[paddy]

I looked around but couldnt find anyone mentioning this!
its one of the first things i did when i got my 2005 cmax.. its a cool lil trick.
putting your car into test mode
with the key out. push and keep hold of the reset button on the indicator arm. put key in and start car still keeping hold of the reset button. after a couple of seconds. the display in the centre of your dash will display test mode.
let go of the reset button. and the car will do a guage sweep (all the dials will go to maximum then reset)
then pushing the reset button cycles through the different modes.
just pushing it does a few things like led test (all lights on dash light up) and pushing it a few more times will get you a "road speed" which is an awsome digital speedo! really responsive. and you can tell how much your actual speedo is out by on the higher speeds (50+)
pushing a few more times will give you a digital rev counter.
then pushing more just displays random rubbish. its safe to use you cant change anything in it. and to put your car back to normal just turn the engine off and take the key out.

hope you all have fun with the new digital speedo you didnt know you had
Edited by: paddy

 

[2ndtimer]

Cool! I wonder if it still works on the 'new' model?

 

[paddy]

i should imagine so. the dash is the same on the new one..
it even works on focus's and ka's
i'll find out about the new one on thursday when i get mine

 

[paddy]

yep it works on the new ones too

 

[R7BKR]

Gotta try this out......

 

[tonyweb]

Looks like fun, think I will give it a go

 

[mjshort79]

yeh its great i messed with it once i left the speedo on the little display on the cluster and got so chuffed i had a digital speedo i neally hit a bus looking at it.

 

[R7BKR]

I played with this earlier and it's great

Oooooh bright lights.... I luv bright lights

Oh I'm soooo easily pleased.

Need to check out the digital speedo at the weekend though.

Edited by: R7BKR

 

[Flipside]

That sound wicked, must give it a go, Does the digital speedo stay permantly or do you have to select it every time before you set off ?

Going to try it this weekend

 

[R7BKR]

It resets everytime you take the key out.

Just press the reset button and it scrolls through the list and when you get to the "Road Speed" stop and leave it there.

You can look at the road in MPH or KPH, which is probably good if you take the car abroad.

Edited by: R7BKR

 

[Flipside]

great thanks, going to try it tomorrow

 

[mjshort79]

Just dont get to excited with it like I did and neally kill yourself by looking at it and not the bus that may be coming the other way

 

[MetalMicky08]

I set up test mode before the wife went out shopping

.Ten mins later I got hysterical phone call saying dash was not how it should be ie digital speedo.I`ll take it to ford she says,NOOOOOOOO I did it.She`s home now

 

[R7BKR]

Women

don't you just love them......

At least your wife noticed, I don't think mine would have.

 

[lawe]

Yep, the test mode is very good.
Like you Roy, I enjoy all the lights and the sweeping of the needles.. small things as the wife's would say

 

[CDORISMAX]

I have tried this. Loads of meaningless numbers and readings relating to ecu things, I guess.
However, the digital speedo is interesting. It is way out. i.e. Dial speed 50 mph. digital indication of 47mph. Which is correct? ( I don't, and never will, have a pratt nav. but might borrow one to check speed.)
I have more faith in the dial as often sit in the inside lane of our motorways with trucks which are limited to 56 mph. The speedo seems right then. does the 17" wheel make a difference?
as i said, interesting!

 

[R7BKR]

There is a 10% tolerence given by MOST police anyway. So I would say that you can trust the dails. I would also trust the dials more anyway as they show you are only going slightly faster (if that makes sense).

17" wheels shouldn't make a difference as the circumference of the wheels should be the same whether you're running 16", 17" or 18's as the profile on the tyre is lower the bigger diameter wheels you have.

I think 16's have a 55 profile the 17's a 50 and the 18s a 45.

I hope that helps.

 

[Flipside]

Tried this at the weekend, like said lots of meaningless stuff but nice to know about

 

[dkmulvey]

However, the digital speedo is interesting. It is way out. i.e. Dial speed 50 mph. digital indication of 47mph. Which is correct? ( I don't, and never will, have a pratt nav. but might borrow one to check speed.)

I have more faith in the dial as often sit in the inside lane of our motorways with trucks which are limited to 56 mph. The speedo seems right then. does the 17" wheel make a difference?

As R7BKR says, there's 10% tolorence on the speedo dial...

Speedometers are not totally accurate, and most speedometers have tolerances of some 10% plus or minus due to wear on tires as it occurs. Additional sources of error are tire diameter variations due to temperature, pressure, vehicle load, and nominal tire size....

...As with the UNECE regulation and the EC Directives, the speedometer must never show an indicated speed less than the actual speed. However it differs slightly from them in specifying that for all actual speeds between 25 mph and 70 mph (or the vehicles' maximum speed if it is lower that this), the indicated speed must not exceed 110% of the actual speed, plus 6.25 mph.

In other words, to account for variations in wheel diameter, allied to the fact that it's illegal to under-report speeds but not over-report (to a point), the analogue speedo displays a slightly faster speed.

So you'll probably find the digital speedo is more accurate than the analogue one, although there is a chance that it may under-report your speed by a small amount.

I think the only way to know your speed for sure is to get a pratt nav. Either that, or drive over the speed limit past a Gatso, making a note of your speed, and comparing that with the speeding ticket!

 

[Wiggy]

Don't fall into the trap like I did this morning.
Had the C-Max serviced for the first time last Thursday. Over the weekend I played around with the test mode.


Be warned if you happen to switch the engine off at the wrong point, maybe I was still pressing the button, it may stick in test mode as mine was this morning!

I drove to work with the dashboard lit up like a Christmas Tree!

So..... on the phone to the dealer to give them a rocket for screwing the dash.

First question they asked, "You've not been playing around with the test mode that's been talked about on the User's Forum have you?"

Red facedor what!!

To reset it all I had to do was enter into test mode, page through all the available displays, release the button, switch the engine offand hey presto, back to normal!!!!Edited by: Wiggy