My instrument lights have a intermittent fault where the dials sometimes don't light up on turning on the ignition. Turning off and turning on again doesn't make any difference. Usually they come on after a couple of minutes, but yesterday they switched themselves off just as I got home!

All the warning lights are working as they should and the instrument needles are lit ok. If I turn the side or headlights on the instruments light up as they should but they turn off when the side or headlights are turned off!

Has anyone had a similar problem?

 

Normal behaviour. Try using AUTO modes on the lights if you have such, or use the instrument lights turning off as a warning sign to turn your (side or better still) headlights on.

Normal behaviour. Try using AUTO modes on the lights if you have such, or use the instrument lights turning off as a warning sign to turn your (side or better still) headlights on.

Thanks for the reply but how can it be 'normal behavior' when the instruments have always been iluminated when the ignition is switched on since I bought the car in February 2016 and they have only recently had this intermittent swithing off. I can hardly see the instruments in the daytime when they are off! The instrument lights do come on in 'auto' mode but I'm very 'old school', I like to be in control of my vehicles and not the other way round   

It might be the start of the fault experienced by a very large number of Skoda, VW, and Audi owners.  

 

On my previous Yeti it began with the symptoms you describe: instrument lights not coming on at all for some time, then suddenly they were on.  After a few more weeks they started to flicker erratically and became distracting.  Occasionally I could make them behave a bit better by kicking their voltage with the rheostat. Google "Skoda flickering dash lights."

 

As far as I could discover the cause is cheaply-made instrument panels with LEDs that are badly soldered in place.  I was told (but didn't verify it) that a Skoda dealer would want to replace the instrument panel at a cost of around £1,000.  If you were very good at soldering reflow and not scared to drag the dash to pieces you might achieve a repair.   I found a couple of companies who do a regular trade repairing these panels. 

When I said "normal behaviour" i meant that the car is designed to operate in this manner.

I will make a few assumptions in my potential explanation below:

You park in the same regular spot every evening and returned to the same place which you called home.

You say February; but I will imagine you might have waited until 1.3.16 to actually take delivery.

The Spring equinox was 20.3.16 and the Autumn equinox was 20.9.16

I shall leave you to work out the significance of the above.

Your "problem" will completely disappear next March!

        :|

The instrument cluster illuminates depending on the ambient light outside. I.e when it's bright outside the lights on the cluster illuminate. When it's low light or dark outside they do not. This means you have to switch on your sidelights or headlights to get the cluster to light up. (As Freedie implies with his response) A very good way to make sure your driving with your lights on when it's dark.

"On my previous Yeti it began with the symptoms you describe: instrument lights not coming on at all for some time, then suddenly they were on.  After a few more weeks they started to flicker erratically and became distracting."

That is nowhere near normal, when coming on or off it's a very gradual "fade".

After a few months of ownership of a new (secondhand) car most drivers get to know what is normal for that car, whether is the noise it makes or how it drives. So when something changes after 7 months ownership it is obvious that something is not "normal".

I've never had to turn the lights on to illuminate the instruments in the previous 7 months. My last car (Honda CRV) was exactly the same with the instrument lights turning on with the ignition. In fact with CRV the instrument lights dimmed when the side/head lights were switched on.

I hope it's not the start of problems to come! In which case my "problem will completely disappear next March" by which time I will have got rid of !!!!!