Dashboard Lighting...

Having ironed out most of the niggly little problems on my MK2 Golf Driver the backlight for the digital clock in the instrument cluster has stopped lighting up! I always assumed these were LED's providing the backlight and so need not worry about bulbs going; if so could this be a loose connection of just a bulb need replacing?

Any tips for getting to the instrument cluster out and if a bulb what type is needed?

Thanks for anyhelp. Jon C

Reply to
Jon Curtis
Loading thread data ...

Before disassembling too much, see if you can find a ground problem or maybe a fuse gone. After that, I well leave the instructions for someone who knows that car.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

On my '87 the backlight uses regular bulbs, not LEDs. It is somewhat of a pain to get access to them, as you need to remove the instrument cluster. The service manual says to remove the steering wheel first, but I have found this not to be necessary.

All the "lefts" and "rights" below are for my US model. Don't know how much is morrored on the UK variety.

First remove the dummy cover above the light switch. You will find one screw back in there, holding the top left corner of the cluster. The top right corner is held by a screw as well, but I do not remember what you need to do to get access to it. With both screws out, tilt the instrument cluster forwards and reach behind to unhook the speedometer cable and possibly a vacuum hose as well (don't know if all models have the vacuum hose, mine does). Then unplug the two big connectors at the bottom of the instrument cluster and you can remove the cluster completely. The bulbs are bayonet mount with an integral plastic holder. The original ones in my '87 used black plastic, the replacements were in a light gray. Twist 90 degrees and pull straight out.

You need to get the bulbs at a dealership or VW specialty store. I paid around US$ 5 for each bulb. You can find generic bulbs of very similar size without the plastic holder for much less and be tempted to solder the new bulbs into the old holders. Bad idea as the generic bulbs (at least the ones I found) are slightly larger than the OEM bulbs, and will crack as you twist them into place.

J>

Reply to
Randolph

In message , Jon Curtis writes

I had to change the bulbs in my 1990 Golf Driver's instrument panel, removing stuff to get to them was fairly straightforward but.... generic bulbs from Halfords didn't quite fit properly so I ended up getting VW bulbs from a dealer.

Reply to
Robert Winstanley

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.