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Am I the only one that things the gauges are hard to see during the day?

6K views 37 replies 28 participants last post by  Lingohocken 
#1 ·
I love everything about my new 2012 Overland, but one thing I noticed that is kind of goofy is that Chrysler did not make the gauges very bright during the day. Most newer vehicles these days have the gauges backlit very brightly by LED's, but now with the Jeep I think they are lit, but its so dim they are still hard to see. And then the needles are almost invisible. Am I missing a setting here or something? Yes I know they have the fancy EVIC screen in the middle which is capable of displaying plenty of information, but I kind of wish the gauges were nicely lit during the day like most vehicles.

As an example, here is a picture of the gauges in my previous vehicle that I sold for the Grand Cherokee, my 2007 Acura TL Type S. These gauges looked sweet, and this picture was takin during the day!

So does anyone else agree with me about the dim gauges and needles that are difficult to see during the day? And before anyone says im getting old or need glasses or whatever, im only 31 and have 20/20 vision thanks lol :D

 
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#2 ·
You're getting old and need glasses. Have you tried turning up the brightness with the dial next to the headlight switch? Mine are plenty bright. The only problem I have is that sometimes the sun shines directly on the Nav screen and makes it impossible to see for brief periods.
 
#4 ·
Well I dont think the dimmer switch does anything during the day when the headlights are off. Ahh well n/m I guess its just me and maybe its just more noticeable for now until I get used to them since the car I came from makes them very bright during the day.

James
 
#7 ·
Have to agree. In bright Florida sunlight they are hard to see and with sunglasses on, needles just disappear (am supposed to have a tinted windscreen (code GBBS). If it is I really cannot see any tinting).

Does yours look like this ? If I could not keep the EVIC on MPH I just would have to guess. Do wonder if DOT or SAE or somebody has legibility requirements.

 
#8 ·
^^^ thank you, that is my point exactly! I notice it more on sunny days as well where you literally cannot see the needles, and the actual number dials are very tough to see, and partially blocked by the steering wheel anyway lol. Its not a big deal just a minor thing I noticed, but like I said it was more obvious to me becuase my Acura lights up the gauges like day even in direct sunlight. It was great!
I wonder why they dont have the LED's light them up very bright during the day? maybe becuase they think people are going to just use the EVIC display. who knows.

James
 
#11 ·
Maybe I'm just lazy, or because I'm not used to see the speedometer offset from center, but I find I rely on the EVIC at least 90% of the time to see my speed. As mentioned by others, the top of the steering wheel cuts off the analogue speedometer. Because of that I have to actually look to see what speed I'm going, rather than just glancing quick and knowing my speed.

I'm not sure that additional lights would help - I'm sure I could turn up my dashboard lighting. I think the problem is a combination of the size of the steering wheel, the position of my seat, and the fact that the analogue gauge isn't in the center.
 
#12 ·
I'm 6'2" and have no problem. Sure they're not lit up like a christmas tree during the day but you can still see them. If the wheel is blocking the speedo there are a few easy fixes. Move further away from the steering wheel, lower your seat or adjust the steering wheel position.
 
#14 · (Edited)
i didn't realize they were even lit up without the headlights being on...haha...like you I came from a TL and they were nice and bright during the day. I typically have the MPH on in the EVIC, so I really haven't noticed it being difficult to see.
 
#17 ·
I agree that the needles are too difficult to see in daylight -- when wearing sunglasses (even lightly tinted ones) they are invisible for me. Oh well, nothing's perfect...

I have no trouble seeing the gauges in my normal driving position.
 
#19 ·
Just to clarify, the gauges on the Jeep are NOT backlit during the day, only at night. They do not have the optitron backlighting that some other vehicles have.
 
#21 ·
So I was driving today and was looking at the gauges in different lighting conditions with and without my sunglasses. I guess I take back my original statement, the actual gauges arent all that hard to see except for the fact that a good portion of the tack and speedo are covered by the steering wheel in my driver settings. Its the damn needles that are very difficult to see. Oh well guess the Jeep engineers didnt think the needles should be obvious things to see while driving lol.
Lingohocken,
I dont think it would be worth it to take apart everything and paint the needles. It would be possible, but then if you put a layer of paint on them you risk covering up the illumination of the needles at night. So now you will see them during the day, but not at night lol.

James
 
#27 ·
Lingohocken, I dont think it would be worth it to take apart everything and paint the needles. It would be possible, but then if you put a layer of paint on them you risk covering up the illumination of the needles at night. So now you will see them during the day, but not at night lol.
It may be that if only the red stripe were painted and the clear sides of the needles masked off, the needles would still show up nicely at night. White would be too easy to get lost amidst the white dial numerals, but yellow is the color most strongly picked up by the human eye. So, overlayering the red stripe with dayglo yellow might do the trick.

If only the gauge covers could be gotten off without tearing up the dash. I used a hefty dose of body English to try and twist or yank them off, but no surprise that they just stayed put. You could probably hit a semi at 90 MPH and the damn gauge covers would remain affixed.
 
#23 ·
I don't think they're that difficult to see...I think you might just be accustomed to backlit gauges in your old cars...

I haven't had a car without optitron gauges in 10 years...but I can see them fine on the Jeep.
 
#24 ·
I agree with all your comments about the dim gages and not being able to see them when the wheel is tilted. I am interested in purchasing an Overlander and the gages are a major reason I'm holding back hoping for a change in 2013. The 20K new Dodge Dart about to come out has the best dash display I have ever seen, why can't a 45K Jeep be as good ?
 
#25 ·
You guys that are having problems seeing your needles, are they orange? Mine are. Haven't had any issues seeing them. As far the steering wheel being in the way, that's just something you'll have to figure out. Adjust your seat, dip your head, whatever...
 
#26 ·
I'm sitting in my Jeep now and I'm looking at the needles. There is such a tiny part that's colored so it's hard to say, but to me they look red. The majority of it is black though.
 
#29 ·
I have no issues with reflections or contrast and whatnot.

Or, maybe I do, but since my steering wheel blocks the gauges, I don't really look at them much :)

Because of the EVIC in the middle, the tac and speedo gauges had to be spread further apart, and so then the wheel covers them. Without the EVIC, they could be more centered and you could then see them through the middle of the wheel.

I hate, HATE the speedo. The numbers are so crammed together that it doesn't even show odd numbers like 50, 70, etc, so it's impossible to figure out with a quick glance how fast I'm going.

So I just keep my EVIC set to display the speed and pretty much just use it.
 
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