I've been debating whether or not to post about this. But decided that I will just as an FYI

Purchased a VetteAid gauge cluster for the 84 in Sept of 2011
Here's the orginal thread
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...auge-kits.html

Had some speedo problems from the get go. And at one point last December i shipped the gauge kit back to him and he checked it out to make sure it was working correctly. At the same time he threw in a signal interface for no charge and since he did that I went ahead and purchased the cruise control module for $150. At this point I have $1000 invested in this.

This spring I had put it back in to try it again. Could never get the speedo to accuratly display when datalogging with my ECM. Just a side note: I do use dynamicefi's ecm which is a GM style ECM and a plug and play replacement for it. It works fine with my existing digital cluster so it should have had no problems using the vetteaid cluster.

On several occassions I had called vetteaid and I will say he did try and help often over the phone. It finally got to the point that I had spent so much time taking it in an out that it just got old. In my last conversation with him over the phone troubleshooting he had asked me to get under the car and remove the speedo cable and put a drill on it to check the signal.....aahhhhh anyways... thats when I said I'm done with it to him. Told him that from the get go this was supposed to be plug and play according to the website and him. Told him that its time for me to either sell it or return it. He told me to go ahead and return it for a full refund. Which I thought was awesome!... so I said ok... and man of his word.

So I boxed it up and shipped it to him. I have my UPS receipts and the date he recieved it back in. I heard nothing from him... So two weeks later (after he received it) I called him. He told me the box was damaged and the cluster was broke!!.. He then didn't know how to pursue this. I was furious! Asked him...why didn't you call??... The box was insured and I could have gone to UPS an filed a claim... At this point he wanted to think about what to do. So I told him to call me back soon so I can have a resolve as well.

9 days later I had to call him ...again!.. Asked what was going on.. after a long discussion and all of a sudden the gauge cluster that he said was broken was now ok!..wtf?. In this conversation he told me he will refund my full amount. OK... This was 3 1/2 weeks ago!! Still no refund... called him every couple of days..and when he does respond to my messages... he says," the checks in the mail!"

So far this return is almost 2 months old with no money back as of yet.

I'm not posting to throw him under the bus!.. He appears to be a good guy....but as far as when your returning items... honestly...HE SUCKS!.

Just an FYI... take it as you wish.

 

I've talked to them over the phone about doing an engine harness. They said it's no problem and they'd get back to me... I checked in again a couple weeks later. That was like 3 months ago and still haven't heard anything back.

 

Well since it's out here and I have the cluster in my car too, let me weigh in.........

overall it's a nice alternative for a modified car like I have; the white face guages just look awesome especially since I was a white car; it makes a big visual statement since it looks somewhat factory and not like a race car dash like other replacement gauges I have seen.....so....

the speedo gauge as given me heartburn since the git-go.....now you have to calibrate these things as the directions say........but I have done that I think I have it close to actual speed but not dead on as I have compared the speed to my GPS.....my main gripe about it is that the needle goes eratic at times at low speeds...from like 20mph to 40mph...it likes to jump around before settling back down.....he sent me a new speedo.....no charge....same results......then the light for the water temp. gauge just stopped working, so I cant see it at night...then he sent me a new light that I still need to install......all the other gauges work great........love the tach!! big improvement than the stock digi-dash which seemed to lag behind the motor speed on my beast; that alone made it worthwhile for me.........but this dash has it's quirks, mainly for the speedo for me.......once you hit speeds of 45mph+ it smooths out..........not sure if its an Auto Meter issue or vettaid, but either way.........

seems like a nice guy on the phone, I agree, but I think there are issues he cannot correct at this point; really glad he put this on the market as it clearly is the nicest looking piece I have seen for an early C4 replacement, but he clearly needs to step up on the speedo issue and get this resolved ASAP before selling another unit to anyone!

Good post, needs to be seen......

 

I will also check in since I have made this conversion and I also posted on the original thread...

The problem I seem to have with my speedo is that it is what I describe as "notchy" until you get to about 40 mph and then it settles and reads correctly. Perhaps the most aggravation I had was the blue bright light indicator... It was blinding! I fixed it by painting over the LED with a drop of Testor's blue paint.

I am glad that I made the conversion and would do it again.

 

It appears that the speedo is a common problem on these. Mine did the same exact thing between 20-40 mph..very notchy. Never did read within 10 mph with my GPS nor the ECM.
My guess its really more of a Auto meter problem. But I just got so sick and tired of troubleshooting a part that was suppose to be plug and play. Its in my opinion that this really needs resolve before he goes any further.
I wish that when i was researching these in the beginning I would have found a post in regards to the "common" issues.

 

sounds like we are on the same page here........I will say that after I recalibrated the speedo the third time or something like that, it became more accurate, at first it was like 6-8mph slow......now it's pretty close to accurate, if not completely accurate after I did another recalibration with my GPS......I did the 45mph 2 mile thing like the directions said...but never shook off the "eratic needle syndrom" in low speeds......20-40mph like we all describe....that appears here to stay...

again, love the tach, and other gauges though.......oh yea, and I also have a blinding hi-beam indicator......jesus that thing is like someone shining a LED flashlight in your face, literally! He sent some dimmer switch to install for that.....

With all that said, I like the product better than the stock dash unit.....I really like the water temp gauge! It lets you know EXACTLY where the water temp. is ......not just stuck in the middle position unless there is a problem ! You can watch it move higher when stopped in traffic, turning the air on, or going down the highway watch it fall after leaving a long stop light.......big difference....

 

Oh, back to your original posting subject.........keep us (or at least me) informed of how the return goes!

 

Just a note:
I finally recieved my refund today. The total process took just under 2 months.

 

Jesus.......


I wonder if Corvette America is aware of these issues since they sell the unit for him out of their catalog......certainly there has been others that have had issues.....