Laraine Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 We have just taken delivery of the above Motorhome and have a question for any other ADRIA Twin 500S owner’s . Does anyone else find great difficulty in reading the speedometer ( without having the dipped headlights on) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 It isn't just a problem with your model of campervan, many owners of the same base vehicle complain of the same, I'm guessing yours isn't the latest reg as IIRC they now illuminate the dash with just the ignition on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted November 30, 2021 Share Posted November 30, 2021 Good evening, Yes they are all the same up to about 2015 I use the sat navigation for speed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeco Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Hi, it is a Fiat issue not an Adria issue. There is a free computer upgrade that sets the instrument lights to illuminate when the ignition is turned on. Even with the lights on the speedo is still difficult to read accurately. My solution is to use my Tom Tom sat nav for speed indication. Enjoy you new van. cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 I believe these people offer a fix https://cartronix.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 It would be useful to know the year of your 'van. As has already been covered, the instruments on certain Ducatos can be difficult to read in daylight (depending on conditions). A factory change led to later models having the instrument lighting enabled permanently (with ignition on) rather than only with the external lights illuminated. This certainly helped (I can live with mine so factory-modified) but is still less than perfect. The lighting modification was offered as a (dealer-enabled) retrospective software update on certain models, and it was free on request. If you are concerned, it would probably be worth approaching a Fiat Professional dealer to see if it is possible on your vehicle (VIN number probably required), and if so, what would be the charge if any. The alternative would be to pursue the above via Fiat (Camper) Customer Services, who have (reputedly) authorised such free upgrades. Should that not be possible, then it might be worthwhile investigating: https://lockwoodinternational.co.uk/product/ducato-boxer-rambler-relay-daily-hymer-motorhome-part-no-8329/ ...but pay particular attention to the overlay containing every warning light you currently have on your vehicle (I don't think additional ones on the overlay would be a problem, but Lockwood should be able to advise) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 Difficulty reading the speedometer of RHD Fiat Ducato vehicles built from mid-2014 onwards ('X290' models) was widely complained about 6 years ago. These 2015/2016 forum threads refer https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Reading-speedo-in-dull-conditions-/38945/ https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/fiat-dashboard-lighting-/45838/ The official Fiat 'fix' for X290 Ducatos involved the vehicle's software being tweaked so that the dashboard lighting automatically illuminated when the ignition-switch was turned on, and (as far as I'm aware) this software revision could only be carried out by a Fiat Professional agent (at no cost to the vehicle's owner). There had been similar (though less vociferous) complaints relating to the previous Ducato ('X250' models) but - to the best of my knowledge - the free software revision is not available for those vehicles. As Robinhood has said, white instrument dials are marketed for certain Ducatos and these should help. DIY suggestions have included fitting a digital additional speedometer, fitting a head-up-display, using silver foil to 'bounce' more light into the instrument cluster, using the speed display of a sat-nav, and adding supplementary lighting. I've used the last two approaches and the 1st photo attached below shows the effect of the extra light provided by a LED strip nestling invisibly under the top of the cover above the instruments. Of course, however well lit the Ducato speedometer is, actually READING the inner speedometer scale (ie. the km/h scale on UK-norm Ducatos) will be impracticable as the scale is too small - which is why I use the large digital speed display of an old Garmin sat-nav when driving outside the UK as the display can easily be switched between mph and km/h. The 2nd image below shows the instrument display available on the very latest Ducato. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddy Posted December 1, 2021 Share Posted December 1, 2021 I fitted the white Lockwood dial faces that have been mentioned and found that they worked well with clear fitting instructions supplied with them . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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