Uncoupling headlight-on and interior-dim

[vra4anin]

I just need some light in front of the car (no matter from headlight, fog light, corner light, aftermarket DRL etc), but i don't want my gear indicator on the cluster to be dimmed. That's all
It is not a problem to push fog lights + corner lights (as the pictore above) every time when I start the engine, but i don't want my gear indicator to be dimmed. That's why i start the discussion, if there is a way to bypass the gear indicator dimmer function.

This is the gear indicator:

 

[drew]

>if there is a way to bypass the gear indicator dimmer function.

The "tiptronic" are fairly rare, so not a lot of knowledge on them.

I suspect the best way to solve this is to either
1) depin or override the cluster dim request (never cut OEM wires)
2) reconfig the cluster PCB. Either with a jump wire or a small power supply

Not to throw everything on @Heineken, but he has a unit l like this in his vehicle. He is also in the EU and well qualified to conduct a service and modification.

 

[Wild Turkey]

>if there is a way to bypass the gear indicator dimmer function.
That's what I'm getting at. Even if you could, you'd have to pull the gauge cluster and mess with it to keep the illumination bright; there's also the cruise indicator that works similarly. It would be risky, and probably difficult to undo.

Quicker than you can pull the gauge cluster to look at it, you can run one wire from the wiper fuse in the front fuse box to the +ve lead of each fog light, repinning the connectors, or connecting them with butt connectors. (This is the fuse that @centerpunch showed in his DRL conversion.) The fogs will now come on with the ignition - you don't need to turn on the "corner lights" or the fog lights. You will have DRL and your gear shift indicator will be bright, until you turn on the headlights at night. (Your climate controls, radio controls, and clock will also remain bright.)

 

[vra4anin]

The dimming of the cluster is a single pin and happens as soon as the illumination is enabled. The only way to avoid the dimming of the gear indicator by wire cutting is to disable the illumination of the cluster altogether, I'm afraid.

Are you really sure, if some of these wires around the gear indicator would be cut off and the dim function would be deleted? I just can't accept that this couldn't be done.

 

[Heineken]

Are you really sure, if some of these wires around the gear indicator would be cut off and the dim function would be deleted? I just can't accept that this couldn't be done.

View attachment 192578

Just to make things more specific, I wasn't talking about pins *inside* the cluster but pins at the green connectors for the wire harness.

Whether cutting any internal wires or traces disables the dimming of the gear indicator is an open question at this point.