HI All, I took out the display cluster. Have read the thread on checking the connections: cleaned. Looks like the cluster is faulty. Is it possible to open it and check the motherboard? I guess something's blown. I got the original one replaced with a second-hand one about 4 years ago- was expensive. I checked for a new cluster costs >£600.00 + VAT. Way too much. its a 2003 model 1.2 active 5dr. So thought whether its possible to actually open up the pod and see if anything is broken; I guess solder anything that looks broken. Is this a bad idea? Should I send the poor car to the scrap heap ?
Any help would be appreciated

Kind regards,
R

If you're confident that you can be careful with it then yes you certainly can open it and attempt to repair it. Once you have the cluster out of the car it will open quite easily just by popping open the clips.

If you cannot fix this one then you could always get another cluster from a breakers, don't scrap the car for something that's relatively easily replaced... I swapped out a cluster for £30 including P&P and it's still going strong almost a year later.

There is someone on this forum who I have read, and understand, to be good at repairing them. I believe it's 'yellowstilo', you will have to post it to him in the Netherlands though, contact him, it may be worth it!

They're a fairly common failure.


There are companies out there that repair them (although I'd avoid Cluster Repairs UK as they smashed mine to bits and then treated me like crap - had to get money back through credit card) and you'll get a warranty for it too.


I believe there is a chap on here that repairs them at a very reasonable rate too, Yellow Stilo I think his name is. He has got plenty of positive feedback on his repair work if you look around the forum.

I am sorry it is not my intention to hijack thread, I have searched and read till my head hurt but could not find answer to my problem. I will try to describe what I am experiencing as best as I can however I am not skilled car mechanic so some of terms I do use may be lame

First off, Stilo is a love of my life. I used to have JTD and loved it. My current car is 1.2 5 door 2002 model. Everything was quite fine with a car until one morning I have found battery flat. Didn't think too much about it and just recharged battery only to find it flat within 2 days. I do not drive much it is mostly in the city school runs, work say about 30 km a day. I thought battery is old so I recharged it again. I checked (removed and cleaned) all fuses. It happened in evening and when I connected everything I found that when I locked car and was about to leave when I noticed lcd panel on instrument cluster was still faintly lit and flashing at a a times. That seemed to be the problem, panel was flashing sometimes as bright as it is when driving.
I disconnected instrument cluster and left it disconnected overnight and every time when I was not driving. No more flat battery so I thought there was my problem. I removed cluster and while trying to remove display I managed to break it.
Well call me stupi* I have no objection as I felt exactly like that. Instrument cluster work even without lcd display only to see that flashing bit better (there are 3 orange diodes under display). I kept on driving I just disconnected cluster for the night to keep it from draining battery.

Here is my dilema. I got another second hand instrument cluster. I connected it and was ready to start to celebrate when I noticed that one diode stayed lit - green one for the lights even that they were off. I tried to start engine, turned lights on, off - green indicator stayed on all the time. It is also on even if I take keys out and lock the car.

I thought that if there is problem in wiring, connector or somewhere outside instrument cluster, that it will manifest itself in the same way like on my first cluster - flashing diodes under lcd panel. However while first cluster does that, second do not have any lcd diodes problem just that green lights indicator.
That makes me wonder - what is the chance to have both clusters bad? Should I try to get another one or what to do or check now?

Sorry for my long post I tried to explain the best of what happened.