Instrument cluster replacement

[Hanuman]

Folks

I am spending a lot of time overseas, these days, and a vehicle that I have access to is a 2002 A8, with 4.2 and quattro, which may have originally been imported from Greece.

It’s a ‘rental’ car, though not to any normal standard.

The car in question has been damaged by a previous renter, resulting in the loss of all instruments.  No odometer, rev counter, fuel gauge, engine instruments, on board computer.  Basically, the instruments are completely dead, but other than that, the car works fine.

The local rental agency have asked me if I might be able to help them source an instrument cluster to get the vehicle serviceable again.  I’m currently the only one who drives it because of these problems.  First I need to identify a suitable instrument cluster on eBay, and the means of getting it shipped to Cambodia.  Once it’s there, I’m probably going to ‘supervise’ its fitting.  So far the local garage have messed up more than they’ve fixed.

Would I need to use any diagnostic program to set it up?  What systems would we risk upsetting if the instrument panel is removed and replaced?  Any useful how-to video’s on swapping out the cluster?

[Steve Q]

You'd be better off looking for local companies that specialise in repairing instrument clusters. As the instrument cluster has part of the vehicle imobiliser system built into it. So changing it for a second hand unit isn't plug and play.  

[Hanuman]

Unfortunately, there is no local company able to do so.  The cluster has been physically damaged. God only knows how, but it’s like someone took a hammer to the on board computer.

There are not so many of these vehicles in Phnom Penh.

so, it really comes down to using the car without an instrument cluster, or replacing the cluster and doing whatever is necessary to ‘code’ it.