Ambient light sensor location?
 

Where is it? (ok to point me to the manual)

'18 here, and the entire dash seems to dim and brighten as it pleases. This is driving me batty.

Anyone know?

This is stated at the very beginning of your Owner's Manual on the diagram that identifies all the parts of your dash...
...but I'm feeling particularly generous at the moment, so it's the little round hump on the dash towards the base of the windshield. If it's a LHD car, it's towards the right side.

Thank you....

Are they known to be finicky, or is mine just special?

Page 235 of the 2018 manual goes into specifics on this.

As far as I know, if you have the headlight stock set to "auto" this is what's causing your dash to brighten/dim in changing light conditions. It is tied to when the sensor turns on your headlights. Only way to keep the dash at full brightness all the time is to have your headlights switched to fully on.

It will turn on and off your lights when it senses the need to. Like if you're driving through a tunnel, parked in a dim garage etc etc.

I've never had an issue with mine. However, I don't think it adjusts the dash lights at all. At least I've never noticed that. Perhaps the refreshed vehicles are different as a result of the digital screen in the instrument cluster.

The only thing that affects instrument panel lighting for me is what I do with the headlight switch, or the dimmer switch. The ambient light sensor is used for other things like determining when to switch your automatic headlights on/off, and how to run the HVAC based on how much sunlight is entering the cabin. Again, though... maybe that changed for 2017.

I appreciate the background.

My headunit and dash occasionally dim and brighten for no apparent reason at all - it goes into low light mode - and I am trying to sort out if the sensor is flaky or what. The cluster is definitely linked to the HU by both dimmer switch and the sensor. I have to change the dimmer setting to see anything during the day when it is flakeout mode.

I do run my headlamps on all the time, I wonder if it just hates me?

I will check into my settings and see what I can find. Ideally I will find a pot that I can adjust it with!

Your Owner's Manual explains exactly how to adjust the light sensor's sensitivity...

Hmmm, I've looked through both the 2015 and 2018 manual now and they both say it is something that can only be changed at a dealership? Page 447 for the 2015 manual and page 524 for the 2018 manual.

Now I'm curious if it's actually something we can adjust DIY?

Coming from Bosch, this Denso stuff is mindboggling to me. I'm used to just jamming the VCDS cable in and going to town. No VCDS for Subie. :sad:

I found it and I played around with it a bit.

The dash dimmer dims the cluster, the headunit, the center stack (HVAC, clock, airbag warning), and the interior lighting sans the dome light and the door switch lighting.

My sensor is set with a 10 second delay. I think that is why I perceive it to be flaking out - it hits the ten second thing and if I am driving through an industrial park at low sun angles, the logic goes nuts.

I will dig around tonight and see if I can find anything in the manuals or in the BGB.

I haven't played around with this myself yet but the carista app and a bluetooth OBDII reader may be able to DIY program this. https://caristaapp.com/vehicles/subaru/brz/1st-gen

Going to try this myself to see if I can turn off some of the seatbelt dings.