500 Dashboard/Speedo backlight illumination failure - Help!

[Gingersam88]

Hello fellow Fiat drivers!

I am new here, so firstly hello everyone, and secondly please don’t shout at me if this is in the wrong place!

My much loved 2010 ‘60’ plate Fiat 500 1.2 Sport (yellow with those chequered side stripes and roof) is poorly, and after a extensive Google search, I can’t find any advice!

For the last few months the speedometer illumination automatic sensor system used to brighten the speedo (when say you drive under a bridge without headlights) decided to become intermittent and then die meaning the speedo would only light up when the headlights are on. Now, with just 3 days until my MOT, the speedo illumintation will not light up at all, even with the headlights on – which could mean a MOT failure All other warning lights, incidators, clock, fuel/temp gauge etc work perfectly fine. It is just the illumination feature behind the speedo and rev dials that don’t work.

I took the car to Fiat today for an inspection. The technician took it into the garage, then came out to ask what was wrong because the backlight was working (cheers car for making me look like a fool), but it could indicate a “dashboard cluster failure”. I drove it away and once again the illumination was not working! As I raised my hand ready to give the dashboard a smack out of annoyance for making me look crazy, I noticed that it began to glow again, meaning that the auto brighten sensor thing may have started working again?! :bang:

Fiat gave me a quote for a new dashboard cluster... an eye watering £750!
What I would like advice on is:
Does anyone have any experiences and solutions to the speedo backlight not working?
Are there bulbs behind the dials that may have blown and can easily be replaced rather than needing a whole new cluster? Could it be a fuse that I’ve missed?
Is it actually likely to be the dashboard cluster, and is £750 really how much it costs to fix?

Whatever the issue is, my MOT is very soon so I can only pray that the garage is dark enough to trigger the sensor into action giving me more time to sort it out!

I would really appreciate any advice as my much loved car is stressing me out. It was only 2 months ago that an idiot driver ploughed into the back of a van at 30mph causing the van to smack into the back of me while I was stationary, causing damage to the rear and knocking the car out with warning messages for ABS, airbags and power steering whilst giving me concussion and a sore neck!

Thanks in advance, I’ve heard you are a good bunch of people

 

[John202020]

I'm relatively new but I think that combination of warning lights can be caused by the hatch wiring issue probably compounded by you recent rear end shunt.
Try looking there first, the wires that go through the rubber flexible. As far as I know dashboard illumination is not checked on the mot but could be wrong. If all turns out ok then I would look at the speedo cluster but not all lost I would just bypass the auto light function so it's alway on or always on with headlights, some electricAl knowledge would be required to do so.
Does the milometer back light work?

 

[Pathaleon]

Could always buy a cluster on eBay, PROXI align and set the mileage on MultiECUScan.

Would cost about £100 rather than the ridicule amount quoted by FIAT!

It's very simple to fit and you could even retrofit the TFT should you wish.

 

[gazz_bee]

Hello fellow Fiat drivers!

Does anyone have any experiences and solutions to the speedo backlight not working?
Are there bulbs behind the dials that may have blown and can easily be replaced rather than needing a whole new cluster? Could it be a fuse that I’ve missed?

The fact that it works sometimes may just be that the outdoors ambient light level isn't low enough for the sensor to react - it's not a particularly sophisticated system.

Post 32 here https://www.fiatforum.com/500/212478-dash-lights-do-they-have-sensor-3.html?p=2397166 shows where the light sensor is.

In daylight, if you cover the area around the sensor, does the speedometer illuminate? Equally, if you shine a torch at the sensor, does the backlight go off? If so, all is well.

 

[typecastboy]

Get a replacement on eBay. The prices vary depending on what mileage is on them. Multi Ecu scan will adjust mileage up but not down. You can fit a new one in half an hour.