Difficulty reading odometer on new Transit

[joe99]

Hi all (first post)

I have recently taken delivery of a new Transit fitted out as a campervan.
It drives very nicely but one characteristic I find annoying is that if the road ahead is in bright sunshine but the car itself is in a shady spot, I find it impossible to read the odometer digits at a quick glance.

Does anybody else have this trouble? If so, have you worked out a solution?

I have thought of rigging up a small "key-ring" type torch to shine on the odometer or even resorting to using fibre optics, but before trying anything I thought I would enquire if anybody else has come up with a solution.

Thanks in advance
joe99

[BigNeil]

what happens when you click your side lights on ?



oh and welcome to the site

[joe99]

Thanks for the welcome

I have actually been driving around with the sidelights on, as it makes the speedo easier to read but unfortunately does not help with the odometer digits.

In my opinion the design of the instrument panel is probably the worst feature of the vehicle. A "binnacle" up on top of the dash would probably have been a more satisfactory approach rather than the dark and gloomy "cave". Also in my sitting position, the top of the minor gauges is obscured by the steering wheel which makes the panel less pleasant to look at.

joe99

[BigNeil]

do have a picture ?

[MrMPuk]

I do have to ask why you need to look at the odometer while driving?

[joe99]

Hi MrMPuk
As I mentioned, the vehicle is a campervan. The odometer is a useful navigation tool when travelling in unfamiliar parts of Australia where driving directions might be something like "Look for an unmarked road on the left 112k past Wilcannia"

joe99

[BigNeil]

ah we do not know you are from the other side of the world.

was the vehicle owned previously by a smoker ?
could the internal glass be needing replaced ?

[AndyG]

ah we do not know you are from the other side of the world.

was the vehicle owned previously by a smoker ?
could the internal glass be needing replaced ?

He says it's new

[BigNeil]

ah we do not know you are from the other side of the world.

was the vehicle owned previously by a smoker ?
could the internal glass be needing replaced ?

He says it's new

BUT my van was "new " when I got it ( new to me ) !!

[AndyG]

BUT my van was "new " when I got it ( new to me ) !!

I see what you mean

But the way it was worded, gives the impression that it's brand new

[MrMPuk]

If it's new and you can't see, I'd take it back!

[joe99]

Yes folks, the vehicle is brand new. I have just completed its "maiden voyage" from Sydney down the coast to Melbourne, along the "Great Ocean Road" and back to Sydney. Total distance about 2700k. The vehicle ran perfectly the whole way. Fuel consumption was 10.5 l/100k or about 27 mpg.

Under most conditions, the odometer is plainly visible. The difficulty arises under certain lighting conditions when the drivers eyes are adapted to a bright sunlit road ahead but the instrument panel is in shade.

I am still looking for ways to rig up some "auxiliary" lighting. One problem is that it is not obvious how to remove any of the plastic trim comprising the dash top, the instrument panel surround or the steering column surround. Is there a workshop manual available? When I asked at the nearest Ford dealership, I was told that there was no manual available and that in fact they could not even give me a vehicle circuit diagram as Ford keep this a secret. Is this really the case or are there "third party" manuals available?

joe99

[MrMPuk]

Yep, there are no manuals. You can access data on-line but it will cost you www.etis.ford.com

[Luke]

I have just completed its "maiden voyage" from Sydney down the coast to Melbourne, along the "Great Ocean Road" and back to Sydney. Total distance about 2700k.

that sounds nice

[joe99]

Yep, there are no manuals. You can access data on-line but it will cost you http://www.etis.ford.com

Thanks for the link but unfortunately it did not help much. I took the "Quick tour" which supposedly "demonstrates how the system operates and also shows sample documents" but I could not find any "sample documents" to judge whether or not whatever is available would suit my needs. Also under "FordService" I was told "FordService is not available for your selected Market (Australia)." (What exactly is "FordService" anyway?)

One of the reasons I purchased a Ford based camper was the assumption that parts and service would be less of a problem than with other brands such as Iveco and Renault which are not so well known in Australia. It is therefore rather disappointing to find that Ford's policies seem to be designed to make life so difficult for their customers. Or are all vehicle manufacturers much the same these days? Maybe I have been out of touch with the new vehicle market for too long. For a long time I owned a four wheel drive Jensen (total production about 300 cars) and even that had a pretty good workshop manual available. But then the company went out of business leaving their customers completely "high and dry". At least that is something that should not be too much of a worry with Ford.


joe99