Dash lights (speedo etc)

[swright]

I went out in the turbo for the first time in the dark tonight only to find that the speedo pod lights are totally hopeless!! Is there any way of upgrading them or is it a problem with the lenses being old and burnt etc?


Cheers,
Stu

 

[Riverside]

Fairly common problem with the common cause being the three perspex prisms that direct light from the bulbs at the back of the pod to the front (under the pod, you'll need to remove it to see them).

They have a reflective coating which perishes & their ability to reflect the light diminishes so you need to restore that reflective surface somehow. I used tinfoil & sellotape. It can sometimes be worth changing the bulbs even if they still work, after 20-odd years they can dull a little.

You don't need to remove the steering wheel to get the instruments out but it's much easier if you do.

 

[swright]

Many thanks for the info mate. I thought it might be more than just crap bulbs. Il take the pod out and see whats what.

Cheers,
Stu

 

[944Turbo]

lots of info here http://www.porscheclubgbforum.com/tm.asp?m=299054

 

[poprock]

Aye, that thread's the place.

I highly recommend ditching the reflectors and bulbs and replacing them with one of the aftermarket LED kits. For a spend of £50""80 and half an hour's fitting time, you get vastly superior illumination.

 

[Suffolk944]

Yup I bought myself an LED kit and it looks great imho and not that expensive.

Got mine from here.

http://jageng.com/garage9/index.php?cPath=49_55&osCsid=75019b088026615496c08f386cb55173

 

[jackregan]

or you could just buy the factory surround with new lenses for about £80 - made a huge diffrence in mine and i can see the speedo at night now - but i think i was better off not knowing how fast i was going lol

 

[Fen]

Now that's a good solution. Personally I've always been lucky with my 944 illumination, but if I needed to improve it I'd be worried about the evenness of the cheaper LED options knowing how much effort Darren put into designing the Flamingeye kit to address that issue.

 

[swright]

ORIGINAL: jackregan

or you could just buy the factory surround with new lenses for about £80 - made a huge diffrence in mine and i can see the speedo at night now - but i think i was better off not knowing how fast i was going lol

Now that sounds like a plan. Many thanks for the info chaps[8D]

 

[lali]

ORIGINAL: jackregan

or you could just buy the factory surround with new lenses for about £80 - made a huge diffrence in mine and i can see the speedo at night now - but i think i was better off not knowing how fast i was going lol

I dont suppose you've got a part number for that??

 

[swright]

Bizarrely my dash backlights have tonight suddenly decided to become brighter!!

I have fiddled with the brightness control switch many times before but to no avail, the back light was always a dim almost orange glow. But tonight when i turned the lights on i noticed the pod and dash was lit up like a Christmas tree!! All the heater surround and vents and dash switches have suddenly sprouted lights and the speedo pod is very nice and bright indeed[8D]

The only noticeable thing that happened today was when i hit a nasty pothole[] Nearly shattered my teeth[][][] So im thinking that i must have had a loose connection on the dimmer switch that got reconnected as i drove over the grand canyon pot hole.

 

[Suffolk944]

Nope - Porsche in their wisdom decided that that row of identically shaped buttons should be shrouded in gloom whenever the sun goes down. Makes operating them a bit of an adventure..[&o]