Dash brightness switch

[Al Kepp]

(Sorry for my imperfect English.) In our country daytime running lights are mandatory. I have got auris 2010, there are no built-in DRL so I have to keep headlights turned on all time. The problem is that dash brightness automatically goes to its night mode when headlights are turned on. (This automatic feature would be nice if headlights were used at night only.) The problem is that I need a different brightness level for day and night time. Of course. On my old yaris 2005, there is a simple button on the dashboard to change the brightness of the dash. The button simlpy switches between day and night mode. It's more bright in day mode, less bright in night mode. My auris have optitron display and when I want to change the brightness, it's a pain - it takes a lot of work with the control button and it drives me crazy because it also takes a lot of time. When I keep the brightness on the highest level, it's too bright for night driving, and when I set it just one step less than maximum, it's not enough bright at daytime to see anything on the optitron display.

technical:
I think the best possible solution now would be to install the same switch button as present in yaris. Is it possible? And where to connect it? I expect the headlight switch is wire-connected to some device which controls the dash backlight day/night mode based on the signal from headlight. So maybe the only thing I need to do is to insert a button switch to that wire. The auris' dash would behave normally when switched ON, and it would stay in day mode when switched OFF (because the system wouldn't know that headlights are turned on). I hope that I am not the only one who hates how the brightness is automatically controlled by headlight switch, and hopefully somebody already solved the problem. Please help.

[yossarian247]

Sorry I can't help you with the dash brightness question, but I wonder if simpler solution might be just to fit an aftermarket daytime running light kit?

That would avoid the dash brightness problem, and also the risk of forgetting to switch your headlights on every time, if they mandatory where you live.

[Al Kepp]

Yes, you are right, that is my plan B. And it has more benefits than solving of the dashboard brightness problem.

Also, I already found solution to my plan A. I found it on other toyota forum. So I already know which single wire needs to be disconnected to keep dashboard in day mode even with headlights turned on. :-) If anybody interested, it's the thick light grey wire on pin 2 of 2Q connector. If we insert a simple mechanical switch into that path, we can easily disconnect the wire to get dashboard back to day mode. :-)

[mickburkesnr]

Is it mandatory in your country to have every car drive with head lights on, or is it mandatory for new cars after a specific year to have them on? I only ask because with my Peugeot 3008 there is an option to turn on DRL or turn them off, and apparently this feature exists because the car was built when it wasn't a mandatory requirement to have them on full time.

[Al Kepp]

Yes, daytime lights are mandatory in our country since summer 2006. For all cars except the veterans. You have to turn on DRL if you have one, or headlights+position+tail. Interestingly, toyota still sold cars without any DRL present many years after that law came into effect.

[Heidfirst]

Vauxhall (Opel) did the same in the UK but they made the side/headlights come on. http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-news/consumer-news/35408/watchdog-daytime-running-lights-rip

[Al Kepp]

Our local toyota dealers provide the same thing as vauxhall, but it's a paid operation on the car. And this simple "auto" mode also switches the dashboard to night mode, so it gets me back to the start of my problem: I don't want the dashboard to be always in night mode, I want just the lights. Yeah, proper LED-based DRL would be nice.