X5 cluster dials, how sensitive?
 

Hi guys

A while when i bought my Cluster chrome rings from Germany, i also bought the Silver background for the Cluster to sort of making it looks a little funky ;).

I finally got my act together and fit the chrome rings today but when i was going to do the Silver background, i got a bit nervous because i'll have to remove the dials to lay the silver sheet down properly.

So my question is can i simply pull the dials off, do what i need to do and put them back on?

Thanks

Hey im not sure but where did you get that guage overlay?? ive been looking for one with only KMs to swap out my Miles dials

I am under the impression that you can not remove the needles from the cluster...I am assuming thats what your asking for. I have never seen an overlay like that, usually they are individual overlays. I just ordered a set from whitegauges.net. You might try there.

Got them from Germany, will find you the link soon .....

I thought so

The instruction is in German damn it.

There was a newer member who did a gauge face swap not to long ago..I can't remember his username off hand though. The thread should be within the last 5-7 pages of this forum.

Since the e38 & e39 are generational cousins/siblings...they share many of the same parts. And since the e38 & e39 series have a 5 & 4 year jump start (respectively) on the e53...we can benefit from many of their DIY and mod/upgrades. Removing the needles can end in disaster if not done correctly...but is simple with the correct tool and technique.

Below you can see a video, and some links to some forum threads that discuss the need to be cautious in removing the needles (btw, I found this info by typing "how to remove needles on bmw cluster" in a google search box :) ):

• E39 M5 Gauge Needle Removal - BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums
• Removing Needles from Instrument Cluster
• Needles remover for Bmw E38, E39, X5 and Range Rover | Minitools Product
• BMW mph,kmh,rev,temp and fuel needle removal procedure by Revtronic EnigmaTool - YouTube

Found the thread, thanks.

It's a much easier option than removing the dial arms, contacted Whitegauges.net Support and they don't do Kilometer version :(.

Back to square one or maybe not.