Driver's Display Barely Dims - Is This Normal?
 

Hello, I just purchased a 2024 GLE 63s and took it out this evening. Unfortunately, the driver's display won't dim much and is blindingly bright. I've had several other Mercedes and this is the first time I've had this issue.

I can get the center display to adjust quite a bit using the menu setting, but the only area I can find to dim the drivers display is the knob on the left behind the steering wheel (I'm pretty sure this is the only way to adjust it). When I turn the knob from up to down I can easily see the buttons throughout and various other items (like the AMG steering wheel controls) go from bright to quite dim. The only item that barely dims is the drivers screen (it goes from full bright to barely below that). With the knob turned all the way down, it's not even close to as dark as the center display gets (even if the center display isn't adjusted to it's lowest setting).

Can anyone else verify if their drivers display can dim down quite a bit with that knob or is there barely any movement? And when the knob is turned all the way down, is it noticeably brighter than the center display (even if the center display isn't dimmed all the way)? It just doesn't seem right as I've never had this issue before and really bothers my eyes at night.

Thanks in advance for any help / replies!

I just did this in my new 53. Not in the car, but on the center screen under system settings there is a display section with a brightness setting.

you might try asking Hey Mercedes for brightness settings.

That rotary knob dims both screens equally on mine.

As far as I understand it and based on my experience with several models, the brightness setting for the center screen is relative. You can have between -5 and +5 brighter or less bright relative to the instrument cluster screen. The knob to the left adjusts the base brightness of both screens and all the other dashboard lights and the steering wheel screens. If the brightness setting for the center screen is set to zero, then it should have the same brightness as the instrument cluster screen and turning the knob should change both screen's brightness at the same rate. If that's not the case, then something is off.

The brightness should also adjust based on ambient lighting. It should slightly dim at night automatically and be brighter during daylight. It might be that your ambient light sensor is on the fritz. Do your automatic headlights work?

Thanks for all the replies and help. Replying to Superswiss, yes my auto headlights are working.

I tested things again tonight and I'd say the two screens are pretty equal when I have have the menu display settings set to 0. Both screens then adjust up or down with the knob behind the steering wheel (I'd say pretty equally). The problem is, at 0, the drivers screen is still too bright for me at night. When I go back into settings and go to something like -3 instead of 0, it only adjusts the center display with that setting and not the drivers display as well (so I'm stuck with the drivers display being too bight at night).

For those who are able to test, if you use the menu to adjust the displays to a dimmer setting, does that only change the center display or also the divers display?

I've just never had a vehicle that was way too bright for me. I've had different Mercedes, BMWs, Porsche, Audi, etc and this is the first time I've had an issue (which makes me think something isn't right).

As it was highlighted earlier, the instrument cluster brightness is dependent on ambient light, so you won’t be able to see much difference or control it much unless you drive it in the dark.

Thats how it works on mine and how it’s suppose to work I believe

Right, the brightness setting in the menu does nothing for the driver zone display. That one is solely controlled by the knob. It's difficult to judge from a post what's bright to you. Everybody's eyesight is different. I'd suggest that you visit a dealership and try another GLE from their lot to see if it's the same. I definitely haven't had an issue with the driver displays being too bright. Especially since the background is deep black given that they are OLED screens, and much of the graphics is dark. It's actually largely a dark mode theme to begin with as opposed to light mode with bright white background that's too bright at night.

When I drive at night for distances of over 100 to 1000 miles I turn the Center display OFF. As in no light at all. Been doing this since owning a SL550 back in the day once I found how to do it. You've a NAV screen on your instrument display that is pretty good without that blinding light from the center display. Off with its head say I.........talking night time driving.

Agreed.
I have to remind myself, though.

I’m having the same experience as “boarderman23” with my driver display. Was hoping to get some answers here but I guess there’s no way to dim it. Good luck, hopefully we can find a fix.

I just went through this with my 2024 GLE450. The drivers display is way too bright and the rotary knob barely dims it while having a much more noticeable effect on the button lighting. Mercedes says it works as designed...at least in their garage.



https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...89c1a4cb31.jpg

Disappointing, as disappointing as the annoying popping out rear camera issue. Or maybe the latter is even more annoying.

I took it to the dealer and they gave the same response that some of you have gotten. “ It functions normally.” It’s really a bummer as this screen doesn’t get nearly as dim as all the other brands I’ve had, rented or driven. It seems like a major fail. I understand the majority don’t mind it, but for those of us who like a dim screen at night, it’s a bummer.

Is it a hardware limitation, was it dimmer on the pre-facelift?

I would assume it’s programming. They just need to program that screen to dim similar to the center screen.

I had a 2020 s63 before this and I never had an issue with that screen. So it would make me think it’s with the face lifted or newer version of the screens. Although that did have similar set up (with the screens) but it wasn’t the latest software.

Reason why I asked is there is a limitation to an ability of certain screens to dim such as certain phones, from what I heard, there are two common dimming technologies/methods, PWM Dimming and DC Dimming or perhaps there is another one.

Correction: Reason why I asked if there is a limitation, is because certain screens such as those that are used on certain phones, from what I heard, uses one of the two common dimming technologies/methods, PWM Dimming and DC Dimming.

You speak of the same thing. PWM is a method of altering a DC voltage by pulsing a constant DC voltage on and off quickly. The end result is a lower voltage presented to devices or sensors. There are differences in the display panels though depending on the type (LCD vs OLED) and in the case of LCD the backlight being used so it certainly could be a hardware difference/limitation.

I see, thanks for the clarification.

I suppose it's possible that MB used a different display technology on the instrument screen than the infotainment screen, but it's unlikely. Then again...I'm implying logic and common sense which usually results in a fail.

I have the exact issue. I would like the drivers display to be dimmer in the dark. It just does not adjust enough to make any really difference that I can tell.

Agreed, I had a 2024 GLE450 for a year and then traded to a '24 GLE580. Neither displays dim much at all. They're too bright for my taste. I know I can turn the center display off, but the driver's side is still like being interrogated by the KGB. I've contemplated finding some tint cling to put on it if I have to drive much at night. I did not have the same issue with E350s I've owned in the past.

The light almost white area at the top center of the screen is what really makes it annoying. The best workaround I've found is to set the center section between the speedometer and tach to the navigation display or a radio display with a darker tone.

Same problem with the bright displays and ambient lightings with my 25 GLE450. When I first drove it to the airport 4:30 in the morning, I couldn't see anything outside but the reflection of the fancy displays and ambient lightings. It took my technical copilot wife and I a while to figure out how to dim it so that I could see outside at intersection and making turns. It was danger than driving in the pitch dark with no headlights on. As OP, the rotatory dimmer control barely dims the displays slightly. This is a total failure of Mercedes on high tech design using simulation and weak UI engineering. It may work well in the fancy labs with their engineers but not in the real world with paid customers. The Hey Mercedes is a big joke in 2025, which knows nothing about how to do the light dimming and other things you want to find out. My suggestion is to give us an option to call Hey ChatGPT or Hey Gemini, they both seem to know more about Hey Murk! My DIY solution is to put a darkening film on top of the bright displays while driving at night and turn off the HUD!
My next project is to hack the turn signal blinker sound to make it louder and sound the same as my older W163.

Yes, I noticed, too, that there is no real way to adjust the brightness to a low setting. It is too bright for me too..