Race Tech Dash2

[IanG]

In September on my way to Devon to enjoy a weekend of driving around,
On the Devon Dash
Wet on the Saturday

After a a good breakfast and trying to kill the assembled group
with some indoor drone flying . Thats another story .
Notice the Dash playing up all sort's of lights on,
No problem it must be damp it will soon dry out

IMG_5958 by Ian Granville, on Flickr

No chance still the same on Monday oh well
Made some interesting speeds over Dartmoor.

On returning home early Tuesday morning removed the Dash from the car to find
Rusty screws upon removing them I found this little mess.

IMG_5960 by Ian Granville, on Flickr

After a long chat to Ryan at race tech he informed me that the Dash was never meant to be
fitted to a open top car as it's not waterproof/water resistant.
(Strange for a car with no roof)
He informed me that they could repair it and make it waterproof shame it wasn't done when it was supplied.
You can't just send it in to be repaired you have to have a repair number and book it in

So off it went faulty LED's and the blue back light had failed.
Returned repaired and waterproof the only way to tell is they have fitted stainless steel screws now
and lots of clear silicone sealant.

IMG_6130 by Ian Granville, on Flickr

IMG_6135 by Ian Granville, on Flickr

IMG_6134 by Ian Granville, on Flickr

IMG_6133 by Ian Granville, on Flickr

Fitted and all working now

IMG_6563 by Ian Granville, on Flickr

Just a word of caution make sure you don't get the Dash wet when washing the car or leave it outside
as even a dew in the morning might lead to damp getting in
I hope the new 4's dash is waterproof as it looks awesome and expensive

[Peter255]

I remember this from the Devon Dash thread.

Glad you got it sorted.

Bit worrying what they said about the dash not being waterproof! Not ideal for an Atom.

As i said then my old analogue dash leaks a bit as well but so far its dried out without issue.

Glad i have the older dash now! I suspect over time as the rubber sealant fails with sunlight and heat etc this will become really common on later cars with this fitted.

Good point about the new dash. Looks nice, but complicated and costly.

[smokin]

I thought these were IP64, so splash resistant. Was it very, very wet on the (devon) dash (pun intended)?

[IanG]

Thanks Peter
Not what I expected but sorted now

Hi Smokin
Sad to see your car up for sale loved the rebuild thread
It was wet on the Saturday but no worse than any outher rainy day that I have used the car on.
Dash is not IP64 according to Race Tech it not splash proof.

[smokin]

Checking their website it appears it's the Dash2 Pro that's water resistent (IP64) and suitable for open top cars and bikes. https://www.race-technology.com/gb/raci ... /dash2-pro

I'm guessing then that the Ariel branded unit is the standard Dash2 which doesn't seem the right choice to me

Yes, I'll be sad too to see my car move to a new home

[Peter255]

Seems strange Ian's car has the Dash 2 which isn't even splash proof (confirmed by the manufacturer), yet there is a Dash 2 pro which is IP64 water resistant (which is an ideal level of assured protection).

Why does Ian's car have the wrong dash fitted? Has his car got the wrong one in error or is this a more worrying general issue. Surely it must be just Ian's car? What did the factory say Ian?

From the manufacturers site the pro version is £350 more to general public. Presumably that would be less for Ariel to buy a batch of them. Surely this can't be cost cutting. It seems mad to fit the dry usage only dash (to Ian Atom and maybe loads of others!) and just slap on some silicone when there is a specifically designed water resistant one for a few hundred pounds more. Doesn't really fit with the Ariel quality mantra. Maybe its wasn't available to begin with? There has to be a reason.

[IanG]

As a general reply, have spoken to Race Tech today, the Dash 2 was released in 2006
and the Dash 2 Pro was released in 2010/11 and my atom is a 2013.
Dash 2 is not
Waterproof
Water Resistant
Splashproof or
Damp Proof.

The Dash 2 Pro is standard IP rating 44 which is water resistant and for no extra cost
the Dash 2 Pro can have an IP rating of 65 which is water proof which is recommended
for motorbikes and vehicles open to the elements.

This could be looked at in 2 ways, a cost cutting exercise or lack of information!

[phil4]

Seems strange Ian's car has the Dash 2 which isn't even splash proof (confirmed by the manufacturer), yet there is a Dash 2 pro which is IP64 water resistant (which is an ideal level of assured protection).

Why does Ian's car have the wrong dash fitted? Has his car got the wrong one in error or is this a more worrying general issue. Surely it must be just Ian's car? What did the factory say Ian?

I'm pretty sure the 3.5 has the Dash 2 as standard. I know that at Le Mans a rainy night left me with an odd display the following morning... it clearly wasn't water resistant/proof enough. I recall a GPS Data logger, for just over £700 being offered, perhaps that included an upgrade to the Pro version?

[Peter255]

So all 3.5s (when did they first come out? from 2012?) have the wrong dash model fitted which is not even splash proof when the dash 2 pro which is certified as waterproof was available since 2010/11?

[phil4]

So all 3.5s (when did they first come out? from 2012?) have the wrong dash model fitted which is not even splash proof when the dash 2 pro which is certified as waterproof was available since 2010/11?

"Wrong" is subjective in this instance, but I do think something waterproof would have been a better idea. I notice on Race Tech's website they say: "The DASH2 is used in Ariel Atom vehicles, including the Atom V8, Nomad and Ace motorcycles". Ariel would of course know better, but looks like it's not just Atoms.

[Peter255]

And any blame for this apparent oversight must also lie with the supplier who are happily selling (and advertising the sale of) their components to be miss-used in the wrong environment!

Race tech know the limitations of the dash 2 model and moisture, yet advertise its use in wet situations.

[IanG]

Or a misunderstanding
From one side or the other. Not asking the Question or not being Asked
But if its fitted to the
Ariel range its not really fit for purpose as they are all open.

[Peter255]

From the pictures it does look like the same dash on Nomads and Aces.

The bike one is especially exposed!

[phil4]

I guess we have three options:

a. Send it to Race logic, for circa £85 they'll put some sealant around it, which may make it more waterproof for a while.

b. Buy a Pro 2 Dash, hope they're directly interchangeable, and foot an £850+VAT bill. On the plus side, it's got GPS built in now.

c. Avoid the rain and live with it.

[IanG]

I guess we have three options:

a. Send it to Race logic, for circa £85 they'll put some sealant around it, which may make it more waterproof for a while.

b. Buy a Pro 2 Dash, hope they're directly interchangeable, and foot an £850+VAT bill. On the plus side, it's got GPS built in now.

c. Avoid the rain and live with it.

According to Race Tech my dash is now totally waterproof
So option one sounds the best way forward
C is not a option as its as much Fun in the wet.

The only question is IMO is if they can make the Dash2 Pro waterproof as its the same outside case

Why was it never included on the Dash2 ? Did Ariel ask the question or was it down to COST