Question...I have a 2020 that has a light shade of ceramic tint on the front windshield. It is jus dark enough so that my headlights stay on instead of my DRL. Is there a way to adjust it?

 

What is a DRL?

 

Daytime Running Lights.

As for the original question - that sensor sits atop the dash and I think you have what you have. No adjustment possible.
Unfortunately the only solution is probably to turn off "auto" headlights. Therefore losing DRL.

 

The only adjustment needed for DRL is to go into settings and turn them off.

 

Is the OP talking about auto headlights??

The most frustrating thing about my F-250 are the autolamps (and prior 2020 F150)... God forbid you drive into a shadow during a clear morning when the sun is bright, the lights dim, you cant see s**t on the screen and the instrument panel until it figures out 30 minutes later than it is actually daylight outside. It is most frustrating in the morning when there are long shadows on a clear sky.

 

I have UV tint on my windshield and it does reduce the light that hits the sensor which plays with the DRLs and as @B-737 noted above, screws with the instrument panel lighting. My truck is so smart it's stupid

 

I believe other manufactures execute this properly by using multiple light sensors around the cabin. Mercedes and Porsche come to mind, there are prob more. Fords execution with single sensor in a poor location is horrible.

 

Multiple sensors would have been awesome. I've thought how perhaps the tint shop could possibly cut a hole in the film above the sensor but even if they could do it, it would likely be an eyesore

So I'm stuck with needing windshield tint (in AZ) and watching my dash lights go off and on in the early mornings and at dusk

 

A hole won't really do anything. The sun is hitting the sensor from the entire windshield area. The sensor still gets shadowed from the A-Pillars and especially the roofline if the sun is behind you, which trips the auto headlights in broad daylight. I think with light tint, say 70%-80% its crappy behavior is prob exactly the same as without tint.

 

Has anyone given thought to just unplugging the sensor and what would be the result? Would it just cause the display to either be full bright or full dim that could be somewhat controlled by the dimmer switch on the left dash panel?

I was giving thought to some sort of small cover that fits over the dash top sensor that I could also install a small white LED to trick the senor to thinking it always sunny.

 

not sure I understand the thought process here. Just use the lights manually, out of auto mode to get desired results.
I like them in auto, but are annoying at dawn and dusk (low sun angles).

 

A lot of my driving has been along tall tree lined highways so the constant shadows have my display constantly dimming during day time driving. As was pointed out in the previous posts, it a little annoying. To be honest, I don't remember if I've actually tried testing the dim of the display while in the manual mode. I have an aftermarket FLIR thermal image system using the OEM Display and the image is sharper when the display is not automatically dimmed.

 

the tree lined roads drive me nuts in the morning too, esp when towing and not wanting to miss a turn trying to follow the directions.
its a first world problem but I just rotate the **** to manual off, then everything goes bright again and I can see, totally defeats the purpose of the auto feature.

 

I thought it wasn't legal to tint the windshield in Arizona. Did you get a medical exemption or a special type of non-reflective tint?

 

It's not legal in a LOT of places without a medical exemption.

DRL = daytime running lights, for most vehicles they are defaulted to on unless you turn them off, and they're not connected to this sensor.

Auto lights are tied to this sensor, and frankly I think are a great thing that shouldn't be able to be shut off. I have come across far too many people who I've almost collided with in low light situations because I didn't see them, their car was blending in to the environment due to the area and the car's color. If they'd had their lights on I would have been able to see them better. Heck my aunt was in an accident at twilight, she pulled up to a stop sign, saw no one coming, and pulled out...to get hit by a black truck that had been coming down the heavily wooded road. I have left my lights in the 'auto' setting on every vehicle I have owned that's had the feature since.

Yes, there's times when it might be nice to shut them off (coming home late at night and not wanting to shine inside the house) and things like that, I get it...but I'll take that small nuisance over almost or actually wiping someone else out on the road. Yes, it would be nice if they could be a little more accurate and not come on while driving under bigger bridges (though this has improved, my '03 would flip the lights on when driving under wider bridges on a bright day for a moment, my newer trucks have not done this), but honestly the technology is a great aid.