My 2008 car's LCD display went on and off and finally stayed off.
Having an Ultra Gauge still makes it possible to see certain information such as fuel capacity, etc. So I'm not desperate, yet am concerned.
I took the car in to a competent mechanic who has worked on smart cars and $66 dollars later it was suggested I see the dealer.
At first I removed the whole gauge assembly and sprayed a small amount of contact cleaner on the two connectors. This brought the display back and I felt real smart (no pun intended) however a day later it blinked on and off again.
The next step was to disconnect the battery for two days and that brought the display back for a day.
Now the display is lighted up-- yet absolutely all characters have disappeared permanently.
The dealer informed me that the whole unit should be replaced and totally reprogrammed.
This is going into a 4 figure repair bill and I was seriously thinking of selling my little smart because of having no garage for a third car anymore. I expected to get a touch over $2000 for it. It has only 68,000 miles on it and runs very well.
Any advice would be appreciated.
