MFD is too bright

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(B Rad @ Sep 7 2006, 04:43 PM) [snapback]315921[/snapback]</div>

Turn the dash lights dimmer thumb wheel on the left side of the steering wheel from it's top most "notched" position to some other position. That will put the MFD into "night mdoe".

If that still doesn't doesn't dim it enough for you, then you should note that the MFD maintains separate brightness and contrast settings for its "day" and "night" modes. I've got my "night" mode settings set for as dim as I can get it, and my "day" settings, a little brighter than the default. (You have to be in "night mode" to adjust the settings for night mode, and likewise be in "day mode" to adjust for day mode)

 

If you already use the dimmer to put the MFD on night mode, I guess there's nothing else you can do.

Use some kind of optical attenuation film? Looks like some guys have a patent on that... http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6587288.html

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY @ Sep 7 2006, 04:48 PM) [snapback]315923[/snapback]</div>

Except that the MFD maintains separate brightness and contrast settings for day and night modes. My night mode is set pretty dim.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Sep 7 2006, 04:51 PM) [snapback]315928[/snapback]</div>

hm... interesting, I never adjust the brightness in night mode, because it's dark enough for me. I might play around with it tonight.

In night mode, you can press display on the side of MFD and adjust brightness/contrast, as Marlin mention above.

 

I had a friend who was provided with a Prius courtesy car while his Camry was being repaired. He reported "I can't see the speedometer."

Turned out the headlights were "on" and the panel dimmer switch turned all the way down which indeed blanks out the speedometer. The solution: Turn the headlights "on" and adjust the panel dimmer to your desired brightness.

An aside: I find the MFD and speedometer displays quite dim enough when wearing my Polarized sunglasses. If I tilt my head to the left, things brighten up, but without tilting the displays are dimmer than I'd prefer.

 

Ok, I was playing with the night mode brightness (while in night mode, press "display" button on the side of MFD). It is a seperate adjustment from the speedo brightness. The MFD could go pretty dim. So I don't know why Tony and B Rad said it's too bright at night. Maybe the highways in NY are well lighted? I find that setting the brightness in the middle is pretty OK for me.

 

Yeah I find the dash and MFD distractingly dark at night if I roll that little dimmer behind the steering wheel all the way down. I tend to think that some people don't know is clicks and locks into "daylight mode" if you scroll it all the way up, but enough people have posted about it that I wonder... Maybe you are just driving in very dark neighborhoods.

Just make sure your display pref and the dimmer are not set to daylight mode, and I think it should be ok. Or just turn the MFD off.

 

Sounds like a perfect time to turn off the MFD, because you're obviously too tired to properly hypermile anyway just floor it and get home to sleep!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Sep 7 2006, 10:58 PM) [snapback]316138[/snapback]</div>

1) With your car on, turn on your headlights and move the dash thumb wheel off of the "day mode" position.

2) Now press the Display button on the MFD and adjust the brightness and contrast controls at the bottom of the MFD screen.

3) Now turn the dash thumb wheel to the "day mode" position. Notice that the brightness and contrast settings change.

4)Now turn the thumb wheel back to "night mode" and notice that the brightness and contrast settings switch back to settings you entered in step 2.

By default, the brightness setting for day and night is set in the middle. However, if you turn the brightness setting down all the way for night mode, it is really quite dim. That's how I have it and if I turn on night mode during the day, you can just barely read the white text on the MFD, but you almost can't see any of the other colored graphics at all. However, when dark, that setting is very viewable and not overly bright.

 

Use the Blue background too. Works great.
-Lee

 

Also, however, is the question...is there ANY way to tone down the turn signal blinkers and other stuff like that that does not seem to be affected by any of the settings *I* have been able to find...I can set the MFD and the general dash stuff just fine...but those freakin' ARROWS, man...just blow my night vision out of the water.

Any solution to this one?

 

I just picked up my Prius today and I am finding the little adjusting wheel has no impact to my dash brightness, it seems to be broker and stuck in day mode.

Another question, while driving at night are there supposed to be lights lit up on the Start button, the Park button and the shifter? I do not have lights on any of the three and they are a bear to find at night in the dark

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Sep 13 2006, 11:36 PM) [snapback]319299[/snapback]</div>

I am thinking my wheel switch is not functioning, it seems to be stuck in day mode. I guess I am back to the dealer

Thanks!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Curt @ Sep 14 2006, 05:52 AM) [snapback]319393[/snapback]</div>

Sounds like you understand this already, but just in case...

The thumb wheel has a "notched" position at the top of it's range and you should feel it snap (spring?) into and out of that position when the wheel is turned to and from it's upper most position. That notched position is the "Day Mode" setting. When in day mode, the dash speedometer and the MFD are at their full brightness. When the thumb wheel is off the "Day Mode" position, the speedometer brightness is variable, but the MFD brightness goes to a single "Night Mode" setting. The thumb wheel should be able to dim the speedometer to almost, if not completely, dark. Again, the MFD has only two brightness settings, day and night, and the night mode brightness does not vary with the thumb wheel position like the speedometer.

Also, the headlights have to be on for the thumb wheel to have any effect on the speedometer or MFD.

If you turn the thumb wheel all the way down, with the headlights on, and your speedometer does not go completely (or nearly completely) dark, then the thumb wheel is indeed broken.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Sep 14 2006, 08:02 AM) [snapback]319404[/snapback]</div>

Thanks! I took the car back to the dealer today and they got me right in, it turned out to be a loose connection to the adjusting wheel behind the dash.