Fords, Dash illumination (lights OFF) stupid design
Discussion
Something which I personally think is a bit of a safety issue and a cr@p piece of design.
One of the things I've noticed on my ST is that, all the binnacle illuminations come on the moment you switch on the ignition, regardless of whether you have your Sidelights/Headlights on or off. This has caught me out once.
Just after buying the car I was coming out of a well lit multi storey carpark (at night), out onto a main road (which was reasonably lit).
I then noticed a car coming in the opposite direction flashing me. I then twigged I had been driving without my lights on!! On a well lit road you tend not to notice your lights being off.
Unless you hit a darker piece of road, the only give away is a small tell-tale light on the binnacle and the fact that the Turbo/oil gauge pod in the center of the dash was not illuminated. The main binnacle was fully illumintaed, giving the impression that your lights were on.
Last night coming out of work (again a reasonably well lit car park)was a new shape Fiesta, with it's lights off. I could see that the dash was fully illuminated, giving the driver the impression that the lights were on. It went out of the car park still with it's lights off.
My Brother's 06 Focus ST does not have this feature, but Ford seem to have applied this to the New Focus and Fiesta.
I can see no practical use for it, and only misleads the driver into thinking his lights are on!!
I can imagine this will catch a few people out.
One of the things I've noticed on my ST is that, all the binnacle illuminations come on the moment you switch on the ignition, regardless of whether you have your Sidelights/Headlights on or off. This has caught me out once.
Just after buying the car I was coming out of a well lit multi storey carpark (at night), out onto a main road (which was reasonably lit).
I then noticed a car coming in the opposite direction flashing me. I then twigged I had been driving without my lights on!! On a well lit road you tend not to notice your lights being off.
Unless you hit a darker piece of road, the only give away is a small tell-tale light on the binnacle and the fact that the Turbo/oil gauge pod in the center of the dash was not illuminated. The main binnacle was fully illumintaed, giving the impression that your lights were on.
Last night coming out of work (again a reasonably well lit car park)was a new shape Fiesta, with it's lights off. I could see that the dash was fully illuminated, giving the driver the impression that the lights were on. It went out of the car park still with it's lights off.
My Brother's 06 Focus ST does not have this feature, but Ford seem to have applied this to the New Focus and Fiesta.
I can see no practical use for it, and only misleads the driver into thinking his lights are on!!
I can imagine this will catch a few people out.
thats quite worrying let alone annoying there must be a way to get this sorted so they only come on when you switch on the lights or does the dash need illuminating all the time?
Never driven one but sat in one and the dials seem visible without the need for lighting seems a strange set up has anyone else had the above happen to them?
Never driven one but sat in one and the dials seem visible without the need for lighting seems a strange set up has anyone else had the above happen to them?
So you don't have this option...?
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