help, the HUD FOR MY C5 is not working should I get a used unit on ebay or can mine be repaired? Any for sale here on the forums...whats your suggestion?

 

,obviously, this decision all depends on the price and quality of the used part. My car is just a used chevy, no big deal, my repair skills are low, and that fact doesn't bother me often, to place my reply in perspective.

I wouldn't get a used unit for much above $100 when I just saw a new one on sale for under $300, because the additional money spent, besides the security provided, might help me sell the car later, as an indicator of stewardship, while the used is just a, hopefully good part, of perhaps, questionable value. I don't think the condition of the HUD would effect the selling price, on a car this old.

On a personal note, I would rather buy direct from an established vender with a clear return policy, that values a reputation of fair business.. In case of a problem , a return to some e bay site that might disappear overnight is not my deal, I guess I have read too many repair stories here that used new Ebay parts for the first repair attempt. I understand being on Ebay or amazon is a business reality , but would avoid those working out of a storage unit in favor of a business with an established location. One of the corvette salvage yards I check sells both ways.

To explain, if I start taking apart my dash, it will be a learn as you go experience, probably with some frustration and cursing that I would seek to normally avoid, instead of signing up for voluntarily. So I will try to achieve the most durable repair possible, at my skill level. I'd rather play than twist wrenches, and would be bummed if any installed part failed quickly.


I would try, as I often do, to find the cause of the problem before I start buying parts towards a solution. In my case, the hud has a broken mirror support, it doesn't show high enough in the windshield., an easy problem for me to understand, since I can see the problem, and it is common in lowered cars like mine. If it were other than an easily identifiable mechanical problem , something in the power, signal to the unit, or in the HUD unit, I would have to self learn before I understood the problem well enough to know what to do. My automobile electrical skill level is low, although I do enjoy learning, I fear the frustration of tearing apart stuff I don't understand perfectly, but it hasn't stopped me yet.

I regret I didn't note the location of the reduced price hud, it came up easily , I was using goggle search.

All the best with your repair.

 

You should probably check if it is working but you just can't see it. While I was driving my car back from Texas the HUD kept getting lower and lower on the windshield until I couldn't see it anymore. It does actually work but it doesn't project onto the windshield now. The fact that it was working fine on the test drive and only failed after I paid for the car is a little maddening. Apparently the fix is easy, just taking the whole dash apart getting to it looks like a job. One of those things I'll never fix unless I decide to sell the car. Maybe I'll get some motivation at some point but I might just remove the whole thing then. The dash pad is pulling away from the HUD trim a little bit and leaving a gap. Looks kind of ugly and not sure what the solution to that is.

 

Agreed, but I would like to get the unit repaired...or purchase new if possible...its a discontinued gm part...any ideas

 

I had the "drop" issue and had it repaired. I would get it repaired if you can. If it is done well, the repair should last.

 

MWwarlord, did you find a dealer to repair your HUD, or just an independent..cost?$$

 

I have a really great independent shop that specializes in corvettes and classic cars. They did the repair for me. It was awhile ago, and I don't remember the cost. It was part of a long laundry list of things that I had them do all at once.

 

Mine HUD was not working when I bought the 2000 last year, it did not do anything. I was looking to buy another one but didn't know if the one I would buy would work either maybe it wasn't the HUD to begin with. Had the dash pad off to replace the blend doors so I figured that would be a good time to take a shot at fixing the HUD. Found the pivot pin for the mirror was broke, fixed that thanks to you tube. Not knowing anything about the HUD tried several things that did not work. I believe when I reseated the big connector going to the cluster gauge fixed it. I had already reseated the connector going to the HUD with no luck. There is a you tube video about shorting out some thing that controls brightness of the HUD and I did that also. HUD has been working super ever since I got it all back together. T would n ot buy another one until you can take a shot at the one you have. I had no idea how the HUD worked when i started but I figured it was broke when I started so I can't hurt it. I believe it was just a bad connection. Good Luck.

 

It's a lot of work to get the dash apart to R&R your HUD, so my advice is to take the HUD out and see if the problem is in the pivot. That was the problem with mine. I fixed it myself with a screw and it works great now. If your problem is in the electronics, you might want to buy a new (refurbished ) unit from a recycler. But I'd wait until I had my old HUD in my hands before making the decision to buy a new one. Mine works like new, and the cost was about an hour of fixing and fiddling. While you're in there, consider replacing your ignition switch and your Hazard flasher switch. they are hard to get to unless you have the dash pad off already, and not too expensive.

When I had my dash apart, I installed some LED light bulbs in the instrument cluster. Some of mine had burned out. Something to consider.

Good luck!

 

with the above posts. Chances are it can be fixed. Getting to it is no picnic but I've had those parts out more than I care to admit. Here is a link to some videos that will help you out.
https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...tte+hud+repair
If you need a replacement, a used parts place like Vettenuts might have one. New ones would be hard to find.