Help with Auto lights

[Mr Smooth]

Hi everyone
I am in South Africa and own a MK6 Gti DSG with xenons.Only mod i have are the rear LED lights.I noticed something really odd.During the day with the DRL's on my rear lights are off which is fine,however the lights inside (window switches,climatronic buttons,etc etc) are sometimes illuminated and sometimes not.Sometimes when i enter a dark place (parking area) the swithces do illiminate.How are the illumination on the switches controlled? Could there be a problem with my rain sensor? Or could the person who used VAG to sort out the light out bulb after i changed to the LED's messed something up? 

[Mr Smooth]

What concerns me is during the day,sometimes the buttons are illuminated all the time and sometimes they come on when i enter a tunnel and when i exit they switch off.

[am1w]

When you enter a dark place your main lights will be activated and so will all your internal lights. When you are in bright light your main lights will be off and so will all your internal lights. So there seems nothing amiss with the functioning of your lights and therefore your light sensor.

[Mr Smooth]

When you enter a dark place your main lights will be activated and so will all your internal lights. When you are in bright light your main lights will be off and so will all your internal lights. So there seems nothing amiss with the functioning of your lights and therefore your light sensor.

When i am in sunlight,sometimes the internal lights (window switches,climatronic controls etc) are illuminated and sometimes not.

[am1w]

The sensor reacts to ambient light conditions as well as direct sunlight. It is the intensity of light that activates the sensor. I have this happen to me occasionally: The main beam will come on in entering a darkened tunnel but will still be on even when I emerge into lightened conditions. This mainly happens when, though it's reasonably bright, there is not the correct intensity of light to activate the sensor to deactivate the main beam and hence your internal lights. However, if your internal lights are still on when the DRLs are on and not the main beam, then there is something wrong. I cannot quite see how this can happen. Have you checked that the internal lights work in tandem with the main beam? If they do, then all is well. Also, the main beam can be activated in very shady conditions even when there is bright sunlight.

What I don't know is whether the sensitivity of the light sensor can be adjusted.

[mike.]

During the day my instrument lights vary with the outdoor brightness.

If it is bright they are bright and then as it gets darker they get dimmer until it it dark enough for the lights to come on and they come on permanently.

[am1w]

During the day my instrument lights vary with the outdoor brightness.
If it is bright they are bright and then as it gets darker they get dimmer until it it dark enough for the lights to come on and they come on permanently.

Mike, he is talking about the switches which light up when the main beam comes on.

In fact, my instrument lighting does not seem to operate this way. It has been so from day one. There are times when the instruments are completely unreadable, they being completley unlit, as the main beam has not been activated. So there does not seem to be any variance in instrument lighting levels as you mention. Must get this checked at some stage.

[Rhyso]

During the day my instrument lights vary with the outdoor brightness.
If it is bright they are bright and then as it gets darker they get dimmer until it it dark enough for the lights to come on and they come on permanently.

Mike, he is talking about the switches which light up when the main beam comes on.

In fact, my instrument lighting does not seem to operate this way. It has been so from day one. There are times when the instruments are completely unreadable, they being completley unlit, as the main beam has not been activated. So there does not seem to be any variance in instrument lighting levels as you mention. Must get this checked at some stage.

Isn't it to remind you to switch the lights on? On my Audi, the manual states that is why the instruments dim, to serve as a reminder that its dark and perhaps you should switch your lights on 

I just recoded the cluster to have it permanently lit all the time 

[am1w]

Lights are always on auto. Rhyso, I too am going to get it re-coded so that the instrument cluster and internal switches are lit all of the time. Thanks.

[p3asa]

During the day my instrument lights vary with the outdoor brightness.

If it is bright they are bright and then as it gets darker they get dimmer until it it dark enough for the lights to come on and they come on permanently.

Same as mine.
I couldn't quite work out what was happening as the internal lights seemed to be on at times even although my external lights weren't.