Dead Tach and VDO Question

My Vintage Speedster tach died and they quickly replaced it. They mentioned that their Chinese tachs were having a lot of problems and that they had gone to a VDO tach.

I looked up VDO and it appears to be a specific company who builds instruments. It this also a generic term that means something?

So what exactly does it mean when they say they went to a VDO tach?

Cole

VDO is a company that makes quality gauge products..

You may have misunderstood, perhaps they went to a VDO "tech" to have their tachs re re-calibrated/repaired. Seems very unlikely that they would trash an entire supply of tachs if they could be repaired. If VDO is a quality manufacturer, makes sense that VDO technicians are well versed in setting up tachs (of any manufacture.)

I suspect that it was a misunderstanding on your part, that they must have meant "tech" rather than "tach."

VDO "used" to be a quality company - stuff made the last 15 years is like others - lowest bidder (i.e. Taiwan/Chinese with lots of plastic - even the case is now plastic). A VDO service center like North Hollywood Speedo or Palo Alto Speedo can replace the guts with either old guts (from say a 914 Tach) or new VDO quality guts.

That's interesting that VDO would repair and fix Chinese gauges...

Nah . . . I was just kidding.

Tach? tech? Couldn't resist throwing out a seemingly "reasonable" yet complete absurd suggestion.

NH Speedo is actually called NH Speedometer and Watch Company - they are authorized VDO distributor but repair many other brands too such as Motor Meter, Veigel, A.C., Smiths, Veglia, and Stewart Warner instruments. They aren't inexpensive but they are highly rated and offer a 1 year guarantee on repairs.

It wouldn't surprise me if Kirk has finally thrown in the towel on delivering his cars with those Chinese tachs; he had to give me four of them in one year!

I'm sure he has a lifetime supply of dead Chinese tachs that he is probably sending to North Hollywood Speedster to have refurbushed with genuine VDO internal parts. If that is what you now have, your tach problems are over.
Troy

I did mine with them years ago for $160.00 then. Still going strong...