Dash Gauge lighting - Kill auto dim

[RealGomer]

I recently replaced my 2013 MKZ which got totaled with a 2014 MKZ with Technology package. FYI - It was kinda weird to her the car automatically call 911, and give the location along with the Geo-coordinates. I think I figured out how to kill the auto-dim feature on the radio screen by setting the screen to daylight. I cannot find the same option for the guage panel which is a royal pain in the butt. We used to have a 1996 Chrysler Cirrus that had the option to keep the dash fully lit just by turning the light knob. Since I drive with headlights on all the time and have for the past 45+ years, having the dash dim is idiotic and unsafe. Is there a way to kill this stupid action?

[4N1M4L]

So in settings... no there is no way. I searched through the 2014 manual online and found bupkiss. covering a sensor would just make them dim all the time.

 

 

This might sound harsh, but have you tried not driving with the lights on all the time? The car turns the headlights on and off automatically, along with the dash lights, so they adapt to the ambient light levels the same way your eyes do. They put quite a bit of effort into making this as painless and convinient as possible. I enjoy it, along with ambient lighting. I do quite a bit of night driving though. 

 

Is it often overcast where you are, and the headlights don't come on when you think they should?

[RealGomer]

There are times during the day when the headlights go on even tho' it's fairly bright out. And there are times, especially on foggy and rainy/snowy days where the lights never come on. I have this peccadillo about being seen by other vehicles while on the road. Especially since so many others seem to think their stupid phones are more important than paying attention to the road. I've driven with the headlights on since 1971 as a small safety feature that I can control. By the way, ever try to see a grey or white car in the snow, fog, overcast without its lights on? The console labels basically disappear and the gauges do become quite hard to see. To me, it's an idiotic function. At least on my Chrysler Cirrus you could turn off this "feature".