Citroen 02 Xsara LS

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Wed 8 Feb 2006 10:21
Citroen 02 Xsara LS - rugbyman
Just bought a xsara estate and am wondering why the speedo dial is so dim. I have adjusted the brightness to max as per handbook yet I still cannot see the red KPH dial. As I use the car in France a lot this is a bit of a drawback.
Has a bulb blown? (the dial does light up though)
Has a bulb dislodged?
Is a low power bulb being used?
What can I do?
Any help would be appreciated.
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Wed 8 Feb 2006 11:08
Citroen 02 Xsara LS - circlip
Bulbs can dim with age, or if it is faulty and has higher resistance than it should have. I've had a string of Land Rovers, some over 30 yrs old, so I know. The only way to find out to to take the bulb out and inspect it. Check it is clean there is no discolouration inside the glass and that it the correct rating per the handbook. Remember that bulbs can be defective straight out of the packet. If all appears well, fit a known good one to see if there is any difference in appearence. If the same bulbs is used elsewhere in the console, swap them around. It may be that the bulb recommended by Citroen is too low a wattage. You could try a *slightly* higher rating but reware of it overheating and damaging the instrument console.
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Wed 8 Feb 2006 13:32
Citroen 02 Xsara LS - dereckr
I have a Xsara estate 2002 and the dial illumination seems fine.
There is likely to be more than one lamp here. It may simply be that one (or more) is blown. What's the mileage?
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Wed 8 Feb 2006 16:21
Citroen 02 Xsara LS - rugbyman
Mileage is 34000
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Thu 9 Feb 2006 08:14
Citroen 02 Xsara LS - dereckr
Just a follow up to my last post. I've had a closer look at the dial illumination on my Xsara (Hdi for reference). You may not have a fault. The imperial markings are large, white and well illuminated by the green backlight. In smaller type, are the metric markings in red. This combination results in poor legibility of the metric scale. I certainly wouldn't like to rely on them for continental driving.

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Thu 9 Feb 2006 09:53
Citroen 02 Xsara LS - rugbyman
If this is the case, does anyone have any suggestions for continental driving. An overlay perhaps?
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