# Front Information Display and Control Head (J523) screen brightness



## legaleagle (Apr 14, 2006)

*Infocentre screen brightness*

Recently I have noticed that at certain times, when I start the car the brightness on the screen is nowhere near as high as others. This continues sometimes for up to 15 minutes before normal bright and clear display is restored. Is there something wrong with my screen or does it have something which is supposed to adjust to the ambient brightness of the surroundings?


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## palladino (Sep 8, 2006)

*Re: Infocentre screen brightness (legaleagle)*

Hi Legaleagle
I expect Michael proberly knows, anyway I believe it depends what spec you ordered. Some do have automatic adjusting lighting. My passat had it and sometimes especially in the morning it seemed to flash up an down, i was told by VW its quite normal.

Peter.


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## murphybaileysam (Dec 29, 2005)

There is a little pin hole on the side of the info screen that guages the amount of light in the cabin and adjusts the brightness of the screen. If there is dirt in it the screen will be a lot dimmer because it will perceive that it is dark in the cabin and not make the display bright.


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## Paldi (Sep 4, 2004)

*Re: (murphybaileysam)*


_Quote, originally posted by *murphybaileysam* »_There is a little pin hole on the side of the info screen that guages the amount of light in the cabin and adjusts the brightness of the screen. If there is dirt in it the screen will be a lot dimmer because it will perceive that it is dark in the cabin and not make the display bright.

If you shine the flashlight at that spot the screen will brighten. Still, no good answer as to why it happens only once in a while. I park mine outside overnight. (Do you think moonshine may be a contributing factor?) My service department installed dimmer courtesy lamps up in front of the sunroof. Didn't help.


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## Motorista (Oct 28, 2005)

*Re: (Paldi)*

Happened to me too, when the car was almost new. It started noticeably dimmer and remained that way all day, but got back to normal the following day and it has not happened since. As I recall, the day it happened was overcast and drizzly, but still plenty of daytime light, and the pinhole was absolutely spotless. One thing I did notice is that I had left the instrument panel dimmed from a long night drive the night before. I realized this at dusk on the day the problem happened, and set it back up to maximum, but by then it was nighttime and the infocenter display would have been dimmed anyway. The following day the problem was gone. I was left with the impression that the panel dimmer setting might somehow have been involved in this, but I have not had the opportunity to experiment since then.
Stefano


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## mip1 again (Apr 9, 2006)

*Re: (Motorista)*

I didn't notice it until I read this post!


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Infocentre screen brightness (legaleagle)*


_Quote, originally posted by *legaleagle* »_Recently I have noticed that at certain times, when I start the car the brightness on the screen is nowhere near as high as others...

Hi Duncan:
If there is a direct correlation between low J523 screen brightness and very cold weather (meaning, the interior of the car is cold-soaked to well below freezing temperatures), then you might find that the problem has been addressed by software update 253 for the J523 Front Information Display and Control Head. You can determine the version of the software that is in your J523 fairly easily - check this post here: How to determine what version of software is in your J523. I emphasize, though, that the changed made in software 253 only address low screen brightness during *very cold* ambient conditions.
If you plan to have this software update carried out, expect to leave your car at the VW dealer for a full day. It can take up to two hours to flash-update the software in the J523, and, if the J523 gets updated to version 253, the J401 navigation controller (the device that the navigation CD goes into) also needs to be updated to a software version that is higher than 0168. This is also a slow process. So, if your VW dealer has not carried this procedure out before, you might want to tip them off that it could take up to three hours to do, so, they should start the process early in the day, not at 4:00 PM on a Friday afternoon. It is also extremely important - absolutely critical - that the vehicle power supply battery be hooked up to a battery maintainer for the duration of the update process.
* * * * * * 
If your problem is not directly correlated with extreme cold cabin temperatures, then I'm not really sure what to say. Perhaps there is a problem with the florescent illumination inside the J523? If that is the case, then the only way to solve it is to replace the J523, which is a hellaciously expensive thing to do (in the thousands of dollar range). If you are still under warranty at this time, you might want to get the problem recorded on a work order before you go out of warranty, just in case it becomes necessary to replace the J523 in the future.
Hope this helps.
Michael


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Infocentre screen brightness (PanEuropean)*

BTW - the software update 253 has only recently been released in Europe. Terence has had that software in his car for almost a year now (I guess he has a direct connection to engineering in Dresden), but the CDs with the new software were not available in Germany when I checked this past summer. So, either take your Phaeton to Terence's dealer (if you are in the UK), or, ask your dealer to call the technician help line to find out how to get the updating CD with version 253 on it.
This software version has not been released in North America yet... I don't know if there are any plans to release it here or not. There's more information about the update CD (general background information) at the thread Changing the Language used on the Infotainment Display .
Michael


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## legaleagle (Apr 14, 2006)

*Re: Infocentre screen brightness (PanEuropean)*

Thanks Michael - helpful as ever! I will check the software version but have to say that even in England, early morning temperatures are still 4 -5C which hardly qualifies as very cold! This morning the display went to full brightness after the car had been running for 10 minutes but then alternated between dim and bright for the rest of the 30 minute journey! Shame we can't override the dimmer control and set it to full brightness permanently - it wouldn't bother me at night!
Thanks again!
Duncan


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Infocentre screen brightness (legaleagle)*

Hi Duncan:
If the display brightness is alternating (changing) once it has come up to full brightness, and you cannot attribute the cause to any external factor (sun-shade over the sliding glass roof, changes in ambient light due to the sun being low on the horizon, things like that), then that does not bode well for the health of the internal power supply that causes the lamp (the screen) to illuminate.
For sure, give the software flash a try first, but it sounds to me like perhaps you might need a new J523.
Michael


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## pilgrim7777 (Oct 27, 2004)

*Re: Infocentre screen brightness (legaleagle)*

I had a similar problem when the battery was very low. I had not used the car for some time and was sitting with the ignition on as well from time to time. It took a recharge of the battery for it to settle down.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Infocentre screen brightness (pilgrim7777)*

Ah, very interesting observation Terence, thanks for sharing that one.
Michael


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## Stinky999 (Sep 14, 2006)

*Infotainment screens varies brightness with sunlight...quickly!*

I recall a earler post where there was a breif discussion on the brightness of the Infotainment screen. Here is an observation I have had with respect to this. I was driving down a road on a sunny day and was passing from direct sun to shade (tree lined road), maybe every hundred yards or so. I noticed that the brightness on the infotainment screen adjusted imediately as I moved from sun to shade. It was quite dramatic. 
Personally, I would like it to stay a bit brighter when it goes into the shade or on a cloudy day. I'm guessing there isn't anything that can be done about this, is there?


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Re: Infotainment screens varies brightness with sunlight...quickly! (Stinky999)*

Try adjusting the intensity of your instrument lighting, using the control on the left side of the instrument cluster. This might have some effect on the big display brightness, though I am not sure about this.
It's easy to 'dim down' the big display (just put a post-it note over the dedicated light sensor in the upper left corner of the screen), but it's more difficult to cause it to brighten up all the time.
There have been a *few *isolated reports (less than half a dozen, out of 5,000 cars in NAR) of the backlighting system for the big display (J523) failing. Normally you don't get a hard failure, meaning, the light goes out, you get a soft failure, meaning, it just doesn't get very bright. So, perhaps compare your car to a reference Phaeton and see if the light levels are the same.
There is a software update out that addresses a very specific problem of the screen not being bright for the first 10 minutes or so if the car has been left parked in very, very cold conditions (way below freezing temperatures) and it is cold-soaked. I think this mostly addresses problems reported from far northern Europe - Norway, Russia, etc. I have not heard of anyone in NAR ever needing this update.
Michael


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## aaron843 (Oct 16, 2010)

*Dim LCD in 2005 v8*

I have an '05 V8. I'm finding the LCD difficult to read, especially when viewing maps. Radio and climate control are clear enough. Maybe it's the lighting conditions this time of year (cloudy but not dark.) Has anyone else noticed this? I have three theories:



The Phaeton LCD is difficult to read when the outside light is dim (neither bright or completely dark.)
or, My eye sight is going bad
or, Something has happened to my LCD where it's not as bright as it used to be.

The illumination seems even top-to-bottom -- If it were not even I would suspect that one of two backlights had burned out. I've no idea how the LCD is backlit (LCD, fluorescent, single, multiple, etc.) 

Aaron


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## johnt26 (Dec 3, 2009)

Mine is the same way. The Y24?, the one in-between the gauges is twice as bright.
Anyone know the answer to this issue?


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## Motorista (Oct 28, 2005)

I've noticed that happening to mine from time to time: typically it stays dim for the first 15 minutes or so after a cold start, and usually in winter: however, I'm not sure if it's temperature-related since the car is in a garage. Another theory is that it's related to my left battery running a bit low: it seems to happen when I have not used the car for 2-3 weeks. 

When I first noticed this a few years ago, I suspected some clogging of the light sensor hole (it's a tiny hole in the upper right corner of the display bezel, which typically adjusts brightness as a function of ambient light). However, I no longer beleive it's related to this feature, as blocking the light wiht my finger definitely affects brightness.
Stefano


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## ruddyone (Feb 9, 2009)

Just to clarify, which screen are you calling the LCD? Do you mean the small one between the gauges or the large one below the vents and clock in the middle of the dash?

Best Regards,

Nate


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## aaron843 (Oct 16, 2010)

ruddyone said:


> which screen are you calling the LCD


The large one that shows the GPS maps.


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## stefanuk (Jul 7, 2010)

i had the same problem as you with my screen not being very bright, along with some other electrical problems, power boot eventually stopped working, lost my cruise control function, in the end i took it to the dealer thinking it was likely a controller but it turned out to be a dead battery, although the car still started first time.
There was a battery drain traced to a Parrot hands free kit that had been wired in, but wired directly to the battery which eventually killed it.
Now one new battery and re-wired Parrot kit, everything else is now working fine. Not only that but the engine now runs smoother as does the transmission, which i guess is also down to their using battery power to run engine/transmission functions.
As a side note i took my car to Wolsey's in Ipswich at the recommendation of Peter Mills and have to say i would also recommend them for Phaeton work. I was also told by the tech that having a Phaeton in the workshop causes huge excitement as they don't get too many to work on.


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## Auzivision (Apr 19, 2007)

This is a common complaint that appears to happen more often when it's cold out. I had mine replaced under warranty a few years back. It was really bright at first, but slowly has been getting dim again. 

It's almost as if the ambient light sensor thinks it's dark and the LCD is dimmed. I tried shining a flash light into the sensor and that didn't work. 

I think it's kind of like these new CFL bulbs... they just take longer to get up to full brightness when cold a slowly lose some brightness as they age. I guess I’ll just have to get used to both of them.


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

*Archival Note:* Related discussion - Instrument Cluster Illumination - backlighting occasionally slow to light up

Michael


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## PowerDubs (Jul 22, 2001)

My pet peeve is that when you hit 'dark' on the controls, it doesn't actually go black like the rear console, it just goes 'dark gray'. Looks cheap.


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## Victor R (Jan 7, 2010)

> Recently I have noticed that at certain times, when I start the car the brightness on the screen is nowhere near as high as others. This continues sometimes for up to 15 minutes before normal bright and clear display is restored. Is there something wrong with my screen or does it have something which is supposed to adjust to the ambient brightness of the surroundings?


I believe the explanation is more simple than much of what was discussed.

LCD technology involves "liquid crystals". Chemically, this involves materials that are between a liquid and a solid. They retain the movement and flexibility of a liquid and they can be stationary like a solid. Inside an LCD screen setup, electric currents work at microscopic levels to control the amount of light passing through the liquid crystal molecules that make up the layer of the screen sandwiched between two clear glass panels. The molecules then unwind or coil tighter, changing the amount of light that passes from the bulb behind the glass to the eye of the viewer. This movement of the molecules is temperature-dependent, just like true liquids solidify and "freeze" when they get cold enough. The sensitivity of liquid crystals to temperature can be a boon or a bane. It is advantageous when liquid crystals are used in instruments like thermometers, where temperature sensitivity is good and needed. The same property can make LCD screens unreliable when working in extreme climates.

There is no doubt that the strength of the applied current also affects the crystal movement, which explains why low battery status also causes problems. There are also different crystals used for different situations, as noted, and even in LCD screens made by different manufacturers.

I have a Cadillac Deville with an LCD screen also. That one was totally black recently in the cold weather we have been having as I had booted the car out of the garage in favor of my new Phaeton. Once the car warmed up, the display functioned as normal.

Victor


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

The TFT screen of the J523 control head has an illumination system which is also depending on some other factors. First, the illumination can be increased by the dashboard illumination controls (at the left side of the instrument cluster). When this is turned all the way down, then the display becomes very dim.
The head light switch knob position also matters. The screen will be dimmed in the "0" position and brighten up in any other position, i.e. when head lights or city lights are switched on. Design error, perhaps?


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## Victor R (Jan 7, 2010)

Willem,

Makes sense that the Phaeton has these features also. I wonder if some of that falls under some of the more than 100 patents awarded this car.

Victor


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

*Front Information Display and Control Head (J523) is dim, not full brightness*

There's something that's sometimes a bit dim in my GP0 (well, of course, two things..)

But the one I think someone might be able to help with is the main display in the middle of the car. Mostly it's fine. But on some days it does like to start the journey very dim. It usually stays pretty dim for about 20 minutes and then quite quickly comes to full brightness. Exhibits this behaviour probably on about 40% of journeys.

Suspect I have seen something about this in the past... or maybe that was only information on how to change out the whole unit.

Been doing this in all the 10 months I've owned the car... but it was subjectively a bit dimmer than ever today - so I thought I'd see what you collective wisdom is on this topic.

Thanks

M


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## EnglishPhaeton (Dec 6, 2010)

Hi Mike,

mine also exhibit this anomaly, I've chosen to disregard it.

Stu


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

Been disregarding it quite happily for 10 months. Quite content to go on doing so. How long have you been disgregarding yours?

Disregards
M


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## Paximus (Aug 26, 2011)

I don't know for a fact but it is possible that the screen has two CCFL backlights, both energised for 'bright' and only one for 'dimmed'. Maybe one is taking longer to start these days. Perhaps its high voltage supply is falling a little as the capacitors age.

Maybe I'll acquire a spare central display and have a look at the electronics part number.

Chris


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

Paximus said:


> both energised for 'bright' and only one for 'dimmed'. Maybe one is taking longer to start these days. Perhaps its high voltage supply is falling a little as the capacitors age.


I agree with the prognosis... but I am intrigued by the notion of dim and bright by design. I do seem to remember reading other posts about how the lighting level of the display is changed... but I'd never been able to detect it on my GP1... and I think I even remember there being an ambient light sensor somewhere inside... which again covered or uncovered seemed to make no discernible difference.....

Thanks
M


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## EnglishPhaeton (Dec 6, 2010)

n968412L said:


> Been disregarding it quite happily for 10 months. Quite content to go on doing so. How long have you been disgregarding yours?
> 
> Disregards
> M


4 years and 5 years respectively.................

It doesn't display much of any use anyway! Now if we could get the digital TV receiver to work (nudge nudge Chris), then I might look into things.

Stu

PS Mike, I went and tried the the "other vehicle" last week. It was an 09 GP2 V6. I couldn't live with it I'm afraid. So watch this space re updating the '10


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

n968412L said:


> ... I do seem to remember reading other posts about how the lighting level of the display is changed... but I'd never been able to detect it on my GP1... and I think I even remember there being an ambient light sensor somewhere inside... which again covered or uncovered seemed to make no discernible difference.....


Hi Mike,

Perhaps you leave home during dusk hours, then 20 minutes later the sun starts shining?
The little hole, about 1.5 mm in diameter, on the left upper side of the screen, houses the light sensor. Try to see what happens when you aim a light torch to it when it is dark outside. The screen should bright up within a couple of seconds.
Personally, I'm not so happy about the screen brightness either. Perhaps I'm going to make that hole a little bigger to allow more light on the sensor.

Btw... you should be able to see a significant difference when you switch on your headlights.

Willem


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## EnglishPhaeton (Dec 6, 2010)

WillemBal said:


> Hi Mike,
> 
> Try to see what happens when you aim a light torch to it when it is dark outside.
> 
> ...


Willem,

we could always rig a torch to the passenger seat headrest...... Permanently :laugh:

Stu


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## JCD (Aug 26, 2006)

Well, after 6 plus years of ownership - my conclusion is that the main reason for the dim display is related to the instruments being cold soaked. This explains why it is worse now than earlier in the year.

The aspect I can't explain is the random nature of this nor the apparent fixed time of 20 minutes before it rights itself. I just keep hoping that the discplay does not go totally dim as that would mean £££ to fix I fear. When I last discussed this with my dealer, there were no replacement fluorescent tubes available from VW, just a complete change out of the whole unit.

John


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## IwasHuman (Jun 30, 2012)

Funny, I just started noticing this random dimness about 4-5 weeks ago. Thought I've only owned the car about 6 months, so who knows if it was doing this prior. I thought maybe it's due to the colder weather. Our Volvo's rear park sensors refuse to work in the cold. My old E39 had pixels in the cluster display that took the winter off as well. It's not too big a deal I guess, maybe because I don't spend alot of my drive time looking at the display. 

I'll give that little sensor a shine and see if that helps, perhaps enough dust gets caked up in the sensor and causes this. Especially if you're using cleaning products on your interior surfaces which could residually build up in that little hole, collecting dust and drying into a dust pie.


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

Guys - thanks for all your posts on this. Good to know it's not just me that's dim.

Also... if this turns into a type defect at least we'll be able to share a lot of info on the fix...even if it does mean ££££.

Willem - I've never noticed (and I have specifically looked) any change in brightness in the display on either of my two Ps when turning the lights on or off... but I will shine the torch in the hole!

I'll report back.

Regards

M


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## EnglishPhaeton (Dec 6, 2010)

n968412L said:


> Guys - thanks for all your posts on this. Good to know it's not just me that's dim.
> 
> Also... if this turns into a type defect at least we'll be able to share a lot of info on the fix...even if it does mean ££££.
> 
> ...


I hope you have warned the wife..........

Stu


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

n968412L said:


> ... but I will shine the torch in the hole!...


It looks like this is going to be a revival of Mike's marriage! :laugh:


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

JCD said:


> Well, after 6 plus years of ownership - my conclusion is that the main reason for the dim display is related to the instruments being cold soaked.


I concur with John's hypothesis above. I think that being cold-soaked is the most probable reason why a display panel would appear dim. If the panel brightens up after the car has been in use for 15 to 20 minutes (about the time it would take for the heating system to warm up the 2mm thick display panel), then I would take that as pretty solid confirmation that it is temperature-related.

Having said that, the illumination of that big center display (J523, controller 07) tends to diminish over the years. You don't want to know what the cost of a replacement unit is, because it is a 4 digit figure. There is probably no point buying one on eBay or any other secondhand market, because it is probable that such a display would be just as old (in terms of hours of use) as what you have now.

The only other possible cause of an abnormally dim display would be dirt covering the small photocell in the display bezel. The photo below shows where the photocell is - check to make sure that it is not covered by any dirt that might cause it to assume a low ambient light condition is present, and thus dim the display.

Michael

*Photocell on J523*


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

IwasHuman said:


> Our Volvo's rear park sensors refuse to work in the cold.


The Phaeton PDC (Park Distance Control) system is also known to act up in very cold weather, but that is caused by a very different weather-related problem: The visible vapour from the exhaust system causes the PDC sensor to think that the vapour itself is an object, and beep accordingly. Or, the warm vapour condenses on the surface of the cold PDC sensor, and that prevents the sensor from functioning as it should.

I think there is a post in the Phaeton Forum 'Table of Contents' (FAQ by Category) about wintertime problems with the PDC system.

Michael


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## IwasHuman (Jun 30, 2012)

PanEuropean said:


> The Phaeton PDC (Park Distance Control) system is also known to act up in very cold weather, but that is caused by a very different weather-related problem: The visible vapour from the exhaust system causes the PDC sensor to think that the vapour itself is an object, and beep accordingly. Or, the warm vapour condenses on the surface of the cold PDC sensor, and that prevents the sensor from functioning as it should.
> 
> I think there is a post in the Phaeton Forum 'Table of Contents' (FAQ by Category) about wintertime problems with the PDC system.
> 
> Michael


Hmmm, Hadn't thought of that. I did some poking around on swedespeed when we first noticed the problem, and a lot of people ended up replacing the sensors to remedy the issue. 

And now that I think about it, as soon as the car is turned on it reports an error in the PDC, so it's not falsely detecting something in the way.

My wife doesn't do much reversing anyways, so it's not much of an issue really.


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

WillemBal said:


> The little hole, about 1.5 mm in diameter, on the left upper side of the screen, houses the light sensor. Try to see what happens when you aim a light torch to it when it is dark outside. The screen should bright up within a couple of seconds.


I shone my torch down the hole and I have had a revelation! It does make a difference on both Phaetons. 

Still can't see anything when the lights are switched - but the illumination down the hole makes a big difference - whether the panel is dim or normal.

thanks

M


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

John, Stu and me all have V10s... is this a V10 phenomenon? What does Aaron have? Or is it GP0 phenomenon?

Re-reading the borderline inappropriate posts in this thread I'm glad I've avoided the temptation to anthropomorphize my Phaetons and refer to them as she or her...

Not sure it's cold soaking... I assumed this last winter when I got the car... but it's done it randomly all summer. And if it was still cold related, wouldn't it heat up faster in the summer too? but it's always about 20 mins!

Fascinating!

Mike


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## EnglishPhaeton (Dec 6, 2010)

n968412L said:


> John, Stu and me all have V10s... is this a V10 phenomenon? What does Aaron have? Or is it GP0 phenomenon?
> 
> Re-reading the *borderline inappropriate posts* in this thread I'm glad I've avoided the temptation to anthropomorphize my Phaetons and refer to them as she or her...
> 
> ...


Sorry Mike,

I'm at a complete loss on that one......

Stu


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## Auzivision (Apr 19, 2007)

For what it's worth, my system exhibited the same dim behavior. I tried the flashlight trick, but it didn't work. I did notice it was worse when cold and ultimately had it replaced under the original VW warranty. So far, the four year old replacement unit has been doing pretty well.


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## IwasHuman (Jun 30, 2012)

I have an '04 V8. I keep a small light in my car, so next time it happens I'll give it a shine and report back. 

Wonder if you could try giving the sensor a thorough cleaning and see if it helps.


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

EnglishPhaeton said:


> I'm at a complete loss on that one......


Yes - I've noticed you're an innocent abroad!

m


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

n968412L said:


> I shone my torch down the hole and I have had a revelation! It does make a difference on both Phaetons.


Hi Mike,

I did the same today and indeed it still works. Nevertheless, it becomes more apparent then that some areas are more brightly illuminated than sections of the display with an equal shade of grey. What we have in our cars are TFT LCD displays all right, but the back lighting technology is nowhere near to what it is today. I think the backlight is CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light), and perhaps more than one light is used. What might be the case in our cars is that some components, like the diffuser and the lamps themselves, are ageing and thus producing less light after several years. F

Also, the CCFL needs some warm-up time. Normally, the supply voltage is high during start up and is then gradually decreased once it heats up. So I guess it is normal that the brightness is less during the first minutes of operation, especially when it gets cold outside and in the car.
I am curious to hear what you find when you clean the hole. I'm a bit surprised that there is no lens present to protect the light sensor inside.

Willem


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

WillemBal said:


> Hi Mike,
> 
> Also, the CCFL needs some warm-up time. Normally, the supply voltage is high during start up and is then gradually decreased once it heats up. So I guess it is normal that the brightness is less during the first minutes of operation, especially when it gets cold outside and in the car.
> I am curious to hear what you find when you clean the hole. I'm a bit surprised that there is no lens present to protect the light sensor inside.


Agree with this in general... but our collective experience is the 20 minute delay - which sounds a suspiciously consistent time for an ageing problem - and my experience is that it's the same in summer as winter. I know that this isn't conclusive as the summer/winter temp differential might be small compared to the relevant component operating temperatures - but again this is slightly counterintuitive.

And I have to say that all my holes are perfectly clean. 

Can't imagine dirt that would come and go at exactly 20 minute intervals either!

Regards

M


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

n968412L said:


> John, Stu and me all have V10s... is this a V10 phenomenon?


Hi Mike:

There could be a bit of a correlation with the V10 engine, but only because the turbodiesel engines are extraordinarily fuel-efficient and as a result the cabin of the car might not warm up as quickly as the cabin of a petrol-powered car. Hence you might suffer from the 'cold display screen' problem for a longer time after engine start than the owner of a petrol-powered car would.

Having said that, 100% of the TDI Phaetons are equipped with a Webasto supplemental heater, and the supplemental heater is there for the sole purpose of augmenting the cabin heating system during the (comparatively) lengthy period of time that it takes a TDI engine to become warm enough to begin to heat engine coolant sufficiently to keep the cabin warm.

Michael


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

Thanks Michael. Looks like it might afflict Willem too - and he's got a W12.

And I think my info might be wrong too... today 9°C and from cold this AM, took the usual 20 mins to come bright. Parked car for 4 hours. Ambient 11°C when I came back to it. Dim state lasted 10 minutes. I'd never taken this trouble to time it before - so it might be temperature dependent - which would make sense.

Regards

M


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## EnglishPhaeton (Dec 6, 2010)

Well,

I shone a torch in my hole today.............

Needless to say everything was very bight!

However, I do not have the "dim on cold" screen, mine appear a little more "random"! Up to now I have refrained from trying to diagnose this, but I am beginning to wonder.

Stu


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## WillemBal (Nov 20, 2010)

n968412L said:


> Thanks Michael. Looks like it might afflict Willem too - and he's got a W12.
> And I think my info might be wrong too... today 9°C and from cold this AM, took the usual 20 mins to come bright. Parked car for 4 hours. Ambient 11°C when I came back to it. Dim state lasted 10 minutes. I'd never taken this trouble to time it before - so it might be temperature dependent - which would make sense.


I started using the Webasto heater again this week. Solved my problem.  So I too think that the temperature is the cause of the dim display.
I too inspected my light sensing hole. It contains a little transparent insert, which is barely visible because it is so transparent. How is that in your car?

I also have to say that I maxed out the instrument panel illumination, which seems to control the backlight as well. When I reduce this illumination, the display gets really dim.

Willem


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## PanEuropean (Nov 3, 2001)

Hi Folks:

You might get a smile from this: The problem with dim display screens during cold temperatures is not unique to the Phaeton. Below is a photo of an aircraft flight compartment that I designed and specified avionics for, and also an extract from the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) that I wrote which addresses functionality of the display screens during cold weather.

Concerning the Phaetons, I think there is another consideration in addition to cold weather: it appears that we are all talking about problems on Phaetons that are >5 years old. I don't know exactly what technology is used to illuminate the display screen on the Phaeton, but I do know from past experience with notebook computers that the brightness of the screen backlighting diminishes after 3 or 4 years. 

This makes me think that we have two contributing factors to dim screens - first is age of the display screen (more specifically, age of the backlighting system), and second is cold-soaked parts.

Michael

*DHC-6 Twin Otter Avionics*









*Extract from AFM addressing cold weather operation of display screens*


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## n968412L (Apr 23, 2009)

Michael- thanks for combining this with previous discussion- I'd not remembered seeing this before - probably because my GP1 doesn't do it.
Regards
M


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