Sticking speedo?

[dan_b]

Help!
On my way to and from the Garage meet, my car developed a peculiar problem with the speedo. My dials are not peeling off, and the odometer is still registering the miles.
The speedo needle basically gets stuck after about 1.5 hours of driving. On the A5 it got stuck at 80mph, even when I was braking and stationary at roundabouts! A few taps on the dashboard would free it up and it would drop back down, but would then get stuck again at about 30mph. The same thing happened on the way home, stuck at 60mph on the M40...

I've been having random electrical issues with the backlighting in the instrument cluster - some of the bulbs appear to have blown, but then they've magically started working again. At the weekend, one or two of them did that again. Could the two be linked?

How difficult/ expensive is it to fix/ replace the speedo unit? Anyone else had this experience? It's a bit disconcerting, especially with all the damn GATSOs around!

[tamaquatt]

Hi Dan,

Ironically I had exactly the same problem last week after similar driving time. Mine basically became very slow to respond both when accelerating and braking.... gave me a moments heart failure when braking for a gatso and the speedo was still reading 20 over the limit!!!!

Some percussive maintainance would get a reaction from the speedo but it wasn't until I parked up for an hour or so and then drove back home that it returned to normal. Seems odd that this has happened in this way. Don't think it's an age issue cos mine is about 3 years younger than yours!!

Cheers,

TQ

[dan_b]

The percussive maintenance seemed to do the trick when arriving at both destinations, (and mid-drive) but surely once it's started sticking it'll keep doing it? Perhaps it's just a function of it having been rather cold recently? Before Saturday, I hadn't driven the car at all for 7 days, so it must have got a bit chilly, then 8 hours driving at the weekend? Just a heat-soak/damp problem perhaps?

Yes it is rather alarming when you're braking from speed, knowing you're braking, but not seeing the speedo falling!

[4WheelDrifter]

LOL. That sounds familiar. The first time it did it to me was going at 80 on the M5, thinking why is everyone going so slow? Then checked the tacho, realised I was in 5th, and actually doing about 130! Bashing the dash did the trick for a while, but it gradually got worse. Now it gets stuck at 20, then if you go fast enough it springs up to 80, moves to 100 and won’t go anymore. I’ve given up on it. Like you say, the odometer still works, so I just use to tacho for speed.

[dan_b]

Hmm, I don't like the sound of living with a permanently faulty speedo, too easy to lose one's license these days if you don't know exactly when to jam on the anchors!

[4WheelDrifter]

I'm not too sure what's causing the stickiness. Maybe I'll spray some GT85 in there!
It's when your tacho goes on the blink as well, that's when I found it difficult.
At least I’ve got my trip computer for when the fuel gauge decides not to function. MOT man was a bit worried that my car had no fuel. It's probably lucky to have passed the emissions test with a cold engine. He didn't want to run it too long.

[dan_b]

Could it be an electrical problem?

[Greg_S]

It could be the face of the gauge peeling away under the needle a bit.

Greg

[tamaquatt]

I'd be surprised in this instant if it was due to the dials peeling. Mine certainly seemed like an electrical problem due to the erratic / juddering way that the needle was moving.

Probably best to monitor it and hope it doesn't happen again.....

In the past my speedo only occasionally got stuck at zero until I accelerated over 15 / 20 mph then it would catch up quite rapidly. This looked like a different issue altogether, and the dials appear to be absolutley fine.

[philS2]

my were peeling around the centre so they got the stanley treatment.i didn't want to take too much off,but the surface was coming off in big chunks of white.so i stopped before i could see black from driving position.it also looked like,when i'd finished,that the white would have to come up along way to catch the needle centre,so i thought 'sorted',but just the other day'stick'.obviously the longer i drove it(at night-lights on)the hotter it got.you know the rest.it's coming out for round two,i need to do it after a good night run really quickly to see which bits are sticking up.

[dan_b]

I did have the lights on for the entirety of both journies, but I can see no evidence of the infamous white peel.

[Sidspud]

Its not peeling paint. I replaced my sticking peeling speedo just over a year ago, but it would still stick around 80mph. A quick thump on top of the dash would cure it (once revealing 130mph!). This was on a brand new clock with 1 mile on the odometer.

Could it be a sender on the gearbox?

[dan_b]

Sounds like this is a common problem then? Not even cured by a brand new speedo?

[S2 Ant]

POssibily an electrical fault?
The sender from the gearbox to the clocks may be at fault, or perhaps as the fault is intermittent a loose earth?
Would have thought a faulty sensor would show up on VAG-COM as a fault.
If you remove the clocks maybe check the wiring in to it and any connecting earths, also check the other end as well... the gearbox sensor, connections etc as they may get damaged.

[dan_b]

I knew I should have tried out the VAGCOM on Saturday!