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Is it possible to modify the cluster illumination to have it always on?

4K views 18 replies 8 participants last post by  abyzzim 
#1 ·
Is there any method to modify the electronics of the car so that the instrument cluster will become always illuminated so long as the key is inserted and switched to the "ON" position (even without switching on the head and tail lamps)?
 
#3 ·
On my daily commute, I drive through a lot of tunnels (which are unlit during the daytime) and have trouble finding revs for shifting as the dash is not illuminated. Plus, my window film is quite dark all-around. Therefore, I would really appreciate if there was a certain way to configure the cluster to light up by default.
 
#12 ·
I asked my mechanic about this topic and he said that doing so could potentially cause problems; he wasn't especially specific about it though. He said, "the cluster lights up as a result of the "module" telling it to light up after the lights had been switched on, so tinkering with this system could cause problems." I'm not sure if I believe him because part of me just thinks that he's too lazy to fiddle with the electronics, but I can't be sure. What do you guys think?
 
#15 ·
Yeah, if you like your cluster LED, then it does make sense to keep it on. I like the way my dad's Audi's have the needles lit in red all the time too.

On early models, it's Pin 7 of the black connector (gray/red wire). On later models, the lights are triggered by a K-bus command. Not sure where an 03 falls on the spectrum.
My guess is that mine falls into the "later models" category because it has the raised turn signal indicators.
 
#17 ·
The car I learned to drive on was my dad's Superstar '74 Beetle, so I do kinda know about manual-shifting with feel because it too didn't have a tach (but then one time, I drove it at around 140kmph for an extended period of time on an expressway, and one of the pistons gouged through the cylinder cover and the engine ceased on the expressway - was a ****-show for me, and my dad never let me touch his Beetle again after he got a new 1.8 flat-4 for it). Plus the fact that in my university years, I kind of riced around in an EG6, which was manual. I guess that that was probably the time that I actually developed a habit of shifting according to speed. The 1.5 D15Y Vtec-E engine in my Civic was matched with a final gear ratio that was so tall and evenly spaced that I drove around with 20kmph intervals per gear for daily-driving. It was super economical to drive that way as well, so I had to stick with that driving habit for the whole time I was a student (because I was broke like, basically, the whole time). At 100 kmph in 5th, the rev was only at 2000rpm - crazy low. However, once I started working, I daily'd in an automatic-transmission Toyota Hilux since then for a majority of my "driving life" up until now. So yes, I may have forgotten the feeling of it a little bit because I haven't driven a manual-transmission vehicle in quite a while.

Anyhow, my 318i has the Steptronic-auto (I'd love to swap it to manual, but that's a whole other story altogether), but I drive around in manual-mode all the time because automatic is just too boring. In Thailand, non-M e46's with manuals are more rare than M3's, so it's just not in my ability to find one (in fact I've only ever seen one non-M e46 with a stick-shift here, and I believe that the owner did a swap to get it to become a manual because the shifter, shift-boot, etc. didn't match with the rest of the car both in color and "age/wear".) Personally, I find that with the "+/-" of the Steptronic (and other manumatics), I get lost in the gears when shifting - like I'd forget which gear I'm in. However, with an H-pattern shifter, I never had this problem; although the gear display is always illuminated by default so I can look down to see which gear I'm in, I still want the speedo and tach to be always illuminated as well (just out of habit of shifting with the speedo, which I still do apparently). For me, I use the speedo to shift for daily-driving (eco-driving) and the tach to shift for spirited-driving.
 
#19 ·
By "auto option", you are talking about the auto on/off of the cluster illumination when turning the lights on/off right? I drive around in manual-mode all the time on my automatic transmission, and you may be wondering why I want the cluster illuminated by default. The reason is because then I can downshift (and upshift too, but that can be done from feel more easily) according to the speedo accurately (for engine braking and matching the gears to the speed - especially for multiple downshifts) even in darker areas like in dimly lit tunnels or like really early in the morning. In such dimly lit environments, there is enough light to see the road and other cars, but the curved hump on top of the cluster that blocks out light in such environments from getting to the cluster. You'd barely be able to tell how fast you were going or what rev you were at - unless you switch on the dimmers. And I guess I like to keep my lights off whenever possible - it's just a personal preference.
 
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