Fix your Control Panel Display Problem?

[JohnEast]

I have just had my display repaired by Verotronics bv (from Eindhoven) at a cost of 133euros (plus postage to them), it worked correctly as soon as the electrical connectors were reinstated.
I had my display repaired by Verotronics because I was concerned that a new or refurbished unit might not quite be equivalent and need some interventions.
Completely satisfied with the repair, although it's only been reinstalled for a couple of days so I can't comment on the long term reliability.
My California is a 2009 T5.

Removing the central control panel was a struggle because the VW handbook didn't mention the 2 clips on the top side of the unit, it only mentioned those on the sides. I found out about these extra clips via this club, fortunately I had the time to track down the information; if I were trying to manually close the pop-up roof whilst away from home then I would have been "tearing my hair out".

 

[JimJ]

Just to add mine is not perfect, so we'll see how things go. At least it's usable now and I replace the control knob at the same time, as the inside was shattered.

 

[tvwanaka]

Another successful, at least part resurrection of a control panel. Got back about 70%, certainly enough to be workable. Thanks for the great post with pictures & advice.

 

[bernie]

Pulsar, you are clearly very competent. I am a little reluctant to try myself. Would you do mine please for £250?

 

[Pulsart]

Hi Bernie,
Thank you for your kind message, however I don’t have actually the time to fi this job.
There is a company in the Netherlands who fixes consoles for much less than 250£. Some people from the french forum t5calif.info have repaired their console there with success.
Verotronics bv
Miriam
Kruburg 13
5632 PG Eindhoven
Telefoon: 040 - 248 34 88
E-mail: info@verotronics.nl
Internet: www.verotronics.nl

Regards

 

[bernie]

Thanks alot

 

[PeterMVR]

I notice that Control Panel Display Failures are a recurring problem on this forum & the French forum I also watch.

Recently, somebody (Pulsart) on the French forum described a DIY repair & several others have now reported success with this method.
So if you have the problem & don't fancy spending several hundred pounds on a replacement, it may be worth a try. (At your own risk!)

The instructions are in French, but the pictures should be enough & you can always use G**gle Translate or such like.

http://www.t5calif.info/forum/viewtopic.php?p=63687#p63687

Scroll further down for continued instructions in a subsequent post and a similar repair by a recognized forum "expert" (Abilly).

The principle seems to be to use the screen frame to keep the ribbon contacts in good compression via solid & elastic spacers.
Although a soldering iron is shown at one point, the contacts ARE NOT RESOLDERED, just warmed to about 90°C & pressed down.

Please report here if this works (or not!) for you.

Note: this method does not involve cutting the connector ribbon, like a previously-posted method here:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-and-re-attach-LCD-Ribbon-from-a-PCB-/?ALLSTEPS

I have not tried either method myself (& don't have the problem yet...)

Hi There,
I've recently tried this repair, but without success. I managed to disassemble the control panel as instructed and apply the fix, but no improvement on the LCD display when reassembled. Still...probably worth a try given the price of a new control panel replacement...but, be warned, it is a slow and tedious job...took me the best part of a whole day's work (including a trip accross town to get a particular tool to open the screws on the printed circuit board).

 

[bernie]

Thanks. Saw this before but would prefer a professional to do it for me

 

[oldred]

My control panel slowly lost pixels from summer and by winter I think I had one line left..!
So in January I sent mine to Verotroniocs in Holland. Miriam sorted me out no trouble. 100% sucess with pixel count. Costs were 133euros + postage to them in Holland.
Send with confidence is my advice.

Phil.

 

[bernie]

Excuse my ineptitude, but I tried to remove the control unit. Is there a technique? There seem to be two catches at either end but not sure which to lever or press

 

[Freeley]

It's really tricky @bernie!
Took me quite a while to get our panel out, I took turns prising from the side and top ( there are tabs on both sides).

When I eventually got it out I snapped the pink clamping lock which holds the connector into the back of the panel which made life interesting when trying g to reconnect after the panel had been repaired.

I would also recommend veriotronics they fixed my screen and it's as good as new.

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

 

[bernie]

Thanks. Once I knew there were catches on the side it was easy. The manual's description is poor. It just says lever from the top

 

[bathurg]

Hi All, We've also had the gradual loss of pixels over the past few years until over this winter it was almost completely blank and I had to lower the roof by guess work. Decided it was time something needed to be done.

It was a little fiddly getting out to avoid breaking tabs but not as bad as removing a radio. I attempted the repair described by Pulsart (10/2015) at first but no joy - probably my lack of skill and not having quite the right bits. So I made contact with Verotronics and sent it to them. The joys of Brexit added some extra delay and costs (~2 weeks + €99 Dutch customs duty/vat/charges) on top of the usual €133 repair cost. It arrived home today, plugged back in and works beautifully.

Total turn-around time was about 3.5wks, almost all of that in transport and customs time. Miriam and the Verotronics team were excellent to deal with so are highly recommended.

I sent by Royal Mail International track and signed which had the £250 insurance cover and stated the value on the customs declaration was £300 and was "Electronics for Repair". It was returned marked as a "Gift" and €133 repair cost declared so not sure if my stated value triggered the customs inspection in the Netherlands or not, or if that's just life these days. Either way it all went smoothly in the end and I'm posting this to set anyone else's nerves at rest if you're in the same situation.