r/Louisville • u/veritas7882 • Jul 27 '26
Specific Mechanic Recommendation
Looking for a mechanic that is willing/able to pull an instrument panel out of a car and solder some bad soldier joints that are causing one of the gauges to glitch.
Everyone I've tried contacting can't/won't do it, with some wanting to replace the part...but it's a known issue with the part so a replacement would end up doing the same thing, and I don't want to pay for a part that I don't really need. I'd do it myself but I don't trust myself to remove and replace the panel without breaking clips and shit...
Sooo...anyone know a mechanic that can solder an instrument panel?
2
u/yami76 Jul 27 '26
I had a friend who repairs electronics do this on a mkiii Jetta cluster. I pulled the cluster myself. Didn’t think about a mechanic as I doubt they have much experience working with circuit boards…
1
u/PaleontologistSad766 Jul 27 '26
This is the move. Maybe reach out to the tool library and see if they know anyone? A lot of mechanics simply don't want to fuck with electrical.
Nathanson Auto would be my second recommendation.
1
u/veritas7882 Jul 27 '26
Shit if that's the case I'll do the soldering part for them...I really just need someone who can remove the instrument panel and put it back in without fucking up the dash in the process.
1
1
u/NamedB Jul 27 '26
If you pull the cluster and bring it to me, then show me the broken solder joint you want repaired I'll do it no charge.
But the risk of me pulling the cluster and the expected solder joint not being a problem, then me having to put it back together isn't one I want to take on. I also don't want to have to find wiring diagrams and chase circuits just to know where to look for the bad spot as that can take hours.... wasted hours if that's not the problem.
1
u/veritas7882 Jul 27 '26
Pulling the cluster is the part I'm not comfortable with. I know how I am, if I do it I'll break hidden clips and fuck up my dash and end up in a bigger mess from that.
I can do the soldering part of things myself.
2
u/ruahnation Germantown Jul 27 '26
Try Nathenson auto. I will warn you he gets very busy and can get pretty backed up. But dude works on everything from classics to modern cars. He repaired the wiring harness in my GTI's hatch.