Advice Needed on Dashboard Problems

[CBearman]

I have only recently bought this car, and during our few drives to get familiar everything has been fine. However today on a longer trip to work, all the lights on the dashboard suddenly began flashing, with the speed and rev dials spinning. The spinning and flashing suddenly stopped, but all the lights stayed on and the speed and rev dials stayed at 0. There was no difference at all in the performance of the car. After work the same happened when the car was started with the clock time having changed. The dashboard stayed this way all the way home, but there seemed no problem with the drive. Has anyone got any ideas?

 

[Dieselman]

Which model E class.?
It's probably a bad conection onto the back of the cluster.

 

[dino645]

Which makes you wonder why? What was the mileage?

 

[CBearman]

It's a 1998 E200 Elegance.
If it's a bad connection as you've suggested would that be something I could fix myself? I'm guessing not.

 

[Dieselman]

Firstly pull the cluster out and check the connectors are in tight. They have an over centre clip which can break so not hold the connector in properly.

To remove the cluster use some hooks down both sides by the dash wood trim and pull it out.
Make sure the key is out of the ignition all the time the cluster is disconnected otherwise it will set an SRS fault which will need a trip to the dealer fr reset.

 

[CBearman]

Dashboard Advice

Many thanks for your responses. Strange thing is before I could get my husband to look at the cluster the problem seemed to just right itself. Fingers crossed that's the last I have seen of it!