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Dodgy Dashboard Indicator Electrics: MOT Failure?


lrnewbie

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Hi all,

I have a K reg. Disco 200tdi and have owned it for approximately a year. It came with a year's MOT but for as long as I can remember it's had a problem with dashboard indicator lights. All indicators work correctly, also the tow bar electrics work fine and the trailer lights come on as they should. However, the dashboard acts very erratically, it varies as follows when using the indicators:

1. Sometimes the trailer light comes on whether the trailers attached or not

2. Very rarely the actual indicator light comes on.

3. Mostly nothing comes on at all.

I loathe auto electrics and really have no idea where to start. I'm assuming it's not a fuse problem as the lights have come on before. I would have a go at guessing there's an earthing problem because of the on/off symptons but that's as much as I can work out by myself. Any ideas?

Most importantly I've got an MOT coming up, would it be an MOT failure?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

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it will be the flasher unit playing up. had the same on my old 200tdi, indicators worked fine, but the flasher light on the dash would only flash once.

the trailer light on the dash flashes once on all models - nothing to worry about there.

new relay will cure it, it's behind the fusebox cover under the column - bit of a pig to get at but certainly diy-able

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it will be the flasher unit playing up. had the same on my old 200tdi, indicators worked fine, but the flasher light on the dash would only flash once.

the trailer light on the dash flashes once on all models - nothing to worry about there.

new relay will cure it, it's behind the fusebox cover under the column - bit of a pig to get at but certainly diy-able

new relay will fix it.

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it will be the flasher unit playing up. had the same on my old 200tdi, indicators worked fine, but the flasher light on the dash would only flash once.

the trailer light on the dash flashes once on all models - nothing to worry about there.

new relay will cure it, it's behind the fusebox cover under the column - bit of a pig to get at but certainly diy-able

Great, thanks for the simple and quick response, got a quote of £17 from Paddocks so not the end of the world + I have small children with more nimble fingers than me so maybe access won't be so bad.....better remember to disconnect the battery first :huh:

Just out of curiosity does it constitute an MOT failure?

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When I bought my first Disco 200 it came with a new MOT. The fail sheet definitely had this same problem as a fail and the garage I bought it from had to fit a new relay to cure it to get the ticket.

Might be the case but they're definitely on different relays, my dash blinkers don't work but the audible click does. Which is making me think I could get away with it in theory but I've ordered the part so will change it anyway.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Audiable warning, for MOT: as long as there is a sound that is heard over the background noise of the engine it counts as an audiable warning, so if the relay can be heard then it does count! You could have a tick tock bell gong buzzer beep clang cuckoo clock alarm siren it don't matter, it dont matter what as long as you can hear it.

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That^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^is absolute rubbish. Are you saying that as long as you can hear a relay click, then dash lights are not necessary? So no hazard indicator, no direction indicator, no high beam indicator lights?

A relay clicking is not classed as an audible warning - one has to be fitted, so a buzzer/beeper, or similar.

Les.

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That^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^is absolute rubbish. Are you saying that as long as you can hear a relay click, then dash lights are not necessary? So no hazard indicator, no direction indicator, no high beam indicator lights?

A relay clicking is not classed as an audible warning - one has to be fitted, so a buzzer/beeper, or similar.

Les.

No he's saying "as long as there is a sound that is heard over the background noise of the engine it counts as an audiable warning "

and my disco and other vehicles I own or drive the only sound of an audiable warning is the tic tic of the flasher relay.

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Hi as for the audiable warning issue, I should say that I am a VOSA MOT trainer and just to be doubley sure I have had it confirmed that the statement that I made earlier in the thread is .......correct!

Hazard warning lights must have a flashing light indicating that both lamps are working, indicators do not need a flashing lamp but audiable or visual warning and my previous statement stands, did you know that if a on a vehicle you can see the indicators from the drivers seat then no warning device is required in the vehicle at all, I know that its a disco and you can't see the indicators from the drivers seat before you say anything, I'm just making a statement as the question originaly asked about flashing lights for MOT purposes.

Just wanted to set the record straight before this got well out of hand

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