The only "opthalmic" issue I have with the Mercedes is that for some of it's "target audience"...those over 40....it is difficult to read and select from the many buttons overhead. After 40, one gets to the point where they need some correction to read because the eye muscles don't work quite as well. Folks start to use bifocals, invisible bifocals or reading glasses. You are probably not to that point in life, but bifocals have the "near" vision on the bottom....reading the dash is easy because the lower part of one's glasses are designed to see nearer things. There is, however, no correction at the top of bifocals so those with "older folks eyes" can have great difficulty making out the different pictures or words on the buttons, or even finding the correct button.

I don't have a solution for Mercedes...but it is something that they could probably improve upon...and yes, this is safety because the mbrace call and emergency buttons are up there.

Of course, one could suggest that folks who use reading glasses should not buy mercedes, but I suspect that the mercedes shareholders, dealers and employees would not like the results very much.

Yes, there are design issues with the mercedes that have to do with one's eyes.....the instrument panel lighting is not one of them....

 

You have a totally different interior. You also do not have P2 package or the Sport version. You don't have the problem so it doesn't exist? Rubbish!
My dealer agrees with my observations & listen carefully they have the same complaint from other clients. Frankly my a friend your postings do offend, I
have 20/20 vision, the photos were not taken to accentuate the problem or from different distance as you suggest. Other people have not brought it up because they use the digital speedo but I need the navigation so can't use digital all the time. Stop trying to be smart & accept that a died in the wool Mercedes user ( I have had over 20' how many have you had?).
I live in the PNW maybe yoeu live in the desert these parameters all make a difference to light levels.
Finally ......goodbye!

 

Not at all. I acknowledged that I have the luxury interior and the non-ressessed instruments. I also do not think there will be a fix for this issue. I am well past 40 myself and know I have opthalmic issues, especially involving high constrast situations like the one you describe. I mearly stated that I did not have an issue myself. I also do not think it is a fundamental flaw of the design or this issue would be widely reprted. I also meant what I said with regards to this being a safety issue. If you feel this is a safety issue then I would strongly recommend you just trade the car in on something with a better instrument panel for your eyes. I do not understand your defensive tone. I sympathize with you. Life is really too short to live with a car that is going to **** you off 50% of the time you are behind the wheel. I wish MB would come out with a "fix" for you, but, I am highly doubtful that, without a torrent of complaints, a fix will be forthcoming. Move on.

 

The "work around" seems to be to turn on your fog lights when the instrument panel is harder to read. This will turn on the rear fog light (who cares), it will turn off the front LED's and turn on the front parking lights (darn!), but it will also turn on the instrument panel lights. It's not a perfect solution, but it does work and you can turn the instrument panel lights on/off using this approach during the day.

Please stop suggesting that someone just get rid of their car....unless you are willing to help with the financial pain of buying one's way out of a lease.

With a few complaints to the NHTSB, Mercedes might start to think about a simple update that would resolve this issue...and my guess is that it would be almost a trivial wiring fix to move the dash illumination lead from a switched power source to an always on power source. I'd almost bet that you or I could do it just looking at the schematics for the car.

 

Yes ghstudio it is a dull overcast day in the PNW today & I tried the fog light switch with success. As you say the rear fog is on which does not annoy until its wet & highly reflective.
Thnx again for your PM re the Comand manual. I do have the 'wrong' one! Trying the Dealer first.

 

Had about 25+ cars in my lifetime and none had instrument lights that came on unless head or parking lights were on. Actually not sure about parking since I never use them.
Modern cars instruments lights are also dimmer than old fashioned ones so they won't interfere with night vision.
If you turn your headlights on in daytime, it is very hard to see the instruments because of the night time dimming.
M-B probably could do better with daytime "illumination" though, even Hyundai does this. Think it is called electroluminescent and is very effective.
I have noticed the red warning lights are really dim in the daytime. Barely notice them.

 

Please do not drive around with the rear fog on unnecessarily.

 

Please stop trumping this issue upt to a safety issue. If you or anyone truly believes you have a critical safety issue with ANY vehicle. dump it. Period. Enough said.

 

My understanding is the relatively new but pre 2011 e mercedes had their instrument lights on at all times (I have not seen this myself). I know that my previous Infiniti m37 and my wife's Toyota both have the instrument lights on at all times. Certainly older cars did not have illuminated dashes, but it is more common now.

Yes, very few drivers I've encountered ever turn their instrument lights down..and they used to be much too bright in their "full on" position.

The mercedes and some other cars seem to have another sensor to see if they should turn the navigation screen, etc to night mode. I don't think the Mercedes is tied directly to the light switch (I have to double check this)

Actually, if mercedes just took what they have and changed the wiring very slightly, they would improve the readability of the instrument panel in more difficult lighting postions

Obviously red warning lights should be seen....otherwise why have them. I haven't noticed this (yet).

I also have never trumped this up to be a critical safety issue....although I think that if a driver is trying to read the dash and it takes longer and therefore isn't looking at the road longer, that probably becomes a safety concern.

I agree that one shouldn't drive around with the rear fog light on...but if you want to see the instrument panel and you find it difficult, it's a quick way to do it. One could also turn on the parking lights...sort of driver's choice.

Finally, I have gotten rid of cars that had what I considered critical safety defects...I moved from a 2011 Infiniti M37 to the mercedes e for that reason...the M37 had what I considered a serious transmission problem under some driving conditions.

 

I doubt this is the last word. ImInPA will claim that privilege I bet, but it will be mine. I have been disappointed at the personal tone of most of the replies implying all sorts of blindness, stupidity & suggesting I cannot possibly be right in my opinion because they don't have the issue.
I contribute to forums on photography, Apple products & being Past Predsident of the Institution of Lighting Engineers that subject too but none have the "attitude" that seems to pervade this Forum. Mercedes is a car. The manufacturer in not perfect. Owners are allowed to be critical. Because you have chosen it does not make it better than any other.
Have some tolerance.
So long!

 

The gauges are very dark during the day time and cannot see where the needle is on the speedometer. All is very dark. I thought I did not set up the system properly.


My 03 Ram, 13 Kia Optima, 06 Jag xj all have daytime dash lights that dim when the headlights go one. I don't understand why MB wouldn't do the same!

 

Whoa. .... I haven't read this thread but this one post tells me a lot. Yes Mercedes is just a car, but MBworld is just a forum of opinions. If you don't like it , simply close your ears /eyes.
But don't stop posting. All views are welcome here. Me too want my Instrument lights to be lit all the time.

 

Resurrecting a 9 year old thread LOL. Sorry.
But, this is a real thing.
I can’t find answers anywhere.
In the day, with lots of reflections, tunnels, shade, the IC is impossible to read.
Direction headed from or to are irrelevant.
Hyundais, Hondas, Toyotas, heck I can’t think of any car that doesn’t have a backlit/lit IC…
Try changing something on the AC panel without it being lit.
And the Center console backlight doesn’t come on even when the light switch is turned on, till it’s pitch dark outside.

Can this be coded in or turned on with STAR or similar?

 

This is something that also bothers my 15 years old E550. But I think this has changed in my case. It is like the daytime lighting has dimmed. I don’t remember having problems to see navigation map during daytime before, now it is very difficult.

I have checked my day/night lighting works but it seems the daytime light intensity on the screen has gone low. I thought it is just me but now I see there are others.

Perhaps it is time to ask ninja if he can help it…

 

instrument cluster illumination during the day.

In vediamo ic204.cbf:

Select IC204 CBF and enter variant coding
Select VCD_05_Variantenkodierung
Select Zifferblattbeluchtung (Dial_Day_Brightness) to Dauer

 

could the dim cluster be caused by a few expired bulbs making the back light look much dimmer?

Have a quick look:
W212 cluster comes out under 10mn with a couple screws.

 

Thank you for this!
I have to find someone with the required gear and get this done.
would this also keep the backlight on the centre console on? AC Panel/Radio, etc?

 

There seem to be 3 levels of backlight.
1. off
2. dim backlight bright Center MFD (headlights on)
3. Dim backlight dim Center MFD (headlights and all backlights on) this only happens when it’s really dark out.

 

3 levels of dimming don't get disabled at once -

Im guessing missing back light is unlikely programming gone bad
but bulb gone bad.

 

Sorry...I mixed up 2 posts.

 

Just a silly thing- I posted earlier about the center console (Comand) being difficult to read before it gets dark outside. Going to the SYSTEM-DISPLAY gives you BRIGHTNESS, DAY, NIGHT and AUTO and switching between those three just gives the same. It all works but no brighter Comand screen.

So the silly thing, the BRIGHTNESS is actually a button to press and when you do, it gives adjustment for the screen brightness. Mine had somehow changed to the third lowest setting, which I changed to the third highest and voila. I can see the Comand screen again in the daylight.

I don’t know if this does anything to the IC in daytime. I really have not had problem seeing it but this does not mean there is no problem with this. I do have the 5-barrel deep cluster as it is the best ever looking E-class with the hockey stick DRLs that are not fog lights, they are DRLs and turn off with fog lights as DRLs would be very bad in foggy conditions.

2011 model has fog light push button next to the main light switch. Pressing this will set the head lights to LO-beam and to shortest distance light beam as the head lights double as fog lights. It also makes the drivers side light turn to widen the lights in the front so you can see the center of the road in very foggy conditions.

I had a 2011 E350 as my first MB and I tested all this and it works like what I wrote so the car actually does have fog lights.

Above lights are with the Bi-xenon lights, with halogens I think there are separate round fog lights like in Luxury models there are four small round lights, two are DRLs and the other two fog lights.

 

That's my thought as well, or he could just switch to the digital Speedometer in the center? What an entertaining thread

 

[img alt="As I said, it’s almost impossible to see the entire IC once ambient light dips a little.
(Disregard the little orange light in the left corner….)"]https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbworld.org-vbulletin/1242x1135/img_5194_32cedf1554dca3b5cf8d0e79acc74b7000c8f908. jpeg[/img]
As I said, it’s almost impossible to see the entire IC once ambient light dips a little. (Disregard the little orange light in the left corner….)

 

A few years ago when I owned a 2013 W212, I found the IC too dark to see when using my polarized prescription sunglasses. I knew of a forum member, a Calif. German native, who advertised about his services to add, delete and tweak using Star Diagnostics. He told me he could make IC remain backlit anytime ignition is turned on, which would have solved my problem. He spent at least 2 hours working on it, but unfortunately things got messed up really bad, and car's lighting was never the same. e.g. brake rear lighting remained on, among other glitches, which he then remotely spent a few more hours trying to fix, but to no avail. I then sold the car as is to offload that problem.