Ambient and exterior lighting too dull need help pls 😁

[Quattro-Charlie]

I've got the pre facelift 08 plate with I believe mmi 2g high. I've got the led's under the wing mirrors outside and ambient lighting I think (foot wells and strip inside door above handle ish) inside....

problem, they're all too dull. Yeah I think they're LED's and from what I can tell on the mmi, the exterior and interior lighting is turned up to max... possibly I'm doing something wrong. I'm new to this car.....and in awe of it.....perhaps to be honest a little intimidated by it hahaha.... can one of you friendly lot please advise me 😬😃😃

[Quattro-Charlie]

Anybody out there kind enough to help me with this? It's Friday with the season of goodwill just around the corner so come on guys.....help a fellow forum member in need. It could be you next time!!

[swalker]

In town it would appear too dim. Take a trip to the countryside with no Street lights and try it. Just right.

[Quattro-Charlie]

Thanks for replying Stewart...most other people appear to have left me hanging....friendly bunch eh... well I took a trip out to the depths of the Kent countryside and yes of course the lights appear brighter....but not much. Strange how all the lights both interior and exterior are too dim. And tbh Stewart I expect to see the lights a bit brighter even when in the town/city...this is a Le Mans so should be led...therefore bright!!!

think I may have a poke around and see if I can find the hidden green menu....maybe that will fix it.

Any knowledgeable friendly members fancy chiming in to offer some advice, by all means please do.

[MarkTM]

There are plenty bright enough in mine, in fact I've had to turn them down.

Any chance it's your eyesight:confused: If not then think about changing the bulbs/

[swalker]

I know what he is saying mine are a background glow, does anyone know the spec of the leds and therefore the spec? I have a lum meter in work I could measure up and see. I do think my foot well lights are brighter but could be it's just a darker area...

[Quattro-Charlie]

Thanks guys..... and no I doubt the leds need changing or it's my eyesight ��.. I had a play around with the mmi but nothing has sprung up so far.... damn that elusive hidden menu... haha...

I guess there's nobody on here that knows how to sort this....

[swalker]

I was out last night, and my lighting is fine IMHO, would read the newspaper with it, but it is ambient after all. As for the MMI the first thing i would do is figure out if you have the last release installed, mine dosent do half of the tricks, just locks up when i try and i found out it is a few revisions old, problem with me is the CD player isnot currently reading CDs in order for me to update..

[Quattro-Charlie]

What!! You could read a newspaper using your ambient light.....wow. No mine are far far from that.....so low you can barely see them on.

I'm not sure which is my current mmi software edition....but I'm certain that it's not the 5570. I don't have many options in the menu and no funky graphic on the screen whilst reversing.... im considering doing the 5570. But I don't think that should have any effect on the ambient light level.....however I've seen a vid clip of mr fix I think going into the hidden green menu and activating the "extended lighting" option.... perhaps this will sort it.... though I've found getting help from many people on this site is like getting blood from a stone!!! Still I'll keep trying because that's what these forums are supposed to be for right, helping the community!!

sorry about your cd problem..... haha have you had any luck getting help or a solution on this forum? Yours isn't too old so surely yours isn't lacking much in the trick department... mine is 08 and doesn't do much either....perhaps we're in the same boat haha.... however I was told that doing the 5570 update doesn't advance the software much...fixes some bugs yes which could be your solution... but no CD player.. crap!!

[swalker]

LOL missing a word in my post "would NOT read the newspaper with it"... lol
I am hoping the cd player just needs the lens cleaned, I haven't had time to find my lens cleaner CD, its been a while since i needed it..

what i find is this forum is good in the fact that people will fall silent, bare with me, when they have no knowledge, which in my experience is better than a keyboard warrior filling you full of brown that is potentially dangerous..

[MarkTM]

QC, you've posted 11 times in total, 5 on this thread, your damper post received a reply in less than an hour, your other post regarding ride height (which received zero replies) could easily have been answered by using the search facility on this section of the forum. I typed in 'ride height and it took me less than 2 mins to find :)

Given that the C6 appeared in 2005 it has been one of busiest parts of the forum, but most issues have been asked before.

So a case of helping yourself first before asking for any, appreciate that most of us posting are of working age and/or have family considerations, add to the mix half term etc then the replies may not be instantaneous. Natch if you have an issue which means your car is not driveable then it can be seen as urgent, but I've not seen any of your posts which are of that nature.

Just my tuppence :D

[Quattro-Charlie]

Haha isn't that amusing. The post that receives probably the most written words is the one to bitch and critisize �� Typical of forums sadly.

Anyway thank you for taking the time to point out my wrong doings instead of using it to help me. I doubt you'll find any A6 or even any car owners under working age and yes of course we all have family responsibilities.

I may appear at times a little impatient as my situation is dire, however you'll find that all of my posts have been polite and appreciative of any help offered.

If you can't say anything helpful it's best to say nothing at all, and perhaps consider better spending your tuppence elsewhere.

[Quattro-Charlie]

Thanks Stewart.... can you even buy those cd lens cleaners anymore? the one with a little brush stuck on it if memory serves me correctly...

Regarding the risk of brown advice, yes agreed. But I don't think that I've underestimated the knowledge and experience on tap from members of this forum. Undoubtedly there's many people on here savvy enough to help both of us with our likely quite simple problems.... they're probably just caught up with their unruly kids during half term 😂😩....

[rowdy-999]

http://i1117.photobucket.com/albums/k590/ironass01/spoonfeed_zpsd02b68e5.jpg

[Quattro-Charlie]

Yes very comical. However Mark was referring to their being advice on my ride height query. Unfortunately having now made use of the search function I didn't come across any advice pertaining to my ambient lighting problem.
Is there a big boy forum for Audis where I won't just come across snide remarks and unhelpful bs??

[rowdy-999]

Playful banter, I'm a helpful guy really.
Take it on the chin and move on.

[gupsterg]

I would agree with swwalker's post that the ambient lighting is not bright enough to read newspaper. Even on MAX setting plus with car in total darkness. Footwells seem slightly brighter than door lighting. In town environment with street lighting I have at times thought the ambient lighting is not even on. In the countryside/no street lighting areas I think it works as intended, I have no issues with the way it is.

The footwells units you could replace with aftermarket ones from ebay which most probably will turn out to be brighter. For the doors, the LED which lights the perspex strip would most probably need you to be handy with a soldering iron to replace LED with a brighter one.

http://i.imgur.com/bKQU4N6.jpg

[Quattro-Charlie]

Thanks, so perhaps my leds just aren't bright enough and need replacing....oh well. I can handle the soldering so may consider it. What about this hidden green menu and activating the "extended lighting" option....you reckon it's worth giving that a try or has anyone here had success with this?? I haven't done the 5570 update yet and don't know if it's necessary to unlock this extended lighting option. I'm a newbie here so relying totally on you experienced guys. Thanks for any helpful advice!

[MarkTM]

If your LED's are working there will be no improvement with the 5570 upgrade, also if they are currently working then there's nothing further to activate.

[Quattro-Charlie]

Is it Mr fix it somebody shows on one of his many videos that leds can be adjusted via the hidden green menu and ticking the advanced lighting option. Then they can be raised further or lowered. I really thought someone would have done this themselves by now.... thanks anyway.

[Sam]

Is it Mr fix it somebody shows on one of his many videos that leds can be adjusted via the hidden green menu and ticking the advanced lighting option. Then they can be raised further or lowered. I really thought someone would have done this themselves by now.... thanks anyway.

People have done this, they may just not be posting here to tell you.

A6 C6 came with one of the following; MMI Basic, MMI 2G, MMI 3G, MMI 3G Basic. Your first post says you have MMI 2G.

What software version is it currently running? CAR > SETUP/MENU > Version, read off the first four digits.

[gupsterg]

Is it Mr fix it somebody shows on one of his many videos that leds can be adjusted via the hidden green menu and ticking the advanced lighting option. Then they can be raised further or lowered. I really thought someone would have done this themselves by now.... thanks anyway.

I'll look at the A6 brochure and confirm, AFAIK the A6 came with footwell lights as standard but not ambient lighting, so the MMI would not be configured to have the ambient lighting menu, thus you wouldn't have control over footwell lighting intensity. The purpose of mr-fix.info video/blog post was basically to enable the menu on a car which had no ambient lighting so the owner could adjust footwell lighting.


This feature gives you control of the footwell backlight intensity.

Quote from (http://mr-fix.info/audi-mmi-2g-enable-ambient-light-extended/).

I have ambient lighting from factory, my MMI 2G high has the settings as per mr-fix.info video/blog from factory, I gain no increased intensity for ambient lighting/separate footwell & door lighting menu control, it is just 1 menu as in video which controls footwell/door lighting intensity.

I also have MMI FW 5570, which made no difference to ambient lighting operation compared with the crazy old FW on car when I bought it. I've also had FW updates of modules which would be related to "convenience" features which MMI FW does not touch, again no difference on ambient lighting behavior.

IIRC there was a VAG TPI/TSB that very early A6 (04/05) did have dimmer door lighting strips, a car like yours which is 2008 is not going to have those parts, I would have to dig up some old backups of my PC to check.

Your only option to have brighter footwell/door lighting is to modify the LEDs IMO.

[Quattro-Charlie]

People have done this, they may just not be posting here to tell you.

A6 C6 came with one of the following; MMI Basic, MMI 2G, MMI 3G, MMI 3G Basic. Your first post says you have MMI 2G.

What software version is it currently running? CAR > SETUP/MENU > Version, read off the first four digits.


Thanks for your reply Sam
Yes I've got the 2g....Nav in the boot, Bluetooth, cd changer etc. My current software is 51.4.0

[Quattro-Charlie]

I'll look at the A6 brochure and confirm, AFAIK the A6 came with footwell lights as standard but not ambient lighting, so the MMI would not be configured to have the ambient lighting menu, thus you wouldn't have control over footwell lighting intensity. The purpose of mr-fix.info video/blog post was basically to enable the menu on a car which had no ambient lighting so the owner could adjust footwell lighting.



Quote from (http://mr-fix.info/audi-mmi-2g-enable-ambient-light-extended/).

I have ambient lighting from factory, my MMI 2G high has the settings as per mr-fix.info video/blog from factory, I gain no increased intensity for ambient lighting/separate footwell & door lighting menu control, it is just 1 menu as in video which controls footwell/door lighting intensity.

I also have MMI FW 5570, which made no difference to ambient lighting operation compared with the crazy old FW on car when I bought it. I've also had FW updates of modules which would be related to "convenience" features which MMI FW does not touch, again no difference on ambient lighting behavior.

IIRC there was a VAG TPI/TSB that very early A6 (04/05) did have dimmer door lighting strips, a car like yours which is 2008 is not going to have those parts, I would have to dig up some old backups of my PC to check.

Your only option to have brighter footwell/door lighting is to modify the LEDs IMO.

Thanks gupsterg. I'm to be honest not too concerned about the footwell lighting and aren't a great fan anyway. The leds in the interior door trim on the other hand I do like, but sadly I can barely make them out. I'm sure that they should be brighter as they may as well not be there otherwise. Also the leds under the door mirror, again very dimmed. I've seen other c6's with the same and you can clearly see them working when car I unlocked etc......but mine again are very dimmed and hardly noticeable.

In my menu there's is an option for exterior lighting level which is upto max already. This lighting issue started off as what I thought would be a simple fix, but it's gradually sapping my patience. I guess I just want the nicest car that I've ever owned and probably will ever own to work as well as it should... anyway ATM this rear suspension issue I'm having is bugging me more..

as always thanks for your time and for trying to help.

[Sam]

If Gup says you'll gain no additional control of the door LEDs by updating the firmware, I'd stick with what you have. Gup completely dismantled his entire car on his drive once, using only a putty knife and a cotton bud.

What might be easier is a simple replacement. The light bars are readily available on eBay (example: Original Audi A6 4F C6 LED Ambient lighting Interior lighting Door Light | eBay (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252362804147)) and the process is simple if you don't mind getting stuck in yourself (see here: Writeup - *How to replace the LED light bar (background lighting) in the door panel.* (http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/419508-Writeup-*How-to-replace-the-LED-light-bar-(background-lighting)-in-the-door-panel-*)). The chap in the article even suggests the lights tend to fail after 4/5 years.

[MarkTM]

Well done Sam! Did you use that secret website called Google:confused: If so....shhhh don't spread the word as everyone might start using it :biglaugh:

PS: You're going to have to ban yourself again as a Mod told once me I couldn't paste up the links to other forums :1zhelp:

[Sam]

Well done Sam! Did you use that secret website called Google:confused: If so....shhhh don't spread the word as everyone might start using it :biglaugh:

PS: You're going to have to ban yourself again as a Mod told once me I couldn't paste up the links to other forums :1zhelp:

;)

Who told you you weren't allowed to link to other forums? I'll see that they are flogged before their peers forthwith

[gupsterg]

Gup completely dismantled his entire car on his drive once, using only a putty knife and a cotton bud.

Oh no, however am I gonna top that now! (LOOL) .

[MarkTM]

I can sense Gupsterg limbering up with a Q tip and some dental floss! :biglaugh: