BERLIN: Modern cars tend to keep their engine and running system vitals very much to themselves. Apart from a tachometer, which measures the number of engine revolutions, and a water-temperature gauge, most car fascias reveal little of how the drivetrain is performing.
Modern cars are usually fitted with plenty of warning lights, but by the time some of these illuminate, the damage has often been done.
The red "check engine" light is a real beacon of bad news.
It flickers on for anything from a snapped fan-belt — easy to replace — through to a broken timing chain which could spell the death knell for a motor.
When this happens, most handbooks advise the driver to make a beeline for the nearest dealer for an analysis and often expensive repair.
Aftermarket instruments can improve on that by showing whether systems are working properly in real time. Learning to read them properly can also reduce repair bills.
A lot of the gauges on the market go back to car racing, where the driver needs to have all the vitals in view to prevent meltdown.
"Performance drivers need to keep an eye on all of the vital readings," said Harald Schmidtke of Germany's VDAT car tuning federation. Car drivers who enjoy getting the maximum from their vehicles can add these functions by fitting extra instruments.
A smartphone displays running data from an engine obtained from the OBD interface. — dpa
These can either be incorporated into the dashboard, console or A-pillar or else the readings can be shown on a smartphone display. Instrument nacelles which fix to the top of the fascia are also available.
"Naturally, modern engine electronics do monitor a whole range of processes going on in the vehicle," said Schmidkte. It's just that carmakers do not consider it necessary to inform the driver during a journey.
By connecting a laptop to the onboard computer interface of a stationary car, known as an OBD, a mechanic can scan the motor and anciliary systems for error codes which show that something is awry.
The scan will highlight glitches in oil pressure or temperature, check battery status and whether a turbocharger is spinning properly.
OBD was introduced in the 1990s and has been standard for petrol engines since 2001 and for diesels from 2004, so only older cars will not have it.
Unfortunately code scanners are not usable when a vehicle is out on the highways. This is where additional instruments come in.
Custom gauges used to be all the rage for souped-up and muscle cars but they have gone out of fashion in recent years.
"The classic round gauges such as those showing oil temperature and pressure are usually only found in motor sport these days," said Gunnar Beer, a technical expert from the Auto Club Europa (ACE).
Many catastrophic engine failures could be avoided by glancing at clusters of accurate instruments and stopping the engine in time.
Older drivers will recall that even a slight drop in engine oil pressure is a tell-tale sign that fresh lubricant — the lifeblood of every engine — is needed or that something more is amiss.
By reducing speed and stopping the engine quickly, damage can be prevented.
For those who do not want the dashboard festooned with extra clocks, there are gauge face kits which fasten directly on top of the ex-works instrument panel. The overlays are very thin so they do not get in the way of the existing needles.
The kits are available in plastic, polished stainless steel or thermoplastic to match existing displays.
"A temperature gauge for water and oil is a good idea since modern engines work better when they are warmed up slowly," said Beer.
Manufacturer-installed thermometers only show when the coolant water reaches operating temperature, not the heat of lubricating oil.
"If the oil temperature is under 50 degrees centigrade, a car should not be pushed hard," said the expert.
Installing extra instruments should be left to a workshop, although the ones that perch atop the dash are easier to fit.
Fitting a gauge face kit is more involved, since the dashboard will need to e dismantled and the instrument cluster removed to mount the new overlay. This can take hours and is not a task for beginners.
Smartphone apps which check up on vehicle functions are becoming popular. These use the OBD interface, which was not designed to be tapped while the vehicle is moving. Experts are wary of such apps, since they use an adaptor designed for diagnosis or vehicle testing.
Firms which make these adaptors warn that using these permanently will void a vehicle warranty.
