Fiat and Alfa Romeo Stereo Change – Flashing display or mileage in instrument cluster ?

You would expect the replacement of a stereo in a vehicle to be fairly straightforward – that is until you are presented with an Alfa Romeo or Fiat vehicle…

Having replaced the stereo on a Fiat Ducato camper recently we came across an annoying problem in that the mileage (odometer) on the vehicle display kept on flashing.
Fiat and Alfa Romeo decided to indicate issues with the vehicle configuration by flashing the mileage or instrument cluster.
As the original stereo had been removed the Ducato camper was detecting that the stereo was no longer present. The same is true on an Alfa Romeo if you remove the Blue and Me module (or the stereo that this communicates with).

There are a couple of ways around the issue:
1. 1. Use a steering wheel interface that convinces the vehicle that the original stereo is still connected to the vehicle computer. We have 3 different interfaces that support this feature: CTSFA019.2   39-FIA-03 and 39-FIA-01

2. On an Alfa Romeo with Blue and Me we have a retention cable that means you can leave the unit in circuit when changing the stereo. Alternatively, JustCarKits can perform a proxy scan and then the Blue and Me module can be removed.

3. JustCarKits can perform a proxi scan to inform the vehicle that the module configuration has been changed and that the original stereo is no longer present

Any of the above solutions will resolve the issue of the flashing speedo

What is a “Proxi Scan” ?

This is a method used to re-configure the options fitted to a Fiat / Alfa / some Peugeot models.

Diagnostic software is used to scan the vehicle and determine the options fitted to the vehicle. Any elements removed from the data bus on the vehicle will generate an error in the ECU, which is why the odometer flashes. A Proxi scan can be used to reconfigure the peripherals connected to the ECU and correct this error.