GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

This is a potential electrical mod that I would like to do if it is possible:The lights for the radio display and the lights for the dashboard display are both hooked up to the headlights- when the headlights go on, they dim. However, the dashboard is also hooked up to that little knob (the same one used to zero out the trip mileage) and you can turn the knob to the right to "override" the dimming. This is great for when you have to turn your headlights on while it is still light out, such as when it is raining. However, there is no way right now to override the dimming for the radio display. That's really annoying right now.Is it possible to also hook up my radio display to this little knob also so I can override the dimming function if I don't want it to get dark?I've been thinking about gaining more control over my lights (Disable AHLs, independent fogs, etc.) so this sort of thing is on my mind, and if I could do this simple mod it would make me very happy. Can someone let me know if this can be done, and if so, how? I am very new to car electronics, though my husband has some experience with electronics in general, so if we were shown where this could be done, we could probably easily do it.

I was just thinking the same thing today.. It gets kinda aggravating not being able to see the radio display/time..

Someone will figure it out. I know it's been done in the '03-'08. I had mine set up that way for a while, but I don't know if someone has done it in the '09-'10.http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=38372This is tribalman's write up on how to.

Quote, originally posted by ponta2147 »Is it possible to also hook up my radio display to this little knob also so I can override the dimming function if I don't want it to get dark?I'm going to say "YES" this can be done, although to what extent I'm not sure. I'll be experimenting a lot over the winter with all the electronics with the 09/10 Vibes and I'll make it a point to look into this as well. Speaking of "displays" & such when driving at night, I'm going to create some "soft" LED recessed lighting in each of the front two door panels so all buttons are better illuminated & visible. Another issue I have is when reaching for the overhead reading/dome light button .... you CAN'T see it I've opened the sunroof or the storage compartment by accident due to not seeing the buttons. Trust me, it won't be long before those are also illuminated

Quote, originally posted by tpollauf »I'm going to say "YES" this can be done, although to what extent I'm not sure. I'll be experimenting a lot over the winter with all the electronics with the 09/10 Vibes and I'll make it a point to look into this as well. Speaking of "displays" & such when driving at night, I'm going to create some "soft" LED recessed lighting in each of the front two door panels so all buttons are better illuminated & visible. Another issue I have is when reaching for the overhead reading/dome light button .... you CAN'T see it I've opened the sunroof or the storage compartment by accident due to not seeing the buttons. Trust me, it won't be long before those are also illuminated I never try to find the button in the dark.. I just start pressing on random things.. since I know I won't hit the button!.. So I feel your pain!

It seems the members who were good at going mods like this on the site have vanished; wish they were still here

Bummer...... maybe we'll have to dig up an electrical diagram somewhere and figure it out ourselves sometime... maybe when we take everything apart to do the other mods. We will post pics, of course.

I'm not 100% sure but I have a theory which might at least get you started or close to the right solution. I do a bit of aftermarket stereo installation and from what I've found, typically there is an orange wire that goes into the back of your stereo. This wire is the input to tell the stereo lights to dim once the headlights are on. If you wanted to disable the lights from dimming, you would just need to cut this wire or insert a switch inline to the wire so you could choose when you want the lights to be dimmed or not. Another option would be to insert some other type of switch which may give you greater control such as a dimmer style switch. I'm not sure if you'll be able to control the dimming in increments or if it's only dimmed or not dimmed. The way that this is supposed to work is when the radio lights don't need to be dimmed, there is no power send through the wire/switch. When they are supposed to be dimmed, a power signal gets sent through the wire/switch.Before you go cutting the orange wire though, I would recommend checking it with a multimeter first. With the car off, you should get no current. With the car on but the lights turned off (including automatic lights) you should get no current also. Once you turn the lights on, you should read approx 12-14 volts. If all of these conditions are met, you have found your wire, if not, that's probably not it and you can probably find it pretty easy by using this method. If you do end up cutting the wire, make sure you insulate the exposed ends (especially the one coming from the car). Hope this helps at least get you started.

Yeah I was thinkin Illumination or Dimmer wire as well....I never hook mine up in my head units