Hello all,

I have a 03 xtype and as I am driving down the highway (which is the only time I notcie this) My dash screen (temp stuff, etc) flickers very quickly. My headlights do not. It is very random and not often. WHat could be the issue.

It happens so fast that I thought I was imagining it, but I was not.

ANY HELP or ADVICE would be appreciated asap, as I am driving 950 miles on friday.


03 xtype 85,000 Quartz

 

Quartz, if your steering wheel, instrument cluster and radio are all flashing, then your most likely suspect is the dimmer control in the headlight switch assembly. Unfortunately, you will have to replace that unit (please note, there are 3 different versions of the headlight switch, so, get the correct one). If it is only the one piece doing anything, then it is a wiring issue between the dimmer switch and the area that is flickering. If it is just the one part flickering, do not forget to check the ground wire too as all the lights for a given component use a common ground wire.

Have you been in the dash recently to do some work? That would be the area most likely to have the problem in it.

 

My X Type (and many others!) also suffers from this - and always has!! You'll probably find that if you turn the dash illumination either right up or right down, the flickering will stop.
That would suggest a fault with the dimmer unit, but as it's only the centre console lighting (and instrument cluster in RHD cars) that are affected (I assume that's what you mean by 'temp stuff, etc') and they and all the other unaffected dimmable lights come off a single supply from the dimmer unit, that doesn't add up.
That would suggest that it could be an earth/ground problem as the units in the centre console (and instrument cluster in RHD cars) share an earth/ground point. The trouble with that, is that that point is right up behind the dash assembly and difficult to get at.

I'm (almost!) embarrassed to say I've just learned to live with it