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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) General G20 Sedan / G22 Coupe / G26 Gran Coupe Discussions Window tint triggering auto-dimming on both displays during the day

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      01-29-2020, 05:19 PM   #199
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rossgazz View Post
Nope.
BMW definitely has multiple problems on their hands. Some tints affect it, other tints don't. Some without tinted even have the problem, and many don't.

I'm wondering if everyone who says they don't have the issue AT ALL are just less sensitive to their tolerance of dimming (kind of like auto dimming on a cell phone). Others will never notice much of a difference if they are in a very sunny, shade free location.
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      01-29-2020, 05:29 PM   #200
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rossgazz View Post
Nope.
BMW definitely has multiple problems on their hands. Some tints affect it, other tints don't. Some without tinted even have the problem, and many don't.

I'm wondering if everyone who says they don't have the issue AT ALL are just less sensitive to their tolerance of dimming (kind of like auto dimming on a cell phone). Others will never notice much of a difference if they are in a very sunny, shade free location.
[QUOTE=Burrcold;25744819]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rossgazz View Post
Nope.

You could be correct. I've played around with it like others have described in previous posts by shining a small light in the area of the IR sensor and it immediately brights up to what I would consider normal. Pretty aggravating though, much like my Connected app that stopped working for over a month, but I digress....
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      01-29-2020, 05:40 PM   #201
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[QUOTE=Rossgazz;25744853]
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Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post


You could be correct. I've played around with it like others have described in previous posts by shining a small light in the area of the IR sensor and it immediately brights up to what I would consider normal. Pretty aggravating though, much like my Connected app that stopped working for over a month, but I digress....
It's very frustrating. After having to have my tint redone, am I only now happier with the level of dimming. Mine dims about 80% less than it used to but I still wish it didn't dim at all. I want max brightness by way of manual control. I can't believe BMW doesn't even give the option of this. Again just like any cell phone, people can choose to put it on auto brightness or just manually do it themselves. I'm in the camp of liking a bright display even at night on my phone (despite the battery drain), whereas my wife has auto brightness set so aggressive that I can barely see her screen. It's a preference thing that the user should have control over.
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      01-29-2020, 08:42 PM   #202
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[QUOTE=Burrcold;25744888]
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Originally Posted by Rossgazz View Post

It's very frustrating. After having to have my tint redone, am I only now happier with the level of dimming. Mine dims about 80% less than it used to but I still wish it didn't dim at all. I want max brightness by way of manual control. I can't believe BMW doesn't even give the option of this. Again just like any cell phone, people can choose to put it on auto brightness or just manually do it themselves. I'm in the camp of liking a bright display even at night on my phone (despite the battery drain), whereas my wife has auto brightness set so aggressive that I can barely see her screen. It's a preference thing that the user should have control over.
What tint did you get
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      01-29-2020, 08:46 PM   #203
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Originally Posted by HyeM340i View Post

What tint did you get
I went from Suntek CXP 25% (carbon based film with 50+% IR rejection) to Autobahn Black 30% (color stable dyed film with no IR rejection properties). Night and day different with the dimming issues.
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      01-29-2020, 08:50 PM   #204
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Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
I'm wondering if everyone who says they don't have the issue AT ALL are just less sensitive to their tolerance of dimming (kind of like auto dimming on a cell phone). Others will never notice much of a difference if they are in a very sunny, shade free location.
Yes to both of these things. To my knowledge, all BMWs with digital instrument clusters have this issue. It's not model specific, and it can be very evident even with no tint on the windows. No one's bimmer is immune to this, so anyone who says "I have no issues" falls into one or both of the categories you've spelled out above.

Last edited by 2020g20; 01-29-2020 at 08:57 PM..
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      01-29-2020, 09:08 PM   #205
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Originally Posted by 2020g20 View Post
Yes to both of these things. To my knowledge, all BMWs with digital instrument clusters have this issue. It's not model specific, and it can be very evident even with no tint on the windows. No one's bimmer is immune to this, so anyone who says "I have no issues" falls into one or both of the categories you've spelled out above.
100% agreed. Certain tint exaggerates the issue, along with amount of direct sunlight.

I don't have much faith that BMW will change anything anytime soon. Like you said this isn't model specific.
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      01-29-2020, 09:36 PM   #206
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Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
I don't have much faith that BMW will change anything anytime soon. Like you said this isn't model specific.
Me either, especially since it's not a new issue. I've seen some older posts in other forums that suggest this issue has been around for as long as the digital cluster displays have. If they haven't addressed it already, that suggests they know and don't care.
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      01-31-2020, 12:54 AM   #207
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I got Xpel Prime XR black(85% IR heat rejection/ 64% TSER) 20% all around Minus the Front Windshield. I am noticing that the Dash is now dimming to varying degrees depending on how much ambient sunlight is coming through. If the sun is at an angle where it can hit the dash I get a nice bright vibrant display. Other times, i have a dim muggy washed out live cockpit and its really disappointing that BMW doesn't have an option to disable the dreaded auto-dimming.

I'm in So Cal btw so its hot and sunny here like 95% of the time.
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      01-31-2020, 06:32 AM   #208
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueM340i View Post
I got Xpel Prime XR black(85% IR heat rejection/ 64% TSER) 20% all around Minus the Front Windshield. I am noticing that the Dash is now dimming to varying degrees depending on how much ambient sunlight is coming through. If the sun is at an angle where it can hit the dash I get a nice bright vibrant display. Other times, i have a dim muggy washed out live cockpit and its really disappointing that BMW doesn't have an option to disable the dreaded auto-dimming.

I'm in So Cal btw so its hot and sunny here like 95% of the time.
It's almost worse when it's in a very sunny region like Cali because of the glare mixed with the dim washed out screens. Makes the gauges pretty much useless.
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      02-26-2020, 07:43 PM   #209
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Originally Posted by agentorange View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Glassy View Post
The dealership says that the auto-dim feature of both my displays can't be coded out otherwise it'll throw up error codes.

My tint is actually 15% all-around, not 60% (not sure where I got that number from). So it's pretty dark. Going to try and lighten it up to 30% or so and see what that does.
15% tint in CA? That'll be an interesting conversation with the CHiPs motorcyclist. Here in NV the cycle cops carry a light transmission meter and have no mercy on issuing fixit tickets for front door glass that is too dark.
Got my windows done and experiencing the same problem. Very dim dash during daylight hours.

I've always had 5% all around on all my cars here in Vegas, never got a ticket(for tint). Seems like police don't pay much attention since it does get very hot and sunny out here.
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      02-29-2020, 12:42 PM   #210
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I don't seem to have this issue -- tint installed by dealer prior delivery. Unsure of tint brand but I assume the dealer wouldn't use it if it created conflicts with car electronics.

I did a couple of tests to see if I could reproduce, with direct sunlight hitting the sensor (rolling window up and down) and couldn't get the brightness to change.
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      02-29-2020, 02:25 PM   #211
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Originally Posted by TheRetroGuy View Post
I don't seem to have this issue -- tint installed by dealer prior delivery. Unsure of tint brand but I assume the dealer wouldn't use it if it created conflicts with car electronics.

I did a couple of tests to see if I could reproduce, with direct sunlight hitting the sensor (rolling window up and down) and couldn't get the brightness to change.
Do you know what percentage it is? Typically if the dealer installed it, it's going to be a cheaper dyed film (which in thistle case is a good thing).

I've done a ton more testing since my last post, and there is 100% a very large impact by the use of either nano-carbon and ceramic films (good quality ones anyway) vs dyed films. Dyed films reduce the dimming effect greatly...the VLT (or how dark the film is) plays into it as well but not as much.

My testing has been with 4 different brands of tint, and 4 different VLT percentages.
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      03-01-2020, 07:27 AM   #212
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Originally Posted by Burrcold View Post
Do you know what percentage it is? Typically if the dealer installed it, it's going to be a cheaper dyed film (which in thistle case is a good thing).
I'm not sure, I believe 35%. If cheap dyed tint, I'd be surprised, they outsource the tinting to a shop that uses primarily HuperOptik ceramic, so that's probably what it is.
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      03-01-2020, 08:03 AM   #213
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Originally Posted by TheRetroGuy View Post
Unsure of tint brand but I assume the dealer wouldn't use it if it created conflicts with car electronics.
One would think that was a safe assumption, buy unfortunately that's not the case. There is at least one forum user who has dealer installed tint and is experiencing the issues. His dealer has offered no solution. When I initially brought the issue up to my service department, they looked at me like I was an idiot. The head service manager had no clue it was even a problem, so I have zero faith the dealership has a protocol in place to prevent it.

Additionally my coworker just got a brand new X5, and his dealer offered him 35% ceramic tint, which in theory is the worst offender since it blocks the most IR. He asked them if they were aware that it can cause screen dimming issues and they were clueless about it as well. Based on my advice he declined, and it's a good thing he did. His screens are already prone to being unacceptably dim in the middle of a GA winter afternoon, even without any tint applied to his front windows. I shot a video of my undimming unit applied to his dash. Check out how washed out his instrument cluster is at the beginning and the end (brightness takes about 10 seconds to ramp all the way back down)...

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      03-01-2020, 08:55 AM   #214
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Originally Posted by TheRetroGuy View Post
I'm not sure, I believe 35%. If cheap dyed tint, I'd be surprised, they outsource the tinting to a shop that uses primarily HuperOptik ceramic, so that's probably what it is.
If you didn't ask for Huper Optik ceramic, I highly doubt the installed it (even though the shop may use that). Many tint shops that do dealership work have stock of dyed and ceramic films that are Russian or Chinese made but have terrible heat rejection. So when the dealer says "we're throwing in ceramic tint" keep in mind that all films are not created equal.

Also 30% Huper Optik is one of the films we tested and it made the dimming issues even worse compared to the following (25% Suntek CXP, 30% Autobahn Black dyed, 20% Autobahn Black dyed, 20% Formula One Pinnacle Ceramic, and Formula One Classic Color Stable dyed).

Ceramic and hybrid carbon films are the worst offenders (especially the darker you go). Regular dyed films produce the least amount of dimming (but still dim slightly) and aren't as sensitive to how dark you go but they still are affected by darkness level or VLT.

The biggest difference between the dyed films and ceramic films seems to be related to the IR reduction. VLT being equal for both, the ceramic causes the most up and down dimming (example going from 2 to 10 back down to 2 then to 5 - assume brightness levels are a 1 to 10 scale). This is especially evident when it's a sunny day and you drive under tree covered areas or when the sun is coming in and out of the clouds. Also as you change direction...it's up and down and up and down.

The dyed films are much more stable with the ups and downs in the dimming. They still dim (say it's overcast, you may see them dim to a 5 or 6). On sunny days they may be at an 8 or 9, and will usually stay at this level even when going into tree covered areas, being surrounded by tall buildings, sun in and out of clouds, etc.

My last picture I posted in this thread was with a dyed Autobahn Black 30% (these are made by Huper Optiks). I've gone through 4 different tints since then, and now have 20% dyed Formula One Classic. This film has been the most stable and produced the least up and down dimming issues to date.

Luckily my tint shop has been awesome and have been using my car as a test mule to try and figure the issue out (they do work for the local BMW dealership as well so they want to be prepared to add a disclaimer if anyone comes in with a G20 and asks for ceramic films).
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      03-01-2020, 09:47 AM   #215
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Just chiming in - i have found this so frustrating lately...Seems like the effect is amplified 10x in winter. I find my display to be almost pitch black on my bright sunny morning commute.

I do have dealer installed tints but not sure if that is the culprit. The digital dash is essentially useless if i can't see anything. The location of that the sensor does not seem like it was well thought out.
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      03-01-2020, 10:19 AM   #216
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Originally Posted by alpinewhite3 View Post
Just chiming in - i have found this so frustrating lately...Seems like the effect is amplified 10x in winter. I find my display to be almost pitch black on my bright sunny morning commute.

I do have dealer installed tints but not sure if that is the culprit. The digital dash is essentially useless if i can't see anything. The location of that the sensor does not seem like it was well thought out.
The same was happening with mine. It's because of how low the sun is at that time compared to say noon. It's shining through the tinted windows which causes the dimming. Once the sun is more above you later in the day, it's reflecting in through your windshield and sunroof and not being altered by the tint (very little anyways).

Some of the testing I did with the tint shop was leaving it outside and checking on the level of dimming at various stages in the day, and moving my car to face different directions. We also checked the scenarios on sunny days, cloudy/sunny days, and full cloud covered days. This was all over a few days of testing so not just a five minute quick test.

The most impact to dimming was on sunny days early morning or afternoon when the sun was lower (totally shitty because that's most of the time we all spend in the car...commuting).
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      03-01-2020, 10:49 AM   #217
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I took these two pictures on Friday and Saturday this weekend after getting my tint redone again on Friday morning. Both of these scenarios would have had my screens so dim (first with the sun low with the majority the light passing through the tinted windows and the other picture is a sunny but partly cloudy day where the sun wasn't really out or directly above). The result after the new tint? Both gauges were an 8 or 9 out of 10 brightness. I'll take that!
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      03-01-2020, 11:04 AM   #218
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Strange... I had ceramic tint installed, 20% all around and 50% on the front. Have experienced no issues with dimming..
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      03-01-2020, 12:12 PM   #219
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Strange... I had ceramic tint installed, 20% all around and 50% on the front. Have experienced no issues with dimming..
What brand? Where are you located? These factors play heavily into whether you will have (or notice) that there even is an issue.

I've shown a few people that didn't think they had an issue with dimmi until I shined a light on the display and they saw how much brighter it actually got.
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      03-01-2020, 12:15 PM   #220
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Originally Posted by Fpangalos View Post
Strange... I had ceramic tint installed, 20% all around and 50% on the front. Have experienced no issues with dimming..
What brand? Where are you located? These factors play heavily into whether you will have (or notice) that there even is an issue.

I've shown a few people that didn't think they had an issue with dimmi until I shined a light on the display and they saw how much brighter it actually got.
I just relocated from Arizona to Missouri.
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