Fading displays... why??

SWOT1 · 03-06-2018, 09:34 AM

Unusual fading/dimming of HVAC/iDrive display and speedo display....Anyone else experience this?? Dealership says it shouldn't do this and doesn't have an explanation. Will fade in and out, usually during the first 10-15 minutes after start-up, without rhyme or reason. All the digital displays will fade out at the same time... becomes very difficult to see the HVAC (as you can see in the before/during pics)

titomi · 03-06-2018, 09:57 AM

Maybe the battery is low on power?

nosnoop · 03-06-2018, 10:12 AM

Maybe a faulty ambient light sensor, and it switches to night time driving dimmed level?

Njerts · 03-06-2018, 10:13 AM

Maybe day/night sensor messed up.

SWOT1 · 03-06-2018, 10:43 AM

Nope! Not a messed up sensor! It turns to the orange color in night-time mode perfectly fine. This is a straight fade of ALL the digital displays during the day.

ed4 · 03-06-2018, 11:59 AM

Seems to be an issue with the white LED illuminated display. An insensitive light sensor may turn the display into the orange-backlit numbers.

Does your display also do this at night?

SWOT1 · 03-06-2018, 12:05 PM

The night-time orange numbers work fine.... this is the day-time white numbers fading from bright to very dark and back again, indiscriminately, during daylight only. Night time, the orange backlit numbers stay bright as intended.

ed4 · 03-06-2018, 01:32 PM

Sounds like it needs to get swapped or the connections to the back of the HVAC panel needs to be re-secured.

It's surprising that none of this was done under warranty.

SWOT1 · 03-06-2018, 01:41 PM

It's not just the HVAC, it's the full digital instrument display, the idrive display AND the HVAC, all dimming/fading in the same fashion... crazy!!

arciga18 · 03-06-2018, 02:38 PM

First reported electrical gremlin attack .

cthomp88 · 03-06-2018, 04:52 PM

I’ve been noticing the same with mine. Then most bothersome is the HVAC display. Very hard to see on a sunny day.

SWOT1 · 03-06-2018, 05:19 PM

Okay!! I'm not the only one, thank u!

No1Cares · 03-07-2018, 08:46 AM

haven't had the chance to drive mine at night...first thought was what everyone else was saying...the daylight sensors. will report back when I get to drive at night...

SWOT1 · 03-07-2018, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casotakar

haven't had the chance to drive mine at night...first thought was what everyone else was saying...the daylight sensors. will report back when I get to drive at night...

Not a night time issue, the orange backlit numbers work as intended. This is a daytime issue only, where ALL of the displays fade dark and come back in indiscriminately and seemingly randomly...

No1Cares · 03-07-2018, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWOT1

Not a night time issue, the orange backlit numbers work as intended. This is a daytime issue only, where ALL of the displays fade dark and come back in indiscriminately and seemingly randomly...

okay, now I understand what you are saying. it's sunny out and your displays just randomly dim and brighten from no apparent consistent exterior stimulus. night time checks okay. have you tried putting your headlights out of auto mode to see if the car will react differently?

I had an older vw that would adjust the cockpit lighting accordingly (even my crap dd will do the same) depending on what your headlights are selected to.

maybe it is just a bad day light ambient sensor or you drive in and around shaded areas a lot? haha.

SWOT1 · 03-07-2018, 09:45 AM

The displays should not fade out as dark as they are going regardless of the ambient light (so dark that they are extremely hard to read, especially the HVAC)... are they supposed to fade at all?? I thought the orange night-time colored numbers trip on when the sensor indicated darkness... no? Regardless, this is ALL the displays, ONLY during the daytime, randomly, and fades very dark then back on after seconds or even minutes...

No1Cares · 03-07-2018, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWOT1

The displays should not fade out as dark as they are going regardless of the ambient light (so dark that they are extremely hard to read, especially the HVAC)... are they supposed to fade at all?? I thought the orange night-time colored numbers trip on when the sensor indicated darkness... no? Regardless, this is ALL the displays, ONLY during the daytime, randomly, and fades very dark then back on after seconds or even minutes...

there's not an excessive amount of heat in that area is there? it's not hot to the touch?

I'd just video it, text my dealer the video, then claim it's a bad HVAC display.

just seems to me if it ALWAYS works at night, the sensor is having a hard time determining if there is light, not the lack of light. I work around display screens all the time that when they go bad or start to become faulty, have no issue at night time operating, but during the day, if the sun and reflection is SO bright, they are difficult to see and need to be replaced. it has to be the ambient light sensors....idk how it isnt.

SWOT1 · 03-07-2018, 10:19 AM

It's NOT just the HVAC... its ALL the displays simultaneously, the idrive (NAV) display, the full instrument (speedo) display AND the HVAC all dim out at the same time...

Anyone know where the ambient light sensor is located for the displays??

No1Cares · 03-07-2018, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWOT1

It's NOT just the HVAC... its ALL the displays simultaneously, the idrive (NAV) display, the full instrument (speedo) display AND the HVAC all dim out at the same time...

Anyone know where the ambient light sensor is located for the displays??

lol, okay in that case it HAS to be the sensor. my guess the location would have to be on the rear view mirror, I can't see bmw placing one behind any of the instrument clusters or hvac or nav etc. rear view mirror is right next to the windshield and is more exposed to light more than any of the displays which to me would make it a central hub in determining ambient light. try putting a thick cloth around the back part of it (or the whole thing)...

you don't have a toll tag next to the rear view mirror do you or radar?

SWOT1 · 03-07-2018, 10:34 AM

No radar or toll tags up there... will inspect that area and play around with covering it up to see if it makes a difference, thanks!

yllwwgn · 03-07-2018, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Casotakar

lol, okay in that case it HAS to be the sensor. my guess the location would have to be on the rear view mirror, I can't see bmw placing one behind any of the instrument clusters or hvac or nav etc. rear view mirror is right next to the windshield and is more exposed to light more than any of the displays which to me would make it a central hub in determining ambient light. try putting a thick cloth around the back part of it (or the whole thing)...

you don't have a toll tag next to the rear view mirror do you or radar?

Yeah I'm with Casotakar... since ALL of your displays are dimming, I would think it's an ambient light sensor. And since it always happens at the same time, maybe you're driving through the same environment daily? Just a thought... but cover up the top of the mirror/sensor for all day regardless, and check if it dims throughout the day.

JSY · 03-07-2018, 04:58 PM

Just out of curiosity, when you turn the brightness wheel next to the headlight control, does it work properly - such and increase and decrease brightness?

03-06-2018, 09:34 AM	#1
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	Fading displays... why?? Unusual fading/dimming of HVAC/iDrive display and speedo display....Anyone else experience this?? Dealership says it shouldn't do this and doesn't have an explanation. Will fade in and out, usually during the first 10-15 minutes after start-up, without rhyme or reason. All the digital displays will fade out at the same time... becomes very difficult to see the HVAC (as you can see in the before/during pics) Attached Images __________________ - '20 X3MC \| Alpine White \| Black Alcantara/Midrand Beige \| loaded \| 295/265 PS4S - '09 E93 M3 \| Alpine White \| Bamboo Beige Novillo \| DCT \| loaded \| Chrome M220 Wheels - 275/255 PSS
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03-06-2018, 09:57 AM	#2
titomi Colonel 926 Rep 2,046 Posts Drives: X3 G01 30i xDrive Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: EU iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 X3 G01 [0.00]	Maybe the battery is low on power?
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03-06-2018, 10:12 AM	#3
nosnoop Major 838 Rep 1,236 Posts Drives: 5 Series Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada iTrader: (0)	Maybe a faulty ambient light sensor, and it switches to night time driving dimmed level?
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03-06-2018, 10:13 AM	#4
Njerts Lieutenant 125 Rep 545 Posts Drives: x3 m40i Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Vancouver,BC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2018 BMW X3 M40i [0.00]	Maybe day/night sensor messed up.
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03-06-2018, 10:43 AM	#5
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	Nope! Not a messed up sensor! It turns to the orange color in night-time mode perfectly fine. This is a straight fade of ALL the digital displays during the day. __________________ - '20 X3MC \| Alpine White \| Black Alcantara/Midrand Beige \| loaded \| 295/265 PS4S - '09 E93 M3 \| Alpine White \| Bamboo Beige Novillo \| DCT \| loaded \| Chrome M220 Wheels - 275/255 PSS
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03-06-2018, 11:59 AM	#6
ed4 Captain 1368 Rep 732 Posts Drives: '21 F96 X6MC, '18 G30 M550i Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: New York, NY iTrader: (1)	Seems to be an issue with the white LED illuminated display. An insensitive light sensor may turn the display into the orange-backlit numbers. Does your display also do this at night? __________________ '23 F93 M8 GC ZCP - HRE S101SC - Full Akrapovic - '15 Audi R8 4.2 S-Tronic (Past) YouTube '21 F96 X6M ZCP Akrapovic/MSS/BC Forged, ‘18 G30 M550i, '18 G01 X3 M40i, '15 F10 M5 ZCP HRE S101 #1 & #2/Akrapovic, ‘13 W204 C63 AMG - ADV1 5.01SL's
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03-06-2018, 12:05 PM	#7
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	The night-time orange numbers work fine.... this is the day-time white numbers fading from bright to very dark and back again, indiscriminately, during daylight only. Night time, the orange backlit numbers stay bright as intended. __________________ - '20 X3MC \| Alpine White \| Black Alcantara/Midrand Beige \| loaded \| 295/265 PS4S - '09 E93 M3 \| Alpine White \| Bamboo Beige Novillo \| DCT \| loaded \| Chrome M220 Wheels - 275/255 PSS
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03-06-2018, 01:32 PM	#8
ed4 Captain 1368 Rep 732 Posts Drives: '21 F96 X6MC, '18 G30 M550i Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: New York, NY iTrader: (1)	Sounds like it needs to get swapped or the connections to the back of the HVAC panel needs to be re-secured. It's surprising that none of this was done under warranty. __________________ '23 F93 M8 GC ZCP - HRE S101SC - Full Akrapovic - '15 Audi R8 4.2 S-Tronic (Past) YouTube '21 F96 X6M ZCP Akrapovic/MSS/BC Forged, ‘18 G30 M550i, '18 G01 X3 M40i, '15 F10 M5 ZCP HRE S101 #1 & #2/Akrapovic, ‘13 W204 C63 AMG - ADV1 5.01SL's
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03-06-2018, 01:41 PM	#9
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	It's not just the HVAC, it's the full digital instrument display, the idrive display AND the HVAC, all dimming/fading in the same fashion... crazy!!
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03-06-2018, 02:38 PM	#10
arciga18 Brigadier General 1729 Rep 3,654 Posts Drives: LeMans/ Chestnut E90, RWD Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Chicago iTrader: (3)	First reported electrical gremlin attack .
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03-06-2018, 04:52 PM	#11
cthomp88 Private 68 Rep 69 Posts Drives: 2020 X3M Competition - BSM Join Date: Jan 2018 Location: Atlanta iTrader: (0)	I’ve been noticing the same with mine. Then most bothersome is the HVAC display. Very hard to see on a sunny day.
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03-06-2018, 05:19 PM	#12
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	Okay!! I'm not the only one, thank u!
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03-07-2018, 08:46 AM	#13
No1Cares Lieutenant 435 Rep 570 Posts Drives: X3 Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: VA iTrader: (0)	haven't had the chance to drive mine at night...first thought was what everyone else was saying...the daylight sensors. will report back when I get to drive at night...
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03-07-2018, 09:45 AM	#16
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	The displays should not fade out as dark as they are going regardless of the ambient light (so dark that they are extremely hard to read, especially the HVAC)... are they supposed to fade at all?? I thought the orange night-time colored numbers trip on when the sensor indicated darkness... no? Regardless, this is ALL the displays, ONLY during the daytime, randomly, and fades very dark then back on after seconds or even minutes... __________________ - '20 X3MC \| Alpine White \| Black Alcantara/Midrand Beige \| loaded \| 295/265 PS4S - '09 E93 M3 \| Alpine White \| Bamboo Beige Novillo \| DCT \| loaded \| Chrome M220 Wheels - 275/255 PSS
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03-07-2018, 10:19 AM	#18
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	It's NOT just the HVAC... its ALL the displays simultaneously, the idrive (NAV) display, the full instrument (speedo) display AND the HVAC all dim out at the same time... Anyone know where the ambient light sensor is located for the displays?? __________________ - '20 X3MC \| Alpine White \| Black Alcantara/Midrand Beige \| loaded \| 295/265 PS4S - '09 E93 M3 \| Alpine White \| Bamboo Beige Novillo \| DCT \| loaded \| Chrome M220 Wheels - 275/255 PSS
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03-07-2018, 10:34 AM	#20
SWOT1 The Hammock Man 493 Rep 593 Posts Drives: X3MC, X3 M40i, E93 M3 Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW E93 M3 [8.00] 2020 BMW X3M Comp. [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.00]	No radar or toll tags up there... will inspect that area and play around with covering it up to see if it makes a difference, thanks! __________________ - '20 X3MC \| Alpine White \| Black Alcantara/Midrand Beige \| loaded \| 295/265 PS4S - '09 E93 M3 \| Alpine White \| Bamboo Beige Novillo \| DCT \| loaded \| Chrome M220 Wheels - 275/255 PSS
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03-07-2018, 04:58 PM	#22
JSY Major 578 Rep 1,108 Posts Drives: 2024 BMW X3 M40i Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: New York iTrader: (0) Garage List 2024 BMW X3 M40i [0.00] 2021 BMW X3 M40i [0.00] 2018 BMW X3 M40i [9.33] 2015 BMW X3 35i [9.50]	Just out of curiosity, when you turn the brightness wheel next to the headlight control, does it work properly - such and increase and decrease brightness?
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