Mysticcal, g'day from down under,
I own a '83 Touring Wagon Auto (TWA) which came from the factory with a digi-dash. (My first Subie, and I love it to bits)
I'm now on my 3rd digi-dash replacement. The original got fried at the second-hand car yard when I went to buy it two years ago. The car dealer said that the battery installed in the car was a bit low on voltage, but would be fine to drive away once the car started. So he hooks up a battery charger which has a 'jump start' feature. I told him that it wasn't necessary, as I had brought another charged battery with me. Well the dealer couldn't get the car started quick enough, before I got a chance to swap over the batteries. The end result, speedo readout display fried. Had my first experience about electronic devices needing special care when 'jump starting'. A perfect working digi-dash now slightly stuffed, before driving it out of the yard. One week later, the dash is completely dead when all displays go black. (Insert your favourite swear words here) !!
Frantic phone calls to wrecking yards around the near vincinity to home, helps me find another digi-dash. $250 is coughed up for the replacement. It expires after 2 months.
2nd replacement dash (another $250 coughed up) is put in, trip computer and fuel gauge displays go black after 3 months. :-\
3rd replacement dash is put in (that's right another $250), and the speedo display readout changes itself from kilometres per hour to miles per hour while driving along the highway ,and has remained that way for the past year and a half. Fuel readout display is also affected, showing a constant full tank. Rely now on the trip computer to tell me of fuel quantity left in the tank.
I'm not anymore going to give the Subaru wrecking yard I go to, another $250 for another dash. Subaru never released to my knowledge a circuitry diagram for the digi-dash. So trying to work out where the problem is in the dash, is pretty much a 'needle in the haystack' scenario. Keep in mind that the electronic components used in the dash are now over 20 years old. Some of those components may not exist nowadays.
Should any other display readouts go black in the digi-dash, I'm now looking at using electronic automotive kit modules (speed, fuel, tacho, temp) with digital displays from Tandy Electronics or similar electronic supply stores, to take their place.
When the digi-dash finally completely dies, I'm going to go to an analogue dash. Hopefully it will cost less than $750 (3 digi-dashes).
I love computers and digital displays, but if the technology is so old that it cannot be repaired. I just don't need the hassle that goes with it.
Mysticcal, I'm sorry if I sound that I'm dampening your enthusiasm about digi-dashes. But as others have said in this topic, if the electrics or electronics fail, you will be driving blind. And that for me, is my greatest fear about the dash. Not knowing what the car's vitals are doing ?? (speed, fuel, temp, oil)
