Cluster gone crazy

[05Imola]

Hey guys I've had my zhp for a couple of months now and a week after I bought the car I noticed the cluster would act crazy when the headlights were on. A tap on the dash would fix it ( needles would climb, dash lights would go on/off/flicker) Turning the dimmer all the way down fixed the issue for some time but now it happens whenever the headlights are on. I'm lead to believe the cluster is bad since the tap on the dash fixes it temporarily. I tested the battery and the battery is good. Also took the cluster apart and cleaned the circuit board with some electronics cleaner. Nothing has fixed it. I'm on the lookout for a used zhp cluster but I have no idea if it would just swap over. Is there coding needed to be done? What happens to the mileage? This is my first electrical problem and I've owned 4 Vws previously :facepalm

[az3579]

Hey guys I've had my zhp for a couple of months now and a week after I bought the car I noticed the cluster would act crazy when the headlights were on. A tap on the dash would fix it ( needles would climb, dash lights would go on/off/flicker) Turning the dimmer all the way down fixed the issue for some time but now it happens whenever the headlights are on. I'm lead to believe the cluster is bad since the tap on the dash fixes it temporarily. I tested the battery and the battery is good. Also took the cluster apart and cleaned the circuit board with some electronics cleaner. Nothing has fixed it. I'm on the lookout for a used zhp cluster but I have no idea if it would just swap over. Is there coding needed to be done? What happens to the mileage? This is my first electrical problem and I've owned 4 Vws previously :facepalm


First things first. Sure, your battery tested OK, but how old is it? If it's original, it should get replaced. Old batteries cause weird electrical glitches in our cars, so it can't just be ruled out by a "test". Check your wiring; look for nicks in the jacketing and test your grounds. Make sure none of the wires are loose inside the plastic connectors to the cluster.

Buying a cluster isn't quite as easy. You can't code our clusters, so in order for the mileage to transfer over, you'd have to de-solder a chip and solder it on to the replacement cluster. This is not for the faint of heart, and it is easy to mess things up and have two brick clusters on your hands. This is why it's crucial you diagnose the issue properly before having to resort to the costly and risky cluster replacement.

[danewilson77]

I was going to go with battery as well.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

[Oli77]

Maybe try resting cluster.

[05Imola]

There is no physical damage that I could see. I guess I'll try resetting the cluster and then buying a battery. Thanks

[Whammy]

Check battery and voltage while car is running.

[05Imola]

Replaced the battery with Duralast Agm h8. Car starts a lot quicker but that has not solved the problem. Figured I'll keep the battery instead of returning it since it has a lot more CCM and newer is always better right? Well I might just have to send it to the dealer and let them figure it out. Not sure what to do next.

[Oli77]

Cluster reset didn't work I guess.

[terraphantm]

Are your headlights aftermarket?

[05Imola]

Cluster reset didn't work I guess.
No it did not.

Are your headlights aftermarket?
They look to be oem. Would aftermarket headlights affect something?

[az3579]

No it did not.

They look to be oem. Would aftermarket headlights affect something?

He's probably asking from a coding perspective. Having factory Xenons or having original halogens (even if they were converted to aftermarket Xenon) has different coding from each other, which ties in to a number of other things. The only way I see it being a problem though is if you had halogens and converted to aftermarket Xenons, in which case the lights are different but the coding hasn't changed, so there are some electrical differences.

[terraphantm]

Aftermarket ballasts are occasionally known to wreak havoc on the electrical system. More common with HID fogs for sure, but not impossible with headlights. But if his lights are OEM, that shouldn't be a problem (unless a ballast is failing I guess)