim the dash lights. We've got a 2010 D40 ST-X King Cab and the dash lights are extremely bright. Most cars some kind of switch that enables the driver to adjust the brightness of the dash lights but we can't find one anywhere and there doesn't seem to be any reference to this in the manual.

gee here you are complaining that its to bright and i reckon i can speak for most d22 and say that we complain that ours are to dull, i'm looking for a way to brighten them up a bit but there aint anything out there, you want to swap globes ha ha ha

 

[justdrinkbeer]

Can't dim the high beam light, and thats blinding! I have a bit of insulation tape over mine its so bad

 

[the_bluester]

In my R51 I actually removed the dash and glued a piece of neutral density photographic filter film behind the high bean telltale. Invisible once the dash is reassembled and much nicer to look at.

I did not do more than take the plastic face off so I did not alter the calibration of the needles, I lifted the plastic face of the instruments and used tweezers to put the film in with some photographic glue that dries transparent.

 

[reel-sensation]

Can't dim the high beam light, and thats blinding! I have a bit of insulation tape over mine its so bad

Just get your texta and colour the bulb!

Alan

 

[the_bluester]

Not so simple, at least in a D40 (Not sure about a D22) The telltales are all surface mounted LEDs nowadays. Handy as there is no bulb to blow and replace.

 

[navarian]

G'day and welcome to the forum.

It's the right-hand trip-meter setting spinny widget thingy in the instrument cluster. Give it a spin left to dim the dash, right to brighten. Press it momentarily to switch between tripmeter 'A' and 'B' and hold it in to reset the viewed trip meter to 0km.

Great stuff Tony,didn't know this about the dimmer.

 

[MelWA]

In my R51 I actually removed the dash and glued a piece of neutral density photographic filter film behind the high bean telltale. Invisible once the dash is reassembled and much nicer to look at.

I did not do more than take the plastic face off so I did not alter the calibration of the needles, I lifted the plastic face of the instruments and used tweezers to put the film in with some photographic glue that dries transparent.

From where does one acquire neutral density photographic filter film and photographic glue?

 

[the_bluester]

Any decent photographic supplies shop will have it. You want neutral density (Grey basically, it does not noticeably alter the colouring of the light) and it will be a sheet a couple of inches square, you only need about 1cm square to cover the high beam telltale without covering anything else.

I will have to find the remainder of what I used as I can not recall what grade I used, I do recall I used a double thickness to get the light level down so it must have been reasonably light. Probably about 50% would be the ticket.

Bloody silly of Nissan not dimming the telltales along with the rest of the dash lights.

 

[justdrinkbeer]

Was it an absolute shitfight to do as it sounds like it would be?

 

[crack]

Was it an absolute shitfight to do as it sounds like it would be?

thats what i was thinking last night when looking at my high beam light. sometimes i wonder if they have real people designing these cars.

 

[nakedape]

Not sure about the D40 but in the D22 you all you need do is hit a decent bump - instant dimming

 

[the_bluester]

Not as bad as you might think.

The dash comes out pretty easily and as it is all electronic it is just a couple of wiring plugs to disconnect once removed, removing it was I think four screws behind the cowling, which popped off pretty easily. Once it is out I don't think I even had to remove any screws from the dash assembly (I did it five years ago, memory is getting a bit dull) it was just a matter of very carefully levering the tabs in to pop the clear plastic panel off the cluster and then carefully glue the filter film in behind the screen printed front face of the dash without actually dissasembling anything more than that. It only took me an hour or so to do the whole job. All it needed was the filter film, the glue, a couple of screwdrivers and tweezers to slip the flim in with.

I can not recall what it is called but the glue I used is normally used to stick photos down, is rubbery, dries clear and neutral cure if you get it wrong you can still unstick it and the cured glue rubs off with your finger. I will find the tube tonight and post up what it was, or ask my wife, she is the photographer.

 

[Leprechaun]

Like you bluester, I have had the dash out , again it was a few years ago but I don't remember it being a difficult job at all. I had mine apart to get out the red desert dust.

 

[the_bluester]

OK, had a look, the glue is "Photo Leim" and the filter material is two layers of "Lee Filters" ND6 (Neutral density 6) which is a 25% transmission film. Says how bright the stupid things are that it took two layers of that!

 

[MelWA]

Thanks. Will have a look next time we're in Perth...or while we're over east in a couple of weeks.