Has anyone ever seen this problem? I took out the gauge, which was a pain in the ass because sedans are more upright and make the gauge cluster removal an acrobatic experience. The three clear bulbs that light up the speedo and tach light up fine. There doesn't seem to be any obstructions in the overlay screen either. One day, I turned the car on and found my speedo to have a dim spot that i know was not pre-existing. Any experience or suggestions would be grealy appreciated. :eek2:
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Hmmm. The light is carried thru glass in the back of the cluster. Is there any broken/missing? This may cause a dim spot.
Or for that matter, anything obstructing the glass in the back near the light points? -
Mine has a slightly dim area at about 80 on the speedo. It's a perfect circle that seems like it must have been that way from the factory. I would guess we all have it. A friend of mine noticed it the first time he rode in my car.Comment
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Mine doens't have it though....
look... Night shot (http://members.cox.net/dark_sirius/images/cluster.jpg)Comment
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You're right....I can't notice anything on yours. For me it's only noticable on my car if I focus on that area. It's a very subtle dim spot.Comment
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Dougy - can you post a picComment
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mine has a dim spot around the 120mph mark, i noticed it the day after i got it...guess ill just be ripping it apart and checking it out one dayComment
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Mine has a dim spot at the 120mph and the 4g on the tack.Comment
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do you guys know how the cluster is actually lit?
well if you dont, its lit by a bunch of small light bulbs, not one huge one
its dim because one of the lightbulbs are burnt out, simple as that
i have two spots on my speedo and one on my tach, its only really noticible at night with no outside light (streetlamps and such)Comment
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do you guys know how the cluster is actually lit?
well if you dont, its lit by a bunch of small light bulbs, not one huge one
its dim because one of the lightbulbs are burnt out, simple as that
i have two spots on my speedo and one on my tach, its only really noticible at night with no outside light (streetlamps and such)
No. One burned out light will cause 1/3 of the cluster to be dim. Not a small spot.
These are the three lights that light up the display for you
http://members.cox.net/morpheus91/images/board.jpg
This is where the lights sit when the cluster is together. Notice the glass. What I was saying above is that perhaps some of that glass is broken, and/or obstructed, it may cause a small dark spot in a piticular location.
http://members.cox.net/morpheus91/images/back.jpg
Edit: Another thought just occured to me, perhaps if some of the face on your cluster is comming up, the actual 'skin' with the number on it, maybe that'll cause dim spots too..Comment
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I'll will be posting a pic shortly. As for all the response, thanks everyone. I took out the gauge cluster assembly and opened up the backing to separate it from the clear plastic overlays. There are three (3) bulbs ONLY that light up the speedo and tach faces. These bulbs are the largest clear bulbs in the assembly. Three total types of bulbs as well. The other two types are all baffled away to light up, for example, the blinker lense cutouts. The three clear speedo/tach overlay bulbs are all in working order. It appears that a comment by dark sirius would be the most accurate explanation. The clear plastic plate is overlayed as a large lense on both the speedo and tach. Any crack in the plastic would immediately reduce the light transmitted. When i get my chrome gauge bezels in, I shall totally dig into this problem. On sedans, the gauge cluster is simply too difficult to removed (and attach back, electrically) to do more than once. The only question is....WILL THESE CHROME BEZELS ACTUALLY FIT??? Anyways, please continue to post anything that comes to your mind about this ordeal that seems to plague quite a few of us. BTW sammyuko the best way to take out the cluster when you have time is to start the engine and wriggle the steering wheel around to assist the gauge from squeezing out. The coupes have it pretty easy there, but the 4DRs are more upright and the steering column actually has less lateral room. BTW...were the TMEs a chore to put in?
EMMM TREE: I thought the solution was as easy as you say it is, but it's not for most of us. If any one of the three bulbs that light up the speedo and tach are out, the result would be a much bigger dim spot with larger contrast. Dealer's solution is just to buy bulbs and start replacing them or to just take it in to them and be bent over the counter like a beeee-yattttch!Comment
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Check this out, this is my cluster. With the chrome rings. I have taken out the cluster so many times now I can get the steering wheel off, and the cluster out in about 5 minutes :P.
If you like, I posted on another post about how I installed them and what kind of encounters I ran into while doing it, I can PM you the post if you like.
My chrome rings (http://members.cox.net/dark_sirius/images/cluster_rings.jpg)
You can look at this one too, which shows the rings from a distance...
Dash view (http://members.cox.net/dark_sirius/images/dash.jpg)Comment
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dark sirius, did we once bump into each other in a forum about typing etiquette?
You must be pretty acrobatic. Just even re-attaching the 3 electrical sockets back require some tantric finger exercises, man!! Anyways, i'm just whining.
I see that a lot of chrome bezels have fitting problems. I've seem my friends actually leak light from the MPH ticks through the outer edge of the bezels. In the day time it looks perfect, but at night....rays of bmw colored orage leaking out.
BTW where did you get your rings? I also want to get chrome luxury package handles and chrome door lock stubs. Debating on the chrome window lever trim still. Debating drilling into my pedals for AC covers as well. First things first tho, how do I get that damn spot out!!?!??!?! Every time I hit 60 mph at night, it just bothers me like sand in my ass crack.Comment
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dark sirius, did we once bump into each other in a forum about typing etiquette?
You must be pretty acrobatic. Just even re-attaching the 3 electrical sockets back require some tantric finger exercises, man!! Anyways, i'm just whining.
I see that a lot of chrome bezels have fitting problems. I've seem my friends actually leak light from the MPH ticks through the outer edge of the bezels. In the day time it looks perfect, but at night....rays of bmw colored orage leaking out.
BTW where did you get your rings? I also want to get chrome luxury package handles and chrome door lock stubs. Debating on the chrome window lever trim still. Debating drilling into my pedals for AC covers as well. First things first tho, how do I get that damn spot out!!?!??!?! Every time I hit 60 mph at night, it just bothers me like sand in my ass crack.
Lol, sand. Got mine from ebay. I put a layer of fish tank silicon around all the rings int he back to seal them up, after trying superglue and making a horrible mess. The chrome door lock top that you see with BMW, as in the z3's don't fit the sedans, I have been pondering a way to modifiy the metal bar so it wont' stick up as far, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I drilled my petals, no problems. Once you get used to how BMWs electrical connectors work, they are a breeze to remove and install.
And no, I don't think we have talked about how to type. Yeah, I jumble all my thoughts into one paragraph.. bleh. If I really wanted I could bust out some nice english, but.. hey.. lazy.. :PComment
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Mine has dim spots at 120 mph and 4,000 rpm too. I'd always assumed that in those spots the plastic film had unattached. It would be nice if it were fixed, but I'll probably not worry about it.Comment
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