DB11 query - reading lamps
Discussion
I'm the very happy recent owner of a DB11 and loving it. Have just one query - the two reading lamps in the front headlining don't seem to work. The manual says to touch the bezel but this does nothing. They also don't come on at any time when doors etc are opened. Not a big issue but means car is dark when you get into it at night and a little extra light would be welcome.
Very minor query but curious to know if mine are faulty or if I'm missing some obvious setting or such like?
Very minor query but curious to know if mine are faulty or if I'm missing some obvious setting or such like?
Hi AndM
Mine do come on when the door is opened, even without the FOB present. After the door is closed they remain on for several seconds. I have tried these in the past (not this time) while in the car driving and they do come on by touching the bezel.
I took a brief look at the "system settings" and their is a menu item titled Ambient light Brightness which suggests the interior lights can be set. Also, in the manual regarding those lights, it says the lights will come on when the door is opened unless set to off.
Hope this helps.
Mine do come on when the door is opened, even without the FOB present. After the door is closed they remain on for several seconds. I have tried these in the past (not this time) while in the car driving and they do come on by touching the bezel.
I took a brief look at the "system settings" and their is a menu item titled Ambient light Brightness which suggests the interior lights can be set. Also, in the manual regarding those lights, it says the lights will come on when the door is opened unless set to off.
Hope this helps.
skhannes said:
I took a brief look at the "system settings" and their is a menu item titled Ambient light Brightness, which suggests the interior lights can be set.
Reading that sparked my thought process.
Am I correct, that the DB11 underlying infotainment system was originally Mercedes ?
If so, then in Mercedes 'speak', Ambient Lighting refers to strips of coloured lights across the dashboard, along the door cards, around the interior door handles and in the front and rear footwells.
A bit of nonsense really, but quite fun, especially at night. I like the setting of bright blue upper (and red lower), which slowly transitions through shades of red, then purple the back to blue again. It says there are 64 different colours.
Do DB11 cars have that type of Ambient Lighting?
If not, perhaps the Menu option is a non-operating item, leftover from the Mercedes menus.
Dewi 2 said:
skhannes said:
I took a brief look at the "system settings" and their is a menu item titled Ambient light Brightness, which suggests the interior lights can be set.
Reading that sparked my thought process.
Am I correct, that the DB11 underlying infotainment system was originally Mercedes ?
If so, then in Mercedes 'speak', Ambient Lighting refers to strips of coloured lights across the dashboard, along the door cards, around the interior door handles and in the front and rear footwells.
A bit of nonsense really, but quite fun, especially at night. I like the setting of bright blue upper (and red lower), which slowly transitions through shades of red, then purple the back to blue again. It says there are 64 different colours.
Do DB11 cars have that type of Ambient Lighting?
If not, perhaps the Menu option is a non-operating item, leftover from the Mercedes menus.
The ambient light setting in the menu seems to be active but its a scale of 1-5. I have it at maximum but doesn't bring my reading lights on (they call them reading lights but they are really the interior lights which come on in most cars when you open the door at night).
Edited by AndM on Monday 9th December 16:50
AndM said:
yes - footwell lights do come on. On both sides.
That's good news - it means the front Body Control Module is sending a signal when you open the door. What about the light in the rear? If that's not working either, remove one light and check for power on pin 1 and ground on pin 4 (2 and 3 are the control pins). I was just examining my lights. I pulled off the bezel on the drivers side. It just pops off very easily and can be pried with a fingernail. The light itself appears to be LED (not a bulb). I didn't try to remove it.
A thought came to me - the entire assembly which includes the rear view mirror and sensors would probably be removed if a windshield replacement was done. Perhaps if that were the case, the harness to those lights were forgotten and left unconnected.
One other question - there is a very small micro light that is located in the center between the map lights and visible just in front of the mirror. Its purpose is to cast a mood light on the console/center glove box. It too lights up when the map lights come on when the door is opened. Another light to check but probably fed from the map lights.
A thought came to me - the entire assembly which includes the rear view mirror and sensors would probably be removed if a windshield replacement was done. Perhaps if that were the case, the harness to those lights were forgotten and left unconnected.
One other question - there is a very small micro light that is located in the center between the map lights and visible just in front of the mirror. Its purpose is to cast a mood light on the console/center glove box. It too lights up when the map lights come on when the door is opened. Another light to check but probably fed from the map lights.
I was perusing Ebay and found a couple of these headliner pieces for sale in the US. Both included pics of the underside and thought they might be helpful to examine without removing yours.
It appears, possibly, in the top pic the main harness has been cut.
It appears, possibly, in the top pic the main harness has been cut.
Edited by skhannes on Thursday 12th December 11:02
Edited by skhannes on Thursday 12th December 11:03
Thanks for this! Very useful indeed. I'll try and get at this soon when work and daylight permit. See if any of the looms are detached. The fact that both lights (and only these lights) are out might suggest an issue with one of the looms further up the top picture.
Has anyone removed this front roof trim piece? I can see two obvious connectors holding it to the roof. The piece sit on top of the main roof liner so presumably need not affect that. However it tucks underneath the door pillar liners on both sides. Is it possible to remove without involving an the pillar liners? The piece looks to be fibreglass so presumably is fairly flexible.
Has anyone removed this front roof trim piece? I can see two obvious connectors holding it to the roof. The piece sit on top of the main roof liner so presumably need not affect that. However it tucks underneath the door pillar liners on both sides. Is it possible to remove without involving an the pillar liners? The piece looks to be fibreglass so presumably is fairly flexible.
Edited by AndM on Thursday 12th December 16:25
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff