Instrument panel doesn't light up.
 

My instrument panel doesn't light up for some reason. The fuse is good. My friend said that the previous owner could have hooked up the head unit wrong and that's why the panel doesn't light up. I figured I'd see if someone here had a similar problem and could help me out b4 I waste my money getting someone to look at it and fix it. Sorry. I didn't know if this is in the right spot to post this, but I figured it had something to do with the head unit so..

RE: Instrument panel doesn't light up.
 

and your car was built in what year?

RE: Instrument panel doesn't light up.
 

maybe the dimmer switch is bad.. but we definitely need more info.

RE: Instrument panel doesn't light up.
 

your friend is most likely right
the most common error I see in even experienced installers is forgetting to re-attach the plugs into the dash after putting back the panel

if your fuse is good, and you don't smell anything burnt back there etc, I can almost guarantee that the previous installer never put back the plugs, OR he cut wires on accident
either way, this is something you can check for yourself, no need to hire somebody
just look up a DIY to take out the panel and examine yourself, it's not as hard as you think
but what year is your car?
i wouldn't recommend it for cars past 2000