Instrument Cluster failure

Hello all, New 996 2003 C4 tiptronic owner here. I finally have done it and own my first Porsche and loving every minute. However my instrument cluster failed at the weekend and does not display any information at all. No rev counter, no speedo, no fuel guage, nothing. Reported the problem to my nearest Porsche specialist who have confirmed it has failed and needs replacing at a cost of roughly £1k. Has anybody else experienced this ? I have read other threads which contained individual problems within the cluster but not a complete failure.

I know it sounds obvious, but have you checked fuses B1 and B10? A new cluster is £990+VAT + fitting and coding, so it might be worth trying to find a used one from somewhere like www.porsch-apart.co.uk . You would need to make sure it is exactly the same type (02-, tip, etc) and bear in mind that the mileage is stored in the cluster and so you would need to get it "corrected" by a correction company.

Hi Dean. Blimey, this all sounds a bit drastic for such a young car! (ie. One the same age as mine!) How many miles has she done? Was it the fuses? Best of luck. Let us know how you get on. Adrian.

check e bay, you see them on there a fair bit

Hello again. For your info I'm living in Dubai. Whilst pretty much every other car on the road out here is a 911 or Cayenne the Dubai Porsche Club website forum does not get much use hence the reasoning for joining this one. I would like to try the fuses but wouldnt know where to get them. I will suggest this to the specialist but certain they would have tried it. As I mentioned previously everything within the cluster had failed, dials and even the bulds so night driving is pretty dark in the cabin other than the sat nav. However tonight on my way home from work all lights within the cluster came on and lite up like a christmas tree. Strange. The car has done 36,000km, about 22,000 miles so yes pretty annoyed that this has happened already. Things are a little different out here. There is one OPC and Service Centre and one Porsche Specialist. Before I bought the car I had the OPC give it a once over and it passed with flying colours and only a few minor things needing attention. An airline pilot originally owned it and didnt use it much and it still smells new. The warrenty had also run out for about a month so I asked about purchasing the 1yr warrenty like the one you can buy in the UK. Not available out here ! Maybe available later this year if Porsche Head office in Germany address some legal issue out here. Anyway it looks as if i will have to part with 1k and begin to enjoy my new toy. I thank you all for the advice.

Hi Dean. It sounds as though this problem is intermittent and could possibly be fixed at a much lower cost - and more easily!. Are you sure that it's not the fuses? Please don't think that I'm being patronising but if you know where the fuse box is (in the passenger side foot well - assuming that your car is left hand drive.) You'll find small paper leaflet stuck on the back of the fuse box cover which will guide you to the fuses that Richard is referring to. Firstly I would make sure that the relevant fuses are pushed in correctly - as it sounds as though one might just be lose!? Otherwise just go to any hardware or motor store (like Halfords, etc.) and buy a couple of spare spade fuses - you should be able to get them at any motor factors as most cars use them these days. They're colour coded according to amperage so are easy to replace. It's got to be worth trying this as - even if you discount the cost of the alternative - it's going to be major hassle to have to replace the whole cluster and (let's be honest) would probably worry any potential buyer of your car in the future and may end up in you having to drop the price(?!) I hope this is of some use - please let us know how you get on, regardless. Enjoy the weather - it's lovely here! Adrian.

My new 997 Turbo suffered a total failure of the dash display. I phoned my OPC who helpfully suggested phoning Porsche assist. Porsche assist sent a very very nice man from the AA. The AA man scratched his head for a while then he disconnected the battery and left it for a few minutes before reconnecting. Bingo ! All the lights came back on, the rev counter and speedo worked too. I guess it is a bit like re-booting a PC. I have not had the problem reoccur.

Hello, just to let you know the outcome. I did manage to try new fuses and disconnecting the battery but no joy. I had to bit the bullet and purchase a new cluster. It has taken about 4 weeks for the part to arrive from Germany but at least its fixed.[ ]