Adaptive lighting issue(instrument lighting cluster) revisited******!!!!!

[Q7 driver]

I posted the below problem back in 5/8/16 to date have gotten 286 views with no responses. This leads me to believe that I am the only one with this problem(NOT) or most people have not even noticed it(NOT).
I know for a fact from my service writer and the shop foreman that there are at least 2 others at this dealership with the same problem,they were told to ignore the problem.
AUDI has told me through Audi customer service and local tech reps to live with it!!!! I have a $70,000 vehicle that is defective and possibly has a safety issue and I am told to deal with it and live with it!!!! I think not!!!
I am asking for anyones input on how to get the problem taken care of.
This is 5th Audi I have owned since 2011 and gentlemen if it is not resolved will surely be my last.

Any thoughts from you loyal Audiphiles ??

2015 Q7 adaptive lighting issue.(Instrument cluster)
Have a 2015 loaded Q7 with all the goodies,since day 1 the instrument cluster lights go black in medium to dark shade(live in Arizona and the lighting extremes morning and end of day are quite EXTREME) driving in the morning and at the end of the day the instrument cluster lights manage to go black in shadow and come on full bright in full sun. Quite disconcerting to say the least and possibly a very real safety issue. I have had 2 other Q7s and neither exhibited this behavior (2011 and another 2015).

Anyone else going through this problem,and if you did how did you remedy it???

[q7newbie]

I don't know how the Audi franchise network is set up in America, and how Audi USA interact with them on such matters, but if the dealership where you purchased it aren't helping, then you're only options are to deal with Audi USA or your finance/lease company (if it's financed).

Technically, it sounds like your car has faulty ambient light sensors. Which in itself is actually easily remedied. Either by replacing the actual sensors, or the ecu module that controls it.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

[CanadianLurker]

It sounds like the headlights are coming on sensing that it's night time when you hit the shadow. This causes the dash lights to dim. Once out of the shadows the headlights go off and then the dash lights come back on.

Do you have access to VCDS ? If so you can change the threshold for the ambient light to turn the headlights on sooner or later. In your case, you'd want to set them to come on later meaning that they'd not turn on until they sensed it was a darker outside - hopefully you'd have driven out of the shadow by then.

[Q7 driver]

Thanks for your reply,VCDS? not sure what that is or even how to access it. The dash lights don't just dim the go completely out. The maddening thing is Audi has refused to acknowledge that there is a problem and told me to live with it.

[Q7 driver]

q7newbie,
Thanks for your response,
Let me enumerate the issues,dealership is aware of the problem but when they go to Audi techs they are told that I should live with it and if I want the lights not to be a problem turn them to manual and don't worry about the adaptive workings(so why do I have a car with adaptive lighting controls that I paid a premium for?).
Went to Audi customer service CORPORATE and was told the same thing.
Car is financed through Audi(VW), so that avenue is a non starter can't use them for leverage against themselves.
The shop foreman told me that the lights and module should be about a $2000 fix.however I am not going to pay for this,would rather sell the junker and take a bath on the value than give in to this form of piracy.

[CanadianLurker]

You should look for a local VW/Audi enthusiast who has a VCDS cable. They can scan the car and confirm if the module is alive or not or if it's throwing any error codes. Knowing the error codes will help the folks here on the forum to figure out if what the dealer is telling you is correct or not.

[Q7 driver]

Hope you didn't get the wrong idea the PIRACY IS ON THE PART OF THE MUCH VAUNTED AND REVERED "FACTORY". The dealership can only do what Audi will agree to. The dealer is the party that let me know the cause of the problem and the solution.

[CanadianLurker]

Aha. I see now. Your Q7 has a defective part and Audi isn't covering it under Warranty. Seems kind of harsh but I guess it depends on your In Service Date and when you raised the problem to Audi.

May write everything down and submit a written complaint to Audi USA and see if that doesn't get some action.

[Q7 driver]

Car is 8 months old with 9,000 miles,certainly not out of service date,spent hours on the phone with factory reps,some how they are not concerned with the loss of me as a loyal customer and don't care if I choose to go "legal".
The whole thing goes with the perception among Porsche and Audi that the factory is always right and the customer is always wrong.
Sorry to be caustic but its a classic case of germanic ARROGANCE.
Just for the record have purchased 5 Audis from them since 2011 this will be the last.