Instrument Cluster fading

[Chung]

Has anyone tried to resolder the LCD in the instrument cluster? Mine fades as the car gets warmed up to almost unreadable. Since the display is fine when it is first started I am thinking it is a bad solder joint. Maybe my first fix while the car is waiting to get licensed.

[hahnmgh63]

There is a place in Moscow, Idaho that repairs them. And the way they do it on your original cluster you don't have to re-code the immobilizer. www.modulemaster.com (http://www.modulemaster.com) I have heard good things about them through the tt community, I'm going to be sending my tt's Instrument cluster to them in the next month as my LCD in the center display is going out. This is a very common thing in the tt but fairly common in most Audi's of the last 10 or so years.

[DHall1]

delay in parts avail

http://www.modulemaster.com/en/help/lcd_delay.php

[Chung]

I did find them on the web but was unsure about the place. For $150 it seems too good to be true but after reading I assume they are just replacing the center LCD or resoldering in the old one. When they get more LCDs in stock I may just send them mine for repair.

[marklar182]

Looks like they are out of stock for the A6 right now. (as everyone has now found!)

I lose a couple entire lines when the car sits in the sun. Since it has cooled down I have had no issues, nice to know it is repairable though!

[JSRS6]

I had this issue in both my S4's with three different gauge clusters. Never heard of the newer lcd's having issues. The problem usually lies not in the LCD screen itself, but in the digitizer. On the S4 lcd's, the digitizer chip was built onto the ribbon cable attached to the screen, so all had to be replaced.

[JRS-RS6]

Yup my 01' Passat has the same issue about 95 degrees and it is unreadable. No biggie to me it still gets me from A to B without issue I can live without the display. Now, if it were the RS6 and it would have to be fixed ASAP!

[Chung]

The issue I had is I set the speed indicator and then it went off when I couldn't tell what the error was (i.e. pull over now oil, or slow down for speed). Normally I wouldn't need to know what happens there unless you need to know if there is something really wrong with the car.

[Elevens]

Module master did my A6 cluster repair after my center LCD faded on me also. Just a couple of days turn around time from what I can remember. It was supposed to be an LCD replacement, but they wound up replacing a few components and re-soldered a few joints. I can't remember the exact details, but the cluster came back fully functional and I very happy with the results. This LCD thing is kind of ridiculous, I had a 91 200 20V turbo with the same issue also. You would think over the Years they would resolve this, but apparently not. As a matter of fact my 02 Allroad looks like its LCD is starting to fade also. So I guess its just a matter of time before the RS 's LCD fades. Oh well I still love my Audi..................

[uncfrk]

My new A4 in 1998 had 7 clusters replaced under warranty. Most of the problems were connected to the incompetent staff at the dealer.

[Chung]

My S4 does the same thing but it was just a simple solder fix. I guess moving the controller to the cable means you have to replace the whole LCD.

I email module masters and they are waiting on the shippment for LCDs but they should be in soon. When I asked about the RS6 their response was "is that the same as an A6." I suspect the LCD is the same but I will be the guinea pig.

[Chung]

I just got notice that the LCDs are in.

Now I just need to figure out how to remove the cluster. Does the cover hiding the screws to the panel just pop off?

[hahnmgh63]

Yes, it just pulls off revealing the two screws which are at the bottom. The screws tend to be real tight so use the best screwdriver you can so you don't strip them. Then you just grab on to the tabs and work it out back and forth a little at a time until you can twist it sideways enough to reach behind and get at the 3 connectors at the back. Make sure you lower and extend your steering column.
Hey, sorry I missed you, I was out of town last week visiiting my daughter down in California. Let me know if you plan on showing up for beer night in the next few weeks as I should be around.

[marklar182]

Use a #2 screwdriver!

[Chung]

That was not as hard as I thought it would be. Thanks for the tips.

No worries on beer night. I probably won't be able to make it for another couple of weeks plus the RS6 will be down for a week or two. I will let you know in a couple of weeks.

[TozoM8]

I had this problem in my old A8. The ribbon cable is just pressed against the LCD display by a foam/sponge. The foam dried out and the ribbon cable lost pressure. I've replaced the foam with the 1/8" thick 3M weather strip and it worked perfect.

[Chung]

I suspect it might be something simple. Since I am already committed to sending it out I am going to just do that. Especially since they have had a hard time getting these LCDs. Thanks for the help. I will let everyone know how the repair goes.

[Hy Octane]

Having been notified of this problem in the A6/S6/RS6 clusters after the car was only 2 years old and having had one replaced as a result of a tach light going out, I arranged for a 'failure' to occur just as the factory warranty was due to expire in June of 2009. They dont give you new units, but reconditioned ones. Should be good for a few more years. Just another one of several parts on this car that were poorly designed and built to fail wayyy before they should.....

[ben916]

I was at a stop light yesterday and just happened to look at the directional indicator in the mirror and it was fading and then got brighter, repeated several times and then I checked later, it was fine... No, I wasn't celebrating with OZZY...

[Chung]

Well I got my instrument cluster back but there is a blank line in the top third of the LCD. When I asked module master about it they told me that was supposed to be there. I am having a hard time believeing there is supposed to be a row of blank pixels across the screen. Does anyone else have this line?
1074310744

[ben916]

It think the LINE is suppose to be there but it ISN'T suppose to be black or un-illuminated.
It is suppose to be illuminated like the background.
When you shift from P to R/D/S, the upper portion (above your black line) presents OK in yellow.

[V8weight]

The line is supposed to be there, but it's supposed to be red.
http://i722.photobucket.com/albums/ww228/Pellis833/IMG00006-20100808-1456.jpg

[Chung]

Thanks for the replies.
I do have the redline as well. I think I got a bad LCD.

10747

[ben916]

yep... no snow today or rain, just sun and wind

http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx318/ben916_rs6/IMAG0308.jpg

[hahnmgh63]

Let's see, these displays...105'F in Minnesota & 65'F in California. What's wrong with this picture?

[JSRS6]

Lol, pats was back in august '10.

[ben916]

Let's see, these displays...105'F in Minnesota & 65'F in California. What's wrong with this picture?

Mine was today :)
Pat's would have a minus sign in front of the 65 :)

[TozoM8]

Thanks for the replies.
I do have the redline as well. I think I got a bad LCD.

10747
All of my A8s had a blank line right above the top red line. Maybe they used an A8 display.

[V8weight]

Yeah, we had a terrible summer here for weather, but at least the winter has sucked so far.....

[JRS-RS6]

Let's see, these displays...105'F in Minnesota & 65'F in California. What's wrong with this picture?

Global Warming -- good the snow will melt and our mini ice age will end!

[Chung]

Here is a follow up to the discussion in case anyone is interested. Basically you don't see the line because your original screens can actually display black. The new ones are manufactured with a different material to account for higher temps.

"
That line is actually a divider that blocks the orange light from bleeding into the lower red section. That is the top 1/3 of the display has both orange and read LED backlighting.
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So when the top changes to orange, that divider ensures that only that top section of display illuminates orange.
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It is not a missing row of pixels. The original displays had a blacker background because they used a pigment in the LCD fluid. That pigment is what caused them to fail as it damaged the circuitry inside the display.
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The new display has high temperature fluid, but has the drawback of lower contrast. However, the display will not fail as the originals. So being lower contrast, you can see some of the components behind the LCD, in this case, the optical barrier between orange and red banks of LEDs.
"

[TozoM8]

I just checked my 01' allroad and it has the black line right above the top red line. You can see it more when you start the car and the "apply brake before selecting gear" shows. It separates the orange from the red display.