Pixelfix
 

Have ordered 2 silver ribbon cables from pixelfix. One for the instrument cluster and one for the mid unit. Havent recieved the cables yet. But once they arrive im going to post some photos of the finnished result.

Has anyone done this job before? Want all good input i can have [emoji1]


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This is how my cluster looks like for the moment

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...2a302cd1bf.jpg

The mid is far better, but annoying anyway.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...81cd7ca134.jpg


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Mine looks about like yours but my MID is a bit worse. I plan on doing it sometime but have always been weary of working with the innards of instrument clusters so any feedback provided in this thread would be helpful. If you dive in before anyone give any useful feedback, post it up for other first timers. Good luck!!

Thx! I am a little worried about going inside the housing. The thing that scares me most is removal of the gauge needels, and getting them back right. I will take some photos of the progress and hopefully with all pixels lit up [emoji1]


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Tedious job but not too hard. I fixed the cluster pixel on my old 3.0i and the 03 540i MSport. You need a steady hand when drilling into the cluster. Good luck.

What do you mean with "drilling into" like using a drilling machine? The guides i have watched doesnt involve a drilling machine [emoji41]


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Not sure in Sverige, but if you search online and ebay for BMW pixel repair or cluster repair, there are a lot of companies out there that can do it for you and some even give a lifetime guarantee.

Hope you find a resolution.

I had my pixels fixed by Paul @ Fixels.

Paul does great work and I would recommend him highly. Not sure if OP would want to ship from Sweden to the US for repair though.

We have a couple of companys that does the repair here in sweden too. But i like to "diy" on almost everything. And if i can save som $ there is a win win situation [emoji1] I hope the cables arrive this week so i can get on with the work [emoji106]


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Isn't one of the steps to drill a hole or two in the cluster to access a couple of hidden screws? I'm sure I saw that in one of the DIY videos... :dunno:

I have three columns out on my MID but it's not getting any worse and it doesn't affect most text displays -but I will drop in the pixelfix silver cable sometime soon though.

*edit* here's a walk through from a 7 series forum - pretty sure the cluster is very similar: -

PIXEL FIX DIY write up, about a 2 hour job and some patience (Long pic warning)

I also found this note note on here (from TrickerZ)...

"Drilling the holes is the easiest option so you don't have to mess with the needles. If you really want to do it without drilling holes, you need to take pliers and grab the shaft of each needle from behind right between the motor and the PCB and then pull the cap off (try not to twist too much or you'll screw up the spring). To make it easier to replace the needles, move the needle (usually has to be pulled past the little pin) counter clockwise until you feel it stop. Once you know where the needle should be at the stop, you can line it up at that stop when reinstalling it. Otherwise you have to run the car and calibrate it. RPM, fuel and coolant are easy, the MPG and speedo are difficult. RPM should read about 500 at idle when the car is warm, coolant should be in the middle when car is warm and fuel should be at full when the tank is full. You would need GPS or someone driving beside you to calibrate speed and MPG is pretty much impossible I think. I guess you could floor it before taking it out and see where it peaks and make note of that, then try it after installing the needle and see if it ends up in the same spot. "

Good day!!

I did this on my 2001 540i... I pulled the needles off and damaged a couple springs... I happen to have another cluster from an older 97 in my vast collection of BMW parts... I pulled the needles off the motors, leaving the shafts in the motors which keeps the springs perfect... I had to crush the needle plastic at the pin to remove the needle without moving the pin in the motor... I replaced the motors on my original board and used the original needles (after pulling the shafts from them)... I made a note of where the needles pointed prior to starting... I got them really close once I was done... The only issue I had was pushing the needle on the fuel gauge motor ended up pushing the needle into the motor more... It caused an interference somehow and it hangs at 3/4 a tank... I can tap on the dash lightly and it moves to it's correct spot... 1/2 to empty is perfect...

I took pictures, but I will need to find them if anyone wants to see... I did the cluster and midi... The midi didn't hold... I have two rows out again... The cluster is perfect still...

Cheers all!!

I don't know about another method, but the one I used was drilling holes into the cluster, in order to expose the screw head for the display screen.

I have ordered a set of needle removal tools. The drilling adds risks to. I think if i hold the shaft with the tool there aint going to do any damage to the needle motor. I will found out soon when the parts arrive [emoji1]


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Pixelfix
 

Today i recieved the package. I ordered a ribbon cable attached to a new lcd for the instrument cluster. This is going to be nervwrecking! Stay tuned [emoji41]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...0d27d74472.jpg

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Finished the job today. The gauge needles came of easy with the counterholding tool. I put most of the time on cleaning the connector surfaces for the new ribbon cable. It took me about 2.5 hours to complete it. Look at the result! Happy camper! [emoji1][emoji106]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...a462a9828b.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...987d9f26d4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...09fe24c548.jpg


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Good day!!

Looks great!!! Very nicely done!! Which tool is the holder tool?? I need to get one!! Were the needles correct after you got it back out on the road?? I did this to the E39 cluster, but they are a dime a dozen in the YPIY here... The 4.6is version is a little more scarce!!! Great idea with the tape!! I think I might have to use that!! Thanks!!!

Cheers!!!

Thx! I havent driven the car yet. I have started it and the rpm, watertemp, fuel and oiltemp seems to work as before. Water and fuel doesnt have mechanical stops built in, therefore it is nessesary to mark the position before removal. I posted earlier a picture of the recieved parts, the holding tool is the one that looks like an icecream stick with a little cut out in one side. The oiltemp needle doesnt need counterhold. I ordered a cable with a new lcd. The new lcd has a glossy finish, where the old one was matte. I ordered from pixelfix.net, the package came with instruction booklets. [emoji1]


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That is what I figured... The red tool didn't look long enough... Do you prefer the matte finish or your new shiny LCD??

Cheers!!!

God kväll,

Grattis, det ser bra ut.

There are 4 red tools included in the tool kit, they are for opening of the housing. The new shiny lcd is far more brighter than the old one. But it stands out from the other indicators that have a matte finish. But if i have to chose from original matte unreadeable, and glossy readeable, ill go with the glossy one [emoji1]


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God kväll. Tack! Inte ofta man får svar på svenska i detta forum[emoji1]


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Varsågod. Min talade svenska är värre än min skriftliga. Men min familj är från Småland och många bor fortfarande i området. Hoppas att flytta till Stockholm de närmaste åren.

Ja där ser man[emoji1] ett stort minus i sverige när man kör bil med stor motor i är bensinpriset. I dagsläget ligger priset på ca 15 kr/liter. Runda slängar 2 dollar/ liter. Lycka till med flytten [emoji106]


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When i went to work this morning i saw that the rpm and oiltemp needles is showing a little to much, rpm is showing about 100 rpm to much, and the oil temp needle movement is of by 2 mm. The other gauges seems fine. Speedometer is double checked with my code reader, that uses data from the ecu. See when i get some motivation to fix it.

Tried to upload a video of the self test of the cluster, but i cant upload video anymore from tapatalk.

Recalibrated today. Now the rpm is perfect again, the oiltemp is good to. [emoji106] next up mid display [emoji1]


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I did my cluster a while back. Tedious and a steady hand, a quiet place with good lighting and patience following the details to the letter. I used this guy's solution:

Pixel Fix Kit

AK speedo

Keith James

akspeedo at hotmail dot co dot uk

+44 843 289 3701

And here are some more resources I used to prep myself:

Pixel Fix Pictures

PIXEL FIX DIY write up, about a 2 hour job and some patience (Long pic warning)

https://www.apsense.com/article/how-...ble-issue.html


Mike

Pixelfix
 

Did the mid unit today. Looks great, all pixels lit up again. Sorry no pics of the procedure. Quick summary after repairing both units: buy cables that comes with a new lcd attached! I had that combo for the cluster, but not for the mid. It makes the job so much easier [emoji106]
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b9d5acde2d.jpg




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My apologies for bumping an old thread. I have searched this forum and Google for "Fixels" but cannot find the contact information for the U.S. vendor recommended in this thread. I'd like to get mine fixed and appreciate the reference.

Thanks,

dc
03 BMW X5 4.4i