Sounds easy ....but it ain't, odometer fix

[Flying Frank]

Having read Oblis write up on sorting his cars odometer and as the speedo in my B3 Quattro has the same identification number on it , I ordered up the 20 cog little white part from the very helpful German company partworks.de

No idea why it takes this minute part in an envelope 10 days to arrive from Germany , but that's another story....well I'd like it to have been.

Stripping down the instrument cluster went ok until the dreaded speedo needle removal. I tried just about everything described and more but the little bu**er wouldn't budge. In the end it did finally fly off BUT still attached to the thin spindle wire that it pivots on.....problem number one.

Dismantling then continued only to find that the small cog is orange and not blue as in Oblis car and of course is a 15 cog wheel not 20. FFS Audi!!! what sort of organisation is it that enjoys causing us amateurs such headaches when we try to keep your old cars serviceable by chopping and changing without reason the type of parts used in the construction of your cars

So now with the dining table covered in a disassembled instrument cluster, I am having to re-apply to partworks.de for a change of part from the 20 cog minute wheel to the 15 cog part.....is it going to take another 10 days to arrive ?
Jeez, I certainly hope not as SWMBO is already unimpressed with my dismantling car parts on the dining room table. Admittedly , its on a large towel with all screws neatly stacked for re-assembly , but next issue is will my ancient 76 year old brain remember how it goes together in 10 days time.....sometimes I can't remember what I did yesterday.....oh , yes, it was that F'ing instrument cluster. I suspect the speedo needle has had it as it'll doubtless not push back into the minute tube it must have come out of, but if I have to choose between speedo and odometer, I'll settle for the latter......if it ever works again.

Now I know why so many broken odometers never get fixed , but hats off to Obli who did succeed in getting that needle off its pin, looking at it close up its an incredibly tight fix onto the pin it rotates on for sure.