Pixel fix for MID - DIY vs. Pro

[DanSanDiego]

I have been staring at those missing pixels for too long now (I never know if it is 4pm or 1pm because the horizontal line in the four is missing.

So I sent it off to German Audio Tech yesterday (Long Beach, CA and I am in San Diego). $165 including return shipping (I sent it via USPS Priority Mail in a medium box: $10.95 + $0.70 confirmation). I'll let you know how it goes - the lifetime warranty is what sold me.

Dan San Diego

[sasquatch]

Be careful with the inexpensive cluster repairs. It can be hit and miss in terms of quality.

I personally used North Hollywood Speedometer to fix my gauge cluster. Granted, I had a few other problems besides the bad pixels (damaged needle motors) but they use only OEM BMW parts and really know what they are doing. They have the capability of reprogramming and calibrating the gauge cluster. It is not cheap ($675) but I was VERY happy with their service and support.

North Hollywood Speedometer and Clock Company. Serving your gauge needs since 1955. VDO, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Volkswagen, Veigel, Veglia

[The Dude]

Let us know how it goes. From what I have read on varies message boards, German Audio Tech is very reputable and have done this repair for many BMW owners.

[Isambard]

Where's the 'vs DIY' part of this thread?

[bastereo]

Originally Posted by Isambard

Where's the 'vs DIY' part of this thread?

That's what I was thinking

Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

[Bulk]

Originally Posted by Isambard

Where's the 'vs DIY' part of this thread?

[DanSanDiego]

The DIY part was the open end of the question. I decided to go with the Pro option, but was posting to see if someone would say that I should have pursued the DIY option.
I checked out the DIY procedures, but I couldn't even get the MID open (I got the screws out, and the face off, but not the back section. That was when I decided to go with the Pro route (again the lifetime warranty was what sold me, I plan to have this X5 for at least 5 more years).

[Isambard]

It might have been better not to go with the 'open end' tactic, instead, just go with 'direct'. Your post title implies you have a notion/information about the two, rather than 'has anyone got anything on the DIY?'. It seems more than half of the respondents feel the same. Just a suggestion..

As for the DIY, did you look at this? Eric, I fixed your MID from Peter. Writeup of E38 MID repair

I have a spare MID and was going to have a crack at it when I have time and (what is really needed) the inclination!

[DanSanDiego]

Alright, you pulled it out of me....I didn't want to admit this for fear the Pro would charge me more for a failed DIY.

I tried the DIY on the MID for about an hour. I got all the screws out (seemed like about 10 including the face and back hump area). Separated the face from the unit (broke the red clamp). I could see the ribbon but couldn't get the unit separated enough to really work on it comfortably (I couldn't get the electrical plugs to separate and didn't want to pull to hard because of their delicate connection to the board). So I just wiped finger nail polish remover on the ribbon with a Q-tip, hoping that would do something - clean the connections. I couldn't figure the rest out on how to separate the connections. The risk seemed very high so I didn't proceed. I put it back together to see if my mild cleaning helped anything, but instead none of the pixels appeared. So I definitely decided that the pro approach was right for me on this one...

MID is in shipping back to me today, so I'll let you know how it turns out.

[Ricky Bobby]

german audio repair do they have a website?

i was thinking i would send my instrument cluster to get fixed if they could do so, 165 seems fair with lifetime warranty, i could do it during the summer when my X isn't my daily driver.