Rep Power: 0

Hey guys, I have a small problem with my 2007 Civic EX coupe. Its more of an annoyance than a real issue but whenever I dim the dash illumination there is a buzzing sound that occurs. The more I dim the lights the louder it gets. The buzzing totally goes away when I turn the illumination up as bright as it gets.

What could be the issue? I was thinking the relay but wanted to get some other opinions.

Thanks!

 
Rep Power: 812

im pretty sure its normal, but some people are more sensitive than others. Im almost positive the new civics use LED lighting for the gauges, and at full bright they are all on max output. but to dim the leds, they may have used a PWM (pulse width modulation) that actually involves flashing the leds at full brightness so fast that to your eyes they appear dim. the control circuitry used for this effect can often cause a hum or buzzing type noise. usually i would think it would not be as loud behind all the layers of board and plastic. but i guess it is and theres really no way to fix it. if you have a digital cam, you can hold it up to the lights and see if they are rapidly flickering (in the camera viewer) when in dim mode. that will tell you if it uses a pwm circuit or not. the older 03-05 civic lx/ex also had LED clusters with dimming, but i havent really noticed any buzz. i also keep mine only one notch lower than full bright tho for night time.

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks Gearbox. It is pretty loud. I can still hear it over the music(if the volume is turned down low). The sound seems to be coming from under the dash. If it is the PWM technology, is there still a relay?