Resetting odometer (was Headlight switch)

[zm@mhcnet.att.com (Zafer Mehmood [209])]

> >
> > OK, I can dig that, but whatcher point? :)
>
> The message said the light stalk was broken while reseting the odometer through
> the steering wheel while turning out of a gas station. The point was merely
> that I've been told that doing that is a good way to screw up the odometer.
> Maybe it'll save someone the price of a rebuild.
> 
> -- Rob

I can vouch for this, with some first-hand experience. I once reset my
odometer while the car was crawling (~ 5 mph). It stopped working and
didn't work for days. I was about to give up and consider repairs/
replacement when I tried to reset it again while the car was stationary.
Something clicked behind the odometer and it started working again and
it has ever since (about a year now). I think the design of the VDO
odometers is such that the resetting mechanism probably gets in the way
of a moving part and could possibly break if the car is moving fast. 
I think I got lucky since the car was barely moving - the mechanism
just jammed but didn't break.

So, on an Audi, its safer to reset the odometer only when the car is
stationary. BTW, I have reset the odometers on my other cars at speed
many times with no problems.


-----------------------------------------------------------------
Zafer Mehmood				   AT&T Bell Laboratories
zm@mhcnet.att.com			   Murray Hill, NJ