GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I noticed a couple of odd things about my gauges the other day... For starters, a tiny spec of something or other landed on the inside of the gauges. So I have a black dot laying smack on top of the LCD for the odometer/temp display. That, I could deal with - nothing too noticeable (you really have to be looking for it to see the litle speck.)But worse, it now appears that dust bunnies have decided to take up residence in the speedo! Not sure if it's dust, lint, or whatever, but now theres's crap down at the very bottom of the speed on the inside, around the 0 MPH mark. Now, THAT is noticeable! And has been bugging the heck out of me since I discovered it.I'm probably stuck with this stuff, no? Impossible to get the cluster's lens of w/o breaking it, right? I'd really like to find a way to remove it and do some cleaning. Of course, knowing my luck, there will be much more crap sucked in when I tried to "clean" the other stuff out, that if I end up finding a way to take the cluster's lens off, I'll probabyl be in worse shape then than I am now. lol

It's actually relatively easy to remove the gauges...Pull off the trim rings...Feel towards the bottom. There are two clips you have to push down on near each end of the cluster that release it.When you release the gauges, pull them out a bit, and disconnect the master wire harness.Pull the gauges out, and you'll see how the plastic cover snaps on to the cluster...Just reverse to reinstall...

I was afraid I would end up breaking the plastic. If it gets to the point where it really, really bugs me, I may pop out that cluster and give it a shot...

Yes, it is very easy to remove the gauges. Just be careful not to scratch them while you're pulling them outta the dash. It takes some maneuvering to get them out from behind the wheel. Also, DON'T WIPE IT! The gauges scratch very easily. Just blow it out with some air.

I was thinking maybe you could clean it with some canned air, you know, like for computers. Just use the straw attachment and see if you can get to it like that.

Quote, originally posted by Mase »Yes, it is very easy to remove the gauges. Just be careful not to scratch them while you're pulling them outta the dash. It takes some maneuvering to get them out from behind the wheel. Also, DON'T WIPE IT! The gauges scratch very easily. Just blow it out with some air.Found that out the hard way! One of mine is all swirled up now thanks to just trying to clean it with a napkin.

I have to agree with the others here and say from personal experience that the gauges are quite easy to remove for cleaning. Like they said, just be careful not to scratch them and getting them out around the steering wheel can take a bit of manipulation.

Well here's a thought for those of us who learned the hard way that the guage covers scratch easily.... has anyone tried polishing the plastic smooth again?I might have to give that a shot once it warms up again... use the buffer with a soft cotton wheel and some plastic polish.

Quote, originally posted by Altus »Well here's a thought for those of us who learned the hard way that the guage covers scratch easily.... has anyone tried polishing the plastic smooth again?Tried it and failed miserably. I used a CD scratch remover kit...it ironically scratched it up even more and left cloudy blotches all over.

Might even try that "AS-SEEN-ON-TV" scratch remover stuff for glasses... if that stuff actually works

I was wondering, are the trim rings Ragin Fish is talking about, the chrome rings around the gauges? Are the clips under the rings?

Quote, originally posted by zionzr2 »Might even try that "AS-SEEN-ON-TV" scratch remover stuff for glasses... if that stuff actually worksRagingfish used some stuff on Kari's at the Ohio meet last year and it worked well. Mike, what was that stuff?

Quote, originally posted by damronjr »Found that out the hard way! One of mine is all swirled up now thanks to just trying to clean it with a napkin. Glad to know I'm in good company. Tried glass cleaner wipes on them....