Z3 Speedometer Needle Not Working

[djs1122]

I have a 2000 Z3 2.3 with 46,000 miles. I just bought it one month ago and have only driven it about 500 miles. I started it yesterday after having it sit for 11 days while we were on vacation. After driving it a few miles, I noticed the speedometer needle was not working, everything else was working. I tapped the plastic front of the cluster, and a few seconds later it started up and seemed fine. Prior to this it had always worked fine. Any suggestions on cause, or what to do would be appreciated. I intend to watch it for awhile to see if the problem reappears before doing anything about it, but I was wondering if anyone had some information about this problem.

[Jellybelly]

I had this problem with an older Benz of mine. The speedometer would work for a bit, then just stop. I popped out the entire display (gas guage, speedometer, everything in one peice) and saw that there was a cable connected to the speedometer that was almost falling off. You could try to remove the display and see if something is loose, that is a first step. If that doesn't work, check out http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/z3/forum.php for your Z3 message board. Not that this one is bad, it is just that there are tons of information posted on that site all the time and it is only about Z3s and M Roadsters/Coupes. You could ask them and I am positive someone will help you, probably within a few hours.