I've had 2 Tiara's (31 Open & 38 Open) each with VDO gauges and over my 25+ years for both I never had a problem with any VDO guage including the hour meters... On the 31 the hour meters were separtate guages and on my 38 they are digital as part of the analog tachs.. Haven't heard anyone having issues but that's just me... I'd check the connections to ensure there is not corrision on the terminals.. M2C

