WGJ

I am scheduled to have my instrument panel replaced in 3 days. I had the same probs many have had..jerky tach and spedometer, loss of FM info on dash. I left the car for a week and the battery was drained. This did however have the effect of resetting all the gauges ( is this like a "reboot"?) correctly. Now what should I do? Everything seems to be OK. Should I have the panel replaced anyway?

Could any of this be related to cell phone use , as warned against in manual?

Are all these instrument panel probs just related to the need to reset the computer?

Cameron

... PCS, Analog, and GSM phones have been used in our TT's very often and I have only seen one failure (the time/date stamp reset, which you can reset yourself).

I can "cause" some irratic tech needle behavior if I toggle the xenons in and out of charge condition, but I think this is just starving power from the nonessential circuitry - part of which is the link between the bits from the speed sensors and the actual needle movement. Aside from the xenons, I can't find anything else to play with to screw up the instruments (it takes however many tens of thousands of volts to charge and begin burn within the xenons, however...)

On a similar "quantum device draining energy" subject, the secondary metering module on my Nikon will sometimes cut out or act funky in the split second the flash is charging.

Your dash, on the other hand, didn't "reboot" if you didn't have to reset the dash time/date stamp :-)

There are plenty of interesting technologies in the Audi dashes - that there is a running average of fuel tank readings to reduce an incline's effect on fuel readings, that the tach runs of digital outputs from the sensor but the rev limiter is an analog switched device, etc. After, literally, years of trying to figure out where all the bugs in the dashes come from, I've pretty much given up.

Cameron

WGJ

I did have to reset the date/time etc.

What I'm really asking is simply...would replacing the instrument panel be advised..or is this a reflection of an electrical problem?

Cameron

My guess is the new cluster will pull the same stunts on you.

Larrytt

at least the old bugs! I am sure new ones will always be popping up. I am going to try and get mine replaced on Wednesday for a bad fuel gauge. It is constantly swinging from 1/2 full to 1/4 full to empty then back to full! Driving me crazy!

The dash has not reset itself as of yet. This is my only real complaint after 20k with the car. I mean mechanically! The BB Paint sucks big time!

NexxTT

need to be changed? While I haven't experienced any of what I've read on the forum, I did get the reset, but that was after my driver's door had been open for over 1/2 hour and I attribute that to a possible smart energy saving device or something similar. I'm all ears on this one though.

Lone Starr (Ivan)

this is a feature designed into the clusters so that any Audi tech with the right computer can't change the odometer! Each cluster can be updated only once via the "big" computer. This allows the tech to take a replacement cluster and download the correct mileage into it. Once.

There was a screw up that was blamed on software when my cluster was replaced. The mileage was downloaded as kilometers. They had to get another cluster at $900 a pop!

FWIW, my second cluster has worked perfectly.<p>Ivan
<i>Jacksonville, Florida<i>
<img SRC="http://www.geocities.com/y2ktturbo/tinytt.jpg" BORDER=0>
"Zorro" 2000MY, 180hp, Fronttrak, Silver/Ebony, MKII suspension, spoilTT,
K&N, Garmin EMap GPS, Colgan "mask" on order, Audi roof rack, Cobra R/D

NexxTT

should exhibit ALL problems consistently. Fact - they don't. Ivan, I firmly believe there is no real cluster problem, but rather several erratic electrical or harness problems. Is there an Audi bulletin you can refer us to back up your claim.

(Don't believe everything your dealer tells you. My belief is they are in part responsible for your myriad problems.)

NexxTT

have been replaced, they've probably corrected the whatever electrical or grounding problems that caused the problems in the first place. Witness someone (maybe Ivan) who's on his third cluster - and subsequent to this his dealer finally found a wiring harness defect that was causing a start-up state malfunction. It's the wiring/grounding. Always has been with Audis.

NexxTT

Use analog and digital cell phone in car from driver perspective....NADA. Different reset problem - see post below.