laimeduck Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Nope! I can't see it either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docted Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 IT MUST BE ONE OF THOSE NEW FANGLED SPEEDOS THAT ARE SEE THROUGH, ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT IN THE DARK :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanS Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Yes, the new fangled one on the new Fiat X290 - can't read mine also :'( Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Mine seems ok on mph but I can't see the kph abroad. Good job the TomTom displays it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Does switching the lights on throw any illumination on the matter? Tomtom also shows mph in the UK and mine sits on top of the instrument cowl and is a lot easier to keep an eye on than the speedo in almost any vehicle. Modern design progress eh?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Progress eh? :D ........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
graham Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I have a Gilera scooter and as the sales are very low in the UK the outer ring of the speed is in kph and the inner ring in mph is very small and difficult to read in any light condition. I put 2 little white stickers on the speedo at 30 and 50 mph as these are the important ones and then I can estimate the others. Works for me and I have no trouble now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Putting the lights on was the first thing I tried, maybe it would work at night but in daylight the kph markings are in dark red and bloody useless. My van is the x250 one I think (14 Reg but older front end) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted July 24, 2015 Author Share Posted July 24, 2015 Well guys you got what I was going to talk about, sorry I did not get any further with the post but I was called away and I shut down not thinking the post would go through. Now to the point has anyone found a way of illuminating the speedo without having to switch the lights on. I was thinking along the lines of LED light or lights shielded from the drivers vision, any thoughts on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 If a ‘clock-face’-type of speedometer prioritises its mph marking (as is the norm for speedometers fitted to modern UK-marketed vehicles) its (obligatory) smaller kmh markings will inevitably be more difficult to read even in good daylight or if the speedometer is illuminated. It OUGHT to be possible to read the mph scale well enough in daylight without the speedometer being illuminated, though it used to be hard to read mph from Ford Transit speedometers - buried at the bottom of a deep well in the dashboard - let alone kmh. Vauxhall offered a ‘digital dashboard’ on certain models in the 1980s. It had a huge digital speed readout and the capability to be switched easily between miles and kilometres. I didn’t care for its garishness at the time, but the information it provided was easily assimilated and - given the choice - I’d now opt for a ‘switchable’ digital speed readout. I suspect that most motorcaravanners driving outside the UK use a sat-nav that can display kmh and (as Tracker said) a sat-nav’s clear digital display is much easier to read than a speedo’s small kmh markings. If its just kmh that’s a problem, it might be better to use a sat-nav instead, or have a secondary digital speedometer fitted as is commonly done with driving-instruction vehicles, or use an ‘app’. I’m not sure how advisable it would be fiddle about with a Ducato’s dashboard wiring so that its speedometer was illuminated without the vehicle’s lights being on (and, in any case, Charles advises that - even when the speedometer is lit - its kmh scale remains hard to read), but it should be practicable to shoehorn some LEDs into the instrument cluster so that they shine on the speedometer’s face. Best of luck - I wouldn’t bother as there are more attractive alternatives. A semi-related video-clip and perhaps a warning about DIY modifications... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Morning folks, On my previous x250 it was just about impossible to read the kph and when I got onto fiat about it they had no intentions of changing it and that was six years ago. I hoped they might have changed it with the van I bought 18 months ago, but no. Next year as I understand it you will be fined for speeding offences abroad. norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Of course speed cameras use the correct speed as a sat nav does and not the exaggerated on board speedometers' readings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Fit a Lockwood dial they have white kmh figures much easier to read £48 and only take 10 min to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 goldi - 2015-07-25 10:13 AM Morning folks, On my previous x250 it was just about impossible to read the kph and when I got onto fiat about it they had no intentions of changing it and that was six years ago. I hoped they might have changed it with the van I bought 18 months ago, but no. Next year as I understand it you will be fined for speeding offences abroad. norm We have had a number of the variants of Peugeot/Fiat cabs over the years and its seems that the readouts in KM have got progressively harder and harder to read...the X250 it totally impossible except at night when the lights are on. For some years now I have had Tomtom SatNavs, and the readout of actual speed in MPH or KmPH was extremely clear.....until the latest GO5000, where the figures are in white on a light grey background.....How one is supposed to read that I cannot but wonder! Having complained to TT about this, the reply is,' yes Mr Taylor, you are quite correct' ! I did ask if the designers ever actually test things in the real world rather than in an office bound room....as there are many other things the latest model does less well than my 3 year old one. did.....but other than them saying they would pass the comments to their designers, I got nowhere with the complaint... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 I am not concerned about reading the kph as I can automatically convert that in my head, its actually not being able to read the dial in certain circumstances bad light under trees etc. I have thought long and hard about this for a long time and not been able to come up with an answer. Thanks for all the replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Having just done 400 miles in a hired 2015 XLWB Peugeot, I can see what the problem is......or should that read "can't see" when under trees 8-) .................... I suspect its a problem exacerbated on RH drive vehicles as the speedo seem'd more affected than the rev counter, quite why they use an illuminated display to highlight MPG mileage and the clock, and plonk it in the centre is nonsensical to me, surely ones speed is the most important bit of info? :-S ......... In general though I found very little difference in driving experience, between the Jumbo Tranny I hired last year and the Sevel ;-) ............ Although being a lazy driver I've mastered the 6 speed gearbox........I just used 2nd 4th & 6th :D ...... In common with the Tranny rock hard seats and still only one armrest, so ended up driving one handed again *-) ........... But at least the radio worked B-) ............ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 David Dwight - 2015-07-25 9:31 PM I am not concerned about reading the kph as I can automatically convert that in my head, its actually not being able to read the dial in certain circumstances bad light under trees etc. I have thought long and hard about this for a long time and not been able to come up with an answer. Thanks for all the replies. Never had any problems withe last van which was RHD, but the new van is LHD I find it much harder to see it in poor light conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest frankie640 Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Bought one of these for my van and it's brilliant. Uses inbuilt GPS sensor for speed readout. http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/motorsport/speedometers/demon-tweeks-gps-digital-wireless-speedometer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I.m guessing your van must have a different speedo than our 2011 model, as I just went out and raised the cab blinds and can still see the MPH perfectly clearly, the KPH is not good, but I either use the TT or do the maths in my head, IIRC the first time I drove in France the car I used had no KPH marked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJP Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 There is a problem on the new 2015 X270 RHD cabs where LOTS of owners are complaining they cannot see the speedo most of the time due to black dials in a sunken dash. Putting the lights on helps in some cases but not all. It is a problem you need to report to Fix It Again Tomorrow (FIAT), but don't hold your breath for a fix. Sounds a bit like the clutch judder problem, but not as serious, unless of course you get done for speeding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spospe Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Transits Mk5, 6 and 7 are just as bad. In daylight, unless sunlight is falling on the instrument faces, the speedometer is almost invisible, sunk in a black pit. Why this should be and why the problem has persisted for so long, I cannot imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Been using a Citroen DS3 today( as the van is in for service habitation and mot) the speedo dial on that is great very clear in both mph and kph drove under some trees and the dial lighting increased, no the vehicle lights were not on. Why cant other manufacturers use some sense when designing things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 spospe - 2015-07-28 8:26 PM Transits Mk5, 6 and 7 are just as bad. In daylight, unless sunlight is falling on the instrument faces, the speedometer is almost invisible, sunk in a black pit. Why this should be and why the problem has persisted for so long, I cannot imagine. Compared to the 2015 X290 I hired over the weekend, a MK5 speedo is like the Blackpool Illuminations by comparison :D ................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Hi folks, personally , I find it difficult to read the speedo after having driven in very bright ambient daylight conditions, particularly heading south into the sunshine. Also, the speedo on my van is reading 5mph high , ie, travelling at 55mph on satnav, claims to be very nearly60 on speedo..is this a tolerable error, or is there a recalibration that can be done. on a side issue, I have found the the mileometer reading changes to the word SPEED when speedo goes over 60 mph and is accompanied by a warning high pitched alarm..is this a common feature on X250 based Fiat, or is mine a special setting or tweak???. I tend to beleive the satnav for speed, and copilot for early warnings.."this is a 30 limit, she says! Just to ensure I havent gone to sleep..!!! tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muswell Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 The law says a speedo must never read low but can read high by 10% plus 6.25mph. So you could be doing 55 with a speedo reading of 66.75. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.