2000 E240 SRS light & Gear Indicator problem

[three pointed star]

Have just purchased (privately), a 2000 E240 2.6 Estate, lovely car with just 35000 miles. Obviously out of warranty now, noticed on the way home that the instrument panel Gear indicator/clock is all fuzzy, am I right in saying that this cannot be replaced without replacing the whole binnacle. Also, the SRS light has come on, goes off initially after starting the car, and then almost immediately comes on and stays on. What can the cause of this be, best & worst scenario. I am starting to wish for the simplicity and quality of the W123's I've owned!

 

[louisjames]

not sure about binacle, i would doubt you have to change whole thing as its all components inside it.

my srs ligt came on when i blew a fuse on my car stereo, they are linked on the same circuit (bizzare) and the srs computer sensed voltage drop when fuse blew. unfortunatley, you WILL have to have this reset at the dealer, iv tried all sugestions and private call out, most people only have the abs and service software, not many with srs software. but if you go to the dealer for a reset they will tel you what caused it because all activity/faults are logged.

 

[jberks]

Hi,
My 2000 E240 has the same gear/clock/temp gauge problem. Is down to moisture so keep the aircon and heater on for a while (several weeks) and it will probably improve. Mine was completely unreadable when I got back from holiday with the car left outside for 1 week in the snow. several weeks later and I am just missing a couple of stubborn bars. If the air is damp, I often lose the part of the display for a while. I am told its because the contacts at the back are held in place with a foam pad which wears over time, allowing the contacts to deteriorate. It is apparently fixable with a bit of contact cleaner but I haven't dared attempt it yet incase I do more harm than good. I am also told to try a hair dryer behind the binnacle but I haven't tried this either. Apparently all VDO displays are the same and BMW suffer from it too.
I've not found anyone who repairs them and the car would need to be off the road for a while so I've put up with it.

The SRS I'm afraid could be anything - possibly not too frightening though as it could be nothing more serious than a reset needed or a contact ring. Get a dealer or specialist to do a diagnostic for the fault code.