Dash, clock and center console back lights out, fuses OK.

[stevotronic]

I've searched the forum but couldn't find anything that matched my problem. As the title says, the back lights are all out, have been since I bought the car. The LCDs are all OK and the warning/equipment lights in the center of the dash. I wouldn't have thought that all the bulbs have failed, could it be a connection somewhere?

Also, the driver side electric window switch doesn't work and isn't back-lit (the other two switches on the panel are back-lit and work, plus the window goes up and down when I open and close the door so the motor's fine). I was going to buy a replacement panel on ebay but just in case the problems are related, thought I should mention it.

Finally the mirrors don't fold back. I don't know if they can on my model but I followed the instructions in the handbook and nothing happened.

You can't really tell that nothing's back-lit in the picture but it might help...

[jonsowman]

Er, sorry if you've already checked this, but by the driver's right knee there is (probably) an illumination brightness control wheel. It's not set all the way to lowest, is it?

Edit: right hand one:

[stevotronic]

Ye, I've had a fiddle with that and nothing happens. Is there any way to bypass it to eliminate it as a cause? Also, can it turn the back lights completely off?

[jonsowman]

It's just a variable resistor, pull the panel out and just use a wire to bypass the two tracks. And yep, it's certainly capable of turning the backlights completely off, as I discovered when I hit it with my knee on a windy NSL road in the peak district in the middle of the night!

[stevotronic]

Ha! OK, just bypassed it and no lights came on so looks like that's not the problem. It was a bit loose too, like someone else had already popped it out to have a check...

[jonsowman]

Wonder if there's a fuse just for these bits. I haven't got a fuse list to hand, hopefully someone will be along shortly...

[stevotronic]

I checked all the fuses visually and none are blown. Also checked in the handbook and it doesn't explicitly state that all the back-lights are on one circuit,





I checked 2, 19, 28 & 30 again as they seemed most likely. 19 was empty, put a 5A in and nothing happened so maybe that circuit doesn't exist in my car...

[jonsowman]

Hmm, OK! Well, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the bulbs have actually blown. There are 6 that backlight the instrument panel, and they're not expensive from local motor factors.

Worth a shot?

[stevotronic]

Ye, I guess that's the next thing to rule out. I'd be really surprised if all the bulbs had gone though and nothing else. A multimeter would be useful too, maybe I'll buy one before I take the dash apart. I'll let you know how I get on...

[jonsowman]

Your MFD (with the temp display) looks like it's working. This has the same bulbs as the digital clock. You could swap them and check if that fixes the clock?

Oh and yes, I highly recommend a multimeter!

[stevotronic]

OK, cheers. Not sure when I've next got a couple of hours in day-light to have an investigate... could be a christmas project, maybe santa will bring me a multimeter

[Rolebama]

A visual check on a fuse is not enough. The best way is to swap fuses of same value from known working circuits. It is also worth pulling fuses and replacing them as this will also show if there is any corrosion present.

[keithg]

Hmm, OK! Well, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that the bulbs have actually blown. There are 6 that backlight the instrument panel, and they're not expensive from local motor factors.

Worth a shot?

I know this is an old post but probably the nearest to what I need, how do i dismantle the panel with the air direction buttons. I have removed the MFD and this makes the top of the panel loose, but is there another fixing I cant see?
Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[jonsowman]

For the bulb replacement, take the 3 torx above the instrument panel out, and then the fascia (along with the air vents) just pulls out. Some blunt plastic instruments to prise it out are useful here.

Then take the 4 torx around the panel itself out, and lift the panel out of the dash, unclipping the electrical connectors (blue & yellow) from the back. Here's the back of the panel once removed. The 6 large back bulbs are the backlight ones.

406_panel_1 by jonsowman, on Flickr

[keithg]

Thanks for that but I was refering to the buttons in the centre of the car that control the air direction into the cabin.
Regards Keith