Help please!

I have a 14 plate 2 litre turbo diesel.

During the summer the dash lights started to fade away completely when driving through tunnels, this has now got worse, especially with the very dull mornings we're having now. It's the lights for the dials - centre display and needles stay bright, when day gets brighter so do lights!! Car does not have auto lights.

Has anyone had the same problem, any ideas how to fix??

Do you mean when your light are off in the dark the dashboard is dark?

The mk3 does not have backlights for the dashboard when the lights are off

2 hours ago, johnd48 said:

Help please!

I have a 14 plate 2 litre turbo diesel.

During the summer the dash lights started to fade away completely when driving through tunnels, this has now got worse, especially with the very dull mornings we're having now. It's the lights for the dials - centre display and needles stay bright, when day gets brighter so do lights!! Car does not have auto lights.

Has anyone had the same problem, any ideas how to fix??

Do you have the headlights actually switched on when you notice this?

No, headlights are off, just normal daytime front running lights on, rev counter and speedo fade away when in tunnels ( even well lit ones) and even when driving under thick tree cover! With sidelights or headlights on they are fine.

An answer from AI

"In a MK3 Skoda Octavia, your dials go darker when outside light decreases because of the automatic dimming system controlled by a light sensor

. The car is programmed to automatically adjust the brightness of the dashboard and infotainment displays to optimize visibility and reduce glare at night."

"How the system works

1. Sensing the light: Your car's light sensor, located near the rear view mirror, continuously measures the amount of ambient light.

2. Activating night mode: When the sensor detects that it is dark enough outside, the system assumes it is nighttime and automatically switches the instrument cluster and infotainment screen to a dimmer, less distracting setting. This is a safety feature that prevents the bright lights from distracting or blinding the driver.

3. Adjusting for bright light: Conversely, when the sensor detects bright sunlight, it increases the illumination of the dials so that they are still visible and readable in direct glare. "

So in a tunnel turn your lights on.