DIM lighting repair

mwill29 · Post by **mwill29** » 31 Dec 2016, 08:00

Can someone recommend a reputable place to repair the back lighting leds on my DIM. Tried contacting xemodex but never heard back from them. I'm not good with circuit board repairs so I don't want to risk damaging it. Saw a couple on ebay but I'm unsure at this time. Thanks

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Jan 2017, 10:51

Get a hold of Xemodex again- even if they don't do these (I think they do), they should be able to steer you in the right direction.

mwill29 · Post by **mwill29** » 03 Jan 2017, 10:41

Thanks MadeinJapan. Contacted xemodex today and they said they couldn't do it. Didn't recommend anyone either.

mf70 · Post by **mf70** » 10 Jan 2017, 08:36

I bought a used DIM ($40) from eBay and transferred the needed LEDs. You can build up soldering skills on the unneeded LED's from the donor DIM before you tackle the important ones. There are several different sizes and colors used on a single DIM, so the particular LED you pull matters. A dealer will want $1700 for a new DIM.

mwill29 · Post by **mwill29** » 12 Jan 2017, 09:53

How did you come up with 1700? DIM is 1058 + 100 dealer s/w reload labor + DIM reload s/w.....
How did you desolder the led's? What type of solder iron did you use? I've talked to a soldering expert who said I need a temp controlled solder station.....pretty expensive for one use. Plus other supplies that are required.
I'm looking for a qualified person to do this, as its outside of my skill set, that won't damage the pcb. I should be able to find someone qualified to do this with the labor being far less than the cost of equipment and supplies.

mf70 · Post by **mf70** » 13 Jan 2017, 08:38

Hee hee! I think the $1700 was actually the quote for several jobs. It came when I had just gotten the car. They weren't very specific, just, "Have a seat in our nice leather waiting room chair with free coffee and write a check.." I bought a DiCE / VIDA and found out exactly what needed to be done. I can easily see why a dealer would want a simple way to put an electronic fault away given their carriage-trade ambitions. Those of us with salvaged 100K cars need to do something else.

As to the DIM repair. I detailed the fun here:
http://forums.swedespeed.com/showthread ... ost2291283

The hardest part was replacing the gauge needles to the correct position. The needles are fitted on stepper motors.

Temperature-controlled soldering irons are nice, but not irreplaceable. Just use a small-wattage pencil iron and soldering wick https://www.amazon.com/Aven-17542-Desol ... B017ODKIPC. As I said, practice up on something cheap until you are confident. The surface mount LEDs are harder to take off than to replace. Remember that they are polarized - they won't work backwards.

Costs will be ~$20 for soldering gear and ~$40.00 for used DIM.