Rotary knob on control panel

[andyinluton]

mine has skipped from brand new, seems actually to be getting better with more use - another 2 years of warranty to go so unless it becomes unusable I will live with it for now & see about getting it replaced just before the warranty expires

 

[michaelj70]

Sorry not been following this thread closely enough... Where and from whom can I order a new replacement knob ?

 

[andyinluton]

Sorry michaelj70 I Can't tell you that until you fill in your vehicle details in your profile!!

 

[Hotel California]

Posting this here with a Q to. @Pulsart
As the topic has become a closed sticky....
http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/fix-your-control-panel-display-problem.11151/
One of your added pics shows the front of the display ....
What is that protection arround the display ?
Did you made it yourself?
Looks intresting
Hope he reads this as the other topic got a lock on it....

 

[glyndot]

Just wanted to add my huge thanks to the Club for the advice, spare knob and fitting instructions. It's SO satisfying to not give VW £700 and DIY!

 

[Pulsart]

Posting this here with a Q to. @Pulsart
As the topic has become a closed sticky....
http://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/fix-your-control-panel-display-problem.11151/
One of your added pics shows the front of the display ....
What is that protection arround the display ?
Did you made it yourself?
Looks intresting
Hope he reads this as the other topic got a lock on it....

The thread is not locked anymore...
Yes, I designed this protection myself and printed it in 3D through a professional company. It is in black coloured plastic, but can be printed in white, blue, red, yellow, green, purple and orange .
This protection is a very good way to protect the knob...
I was in Sardinia for two weeks and it saved the life of my control panel twice of my girlfriend's head...

It is still a prototype, but fits perfectly the control panel. It is stuck to it using a very strong double sided tape and does not move at all.
If enough people are interested, I may produce a small batch. As it is 3D printed, it is not possible to produce lots of pieces and I have not planed yet to do this commercially...

 

[aponting389]

Hi if you PayPal £19.99 to admin@vwcaliforniaclub.com I will send you a replacement knob
With instructions on how to replace it

Hi Calikev, is this still available? I have a broken knob(!) and don't fancy forking out £700!!!

Alex

 

[Martin]

These are sold in club shop, fitting instructions also available .

Sent using Tapatalk

 

[aponting389]

Thanks, ordered one.

 

[michaelj70]

Sorry michaelj70 I Can't tell you that until you fill in your vehicle details in your profile!!

Done it !!!!!! ;-)

 

[michaelj70]

Done it !!!!!! ;-)

Can I still order a replacement and fitting instructions ?

 

[Hotel California]

Can I still order a replacement and fitting instructions ?

Guess you need to become a VIP member.

 

[michaelj70]

Guess you need to become a VIP member.

Thanks ... I am in Luxembourg at the moment Not so far from you

 

[michaelj70]

Guess you need to become a VIP member.

Done that too

 

[RichardP]

Just fitted the replacement button from the forum shop after the spline on the original button broke despite being exceedingly careful with it and it not getting much use. The original button is so fragile it's a question of when it brakes not if.

The job took me less than 10 minutes in total, I'm used to taking apart this type of stuff. Just out of interest I asked for a quote for replacing and fitting the part from the nearest VW Van Centre, the answer was that the part is £606.98 + VAT and fitting would be £95.00 + VAT, so a total of £842.38!!! So, after upgrading my forum membership for £12.99 and buying the knob for £22.99, I've saved £806.40.

We would all be so much poorer without this forum!

 

[Richard Teale]

As far as I know (and I've read what I can), we are still unclear what is the root cause of this 'skipping'. The other faults (broken splines and faulty display) seem better understood. Can anyone explain a theory why they skip, and what the prognosis is in the short / long term?

Is your control panel menu still skipping or does the problem appear to have gone away? I have a theory as I was convinced that I had the same problem - now I'm not sure if it was all in my head.

I think it is the rather counter intuitive menu and the way it interacts with the rotary control (selector knob) that is at the heart of this. When I turn the knob clockwise I expect the highlighted menu bar to move down the display and conversely when I turn it anticlockwise I expect it to move up. In reality the highlight bar does not move but instead the menu items in the list scroll up or down behind the highlighted bar. Following me? Once you think about it in those terms it all works without any perceived skipping of menu items.

When another forum member has suggested that their control panel did this from new but appears to be getting better, is this because the user is becoming accustomed to the way the user interface is designed??

Further, I know these units are flaky to put it mildly as I've recently had to replace one myself (eBay and DIY) but it is worth noting that the operation of both the 4 switches around the display panel and the select (press) operation of the rotary control itself can all be fine tuned by adjusting the tightness of the screws that secure the front bezel to the circuit board behind. I don't speak Spanish as such but I inferred as much from the YouTube video below:

Hope that's useful to someone

 

[2into1]

I sold on my T5 with the 'skipping' display (to someone on here). I follow your logic but don't think it explains the behaviour this one (and I believe others) had. You'd line up the option you wanted, remove your hand, and whilst you readied your finger to push, it would move on to a different option.

 

[Richard Teale]

Given the number of threads and posts on the subject of the California's central control panel I very much doubt whether my theory explains many incidences of control knob malfunction #T4WFA, but on first use the way the menu scrolls certainly seemed counter intuitive to me and indeed for a while I was convinced that the unit was skipping menu items. Agree however if the menu jitters without even touching the unit then it sounds more like an electro-mechanical fault.

It strikes me from my own experience and from reading just about every thread on the subject that there are three things you can try to remedy an errant unit (depending on the fault):

1) You can replace the knob if it is physically damaged and no longer grips the spline of the circuit board behind;
2) You can adjust the tolerance between the buttons and knob on the fascia by adjusting the tension in the torx screws that hold the fascia onto the circuit board behind;
3) And you might be able to clear certain fault conditions by completely disconnecting the unit (three connectors - not sure which of the three is key here, so all three to be sure).

The bottom line is that these units are the Achilles heel of an otherwise brilliant vehicle.

 

[slw1980]

Mine broke too, so add me to the list.
I've been using it without the grey know for about 18months now - just stick my finger in and turn it using my nail

How did you get the knob off in the first place? Just pull it off or take apart the whole control system?

 

[Hotel California]

How did you get the knob off in the first place? Just pull it off or take apart the whole control system?

Euh ....there's a video just a few posts above on how to ...
And info in the downloadsection .
It not just pulls off .

 

[lkk6783]