Faulty dashboard lighting

[gatvol]

The illumination on my rev counter is much dimmer behind the "3" at the top compared to the other numbers. This is clearly visible both during the day and at night, regardless of the level of illumination I set.

Is this a fault please, or do others have the same issue? It is a 61 plate so still under warranty

If it is a fault, has anyone had this sort of thing fixed ? If so, was it a straightforward job or did the dealer inflict collateral damage, scratch things, dirt behind the glass, do you wish you had left well alone etc?

I once saw a merc sl that had been butchered by a repair shop when it removed the plastic glass in front of the instruments; and it has made me very wary of opening this part of a car up for minor warranty issues. There must be some honest, reliable garages out there, but I have seen many cowboys too.

 

[Stu]

If it is a fault then you'd need an entire new dash insert as the lights are SM LED's.

Not a huge job though. :cool

 

[Andy]

If it is a fault then you'd need an entire new dash insert as the lights are SM LED's.

Not a huge job though. :cool

Horrible things sm leds for that very reason, as are all sm components in my opinion. Horrible to unsolder & replace.

 

[gatvol]

Thanks for your help. It has been diagnosed and needs a new instrument cluster. BUT we're it not under warranty, I was told the part alone is c £500 . To my mind this is obscene when what we are doing here is fixing a bulb.

Whilst cali servicing costs seem reasonable to me, we could all be sitting on ticking time bombs in terms of replacement parts out of warranty. I am becoming an evangelist for low mileage mid 90s cars as you never get hit for bills like this unless a piston hits a valve

 

[Stu]

That's about what I'd expect for a dash insert. It carries the immobiliser too.

 

[beardie]

Thanks for your help. It has been diagnosed and needs a new instrument cluster. BUT we're it not under warranty, I was told the part alone is c £500 . To my mind this is obscene when what we are doing here is fixing a bulb.

Whilst cali servicing costs seem reasonable to me, we could all be sitting on ticking time bombs in terms of replacement parts out of warranty. I am becoming an evangelist for low mileage mid 90s cars as you never get hit for bills like this unless a piston hits a valve

At least you have the option to pass on the repair and save £500 plus fitting. Generally sm soldering is more reliable than other types. More likely is the environmentally kind lead free solder they have to use