96VW Passat

What is the problem with my instruments coming on. When I start the car on a warm day the instruments work fine. If the weather gets damp raining or cool they work until I turn the key to start the car. Then they don’t work until the car has been driven for about 15-20 minutes and then they kick in and come on. Until then I can’t tell how fast I am going, how much gas I do or don’t have and RPMs, or mileage. It is all LCD lighting. The lighting stays on but the gauges themselves don’t move or function. It is not the ignition as I have had it tested at the dealership. They don’t think it is a short. They say it is the Cluster? What is the cluster and is that in fact what it is? They aren’t sure and for not being sure I don’t want to replace it at the cost of $950.00 for the part only.

The “cluster” is what you are looking at, the assembly with all the gauges or the “gauge cluster”. I don’t know what the problem is, but if you want a second opinion, go to a good automotive electrical shop. They may be willing to trouble-shoot the cluster rather than replace it.

With luck it is a bad ground from the cluster to the car frame.