Changing a Xantia speedo

SimonT · Post by **SimonT** » 18 Feb 2007, 22:45

The electronic speedo on my Xantia is faulty and I need to replace it. Can anyone tell me how I stand for the recorded mileage when I change it for another that will obviously show a different mileage. Is there any legal notifications I need to make to the DVLA for example?
Cheers.
Simon.

Post by **RichardW** » 19 Feb 2007, 09:35

It's not illegal to change a speedo, nor in fact to change the mileage on the existing one - what is illegal is to knowingly misrepresent the mileage at time of sale. So all you need do is keep a record of the previous mileage, and the mileage on the 'new' speedo, so you can work out the real mileage if you come to sell. Or just ignore it, and put 'mileage incorrect' in the advert

Post by **Peter.N.** » 19 Feb 2007, 11:08

Are you sure it is the speedo and not the sensor?

davethewheel · Post by **davethewheel** » 19 Feb 2007, 11:21

never heard of a speedo packing in, like peter has suggested are you sure it's not the sensor, xantia's has a electronic sensor to detect the speed and it's not uncommon for these to pack up.

SimonT · Post by **SimonT** » 19 Feb 2007, 18:27

davethewheel wrote:never heard of a speedo packing in, like peter has suggested are you sure it's not the sensor, xantia's has a electronic sensor to detect the speed and it's not uncommon for these to pack up.

Yeah it was the speedo, it used to show 50 mph whatever speed I did (except zero lol). The sensor is fine as the mileage was going up as it should.
Changed it today with one from the local scrap yard and it's all ok, great to see what speed you're doing, very novel from my point of view

If anyone has had the same 50mph prob, now I've removed it I can see that the needle moves very differently from the working one. If you gently blow breath on the needle it moves smoothly and returns slowly on the good one but flies back to zero with no dampening effect on the bad one, so guess it's a mechanical fault that occurs now and again.

dnsey · Post by **dnsey** » 19 Feb 2007, 18:49

I believe that the usual (legitimate) procedure is to write the old mileage on the back of the new speedo, together with the date of replacement. If a second-hand unit is fitted, the original mileage of that will, of course, be included.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 19 Feb 2007, 20:47

Well, You learn something new every day!

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 20 Feb 2007, 11:37

Out of interest, do people use electric drills on the speedo to match the new odometer with the old one?

Post by **Peter.N.** » 20 Feb 2007, 12:51

Doesn't work with electronic ones I'm afraid, nothing to connect the drill to!

Post by **RichardW** » 20 Feb 2007, 13:01

That's an urban myth anyway - you just click the numbers round with your thumb.... Digitial ones are even easier to change. Plug in laptop, what would you like it read 8) Although I saw an advert recently (might have been Citroen?) which claimed tamperproof digital odo.