Two options are German Audio Tech on eBay or www.vdorepair.com. Many owners are getting BMW NA to cover some/most/all of the cost of the part and possibly some labor, so be sure to press them for help.
Dealership quoted me $300 for the new instrument cluster and 1 hour labor...probably $400 after everything said and done. This was after speaking with BMWUSA, they took down certain info, year and mileage and made their offer based on that. Good luck!
I got the instrument cluster replaced by BMWNA ala gratis, just had to pay for the 1.5 hours of labor to the stealer. I've sent my MID to German Audio Tech in Long Beasch CA for the pixel repair for $180.00. I'll let you know how it fares when I get it back.
I am pretty sure the new cluster costs $600 so that would make sense that they quoted you $700 but that would be full price. I spent a little time with BMWNA and I guess depending on the age and mileage on the car determines if they are willing to drop the price of a new cluster, which they did do for me. My 540 is a '97 with 120K miles, don't know how they compute who gets the discount.
Is there a specific dept. you talked to? I need to see if they'll cover it as well. MID removal/replacement is an easy 20 minute diy job.
Kingskea, Is BMWNA the same as www.bmwusa.com? How would one go about contacting someone to see about getting a discount on a cluster (are they new)? Mine is a 2002 540, so I'm curious to see how much they would come down. Thanks. Shawn
I meant to put BMW North America...They will want your VIN and explain the issue your having, they will then get back with you with an estimate. I would be interested to hear what they have to say. It took them a couple of days to come up with the proposal and I have no idea whether it would be lower for a newer car. Try BMWNA 800-831-1117
Go to the BMWNA website and click the ProductQuestions and submit a request for a goodwill replacement. Below is a letter I used to get my instrument cluster replaced. To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to you to request assistance in servicing my 2003 BMW540i. The specific nature of my problem concerns the pixel display in the instrument cluster. I recently purchased this car based on a life long love of BMW cars and BMW engineering. The high level of pixel failures make it very difficult to read the on board computer settings. Additionally, the pixels that display my odometer reading are not visible at most times making it very difficult to determine the total mileage of the car. As an avid subscriber and frequent user on several BMW on-line forums I have come to realize that my problem is not unique. In fact, my research indicates that this has been a long-standing issue with many of the BMW models with the pixel display configuration. I hope BMW NA hasn't changed their position and that "… BMW NA remains committed to customer satisfaction and will continue to work with our customers on an individual basis in an effort to resolve any issues to our customer's satisfaction." With your assistance I would like to arrange an inspection of the instrument cluster at one of the nearby dealerships in my area. I have included the dealership information below. Insert your local dealer. They will come back and ask a few questions: -Name & address on the vehicle's registration -Best phone numbers to reach you -VIN# -Mileage on vehicle -Description of the problem on your vehicle -Name of your BMW service center -Has your BMW center diagnosed this problem? -Are you the original owner? -Copy of your vehicle registration as an attachment to your response Hope this helps.
Just got my MID back form German Audio Tech abd everything is like new. I highly recommend using Germanaudiotech on ebay, his service, response and turn around was fantastic and at a great price. It's soooo nice to able to read my MID again. THANKS GERMAN AUDIO TECH!!!!!
Hi! I just found this thread and am pleased you are happy with the results. Enjoy your MID! If anyone else is interested we are more than willing to help out fellow CCA members. Check item # 400097352841 on ebay or message me directly. You can even stop by if you are local to us in Southern California. We can fix it same-day.
