Mod Description

The dash clock pod in the 450 has a habit of suddenly losing a lot of time. Time to fix.

Mod Details

PremiumYes Difficulty Mod ID712 CreditEvil/PeterB Cost£ï¿½0 For Linkhttps://dev.evilution.co.uk/mod/450-dash-pod-clock-fault.htm Copy to Clipboard

My Dash Pod Clock Is Slow

Uh huh, it’s a fairly normal complaint.

What’s The Problem?

The clock mechanism is only held in place on the PCB by the 4 solder connections that it uses to receive the necessary power it requires to keep correct time. The clock mechanism isn’t heavy but, over time, the vibration of the car and the constant heating and cooling of the clock housing causes the connections to crack. This gives intermittent power to the clock so it will slow or stop.

Why Does The Clock Get Hot And Cold?

The clock is sitting on the dashboard directly in front of the windscreen, during the day the dark coloured clock pod absorbs the heat of the sun which causes expansion. At night, it cools down and the clock internals contract. This movement over many years eventually creates a split in the solder points which can be seen very clearly in one of the pictures below.

Meet Lesley

Lesley is a new friend who just happens to own a smart car and probably the only smart car owner I didn’t meet through one of the forums. In May 2011 she mentioned to me that her clock had stopped keeping good time and spotted the opportunity to finally get this information on the website. Armed with some Torx screwdrivers I attacked her car in her work’s car park.

Within 10 minutes it was fixed and put back in the car to this day it is still functioning properly.

How Do I Fix Mine?