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Symptoms:  Your speedometer still works, but the odometer either doesn't work, or is not rolling as fast as it should be (for example, it may take 5 miles to register 1 mile on the odometer).  It happens to most of the clusters after many miles.  Well, don't give up - it's an easy fix, you just have to be careful.  99.9% of the time it is either a split red gear, or the metal gear slipping (more on both of these later).  Both are on the same shaft, just different ends. Mine happened to be slipping at the metal gear, so what I did is give the shaft a little notch by abusing it with some needle nose pliers. That was enough to prevent the gear from slipping... for a while.  Then I had to do the repair again, so I suggest you just head to the junkyard.  Dash clusters are a dime a dozen there, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a red gear/shaft in good shape lying around in another VW. (Notice that although they look similar, not all are the same size, so bring your parts with you when you head to the junkyard)

 
(Click for larger images)  
First, remove the storage tray under your dash if you still have it installed. Four screws does it, shown by green arrows in the image. Then remove the large under-dash panel; the red arrow and line in the image represent where to look for screws and rivets holding this in.
Now, remove the steering wheel.  Use a flat-head screwdriver to pry the steering wheel center piece out, then use a 24 mm (size may vary) socket to remove the nut holding the steering wheel on.  It helps if the steering column is locked.  Take note of where the steering wheel is so you can reinstall it in the same position.
Remove the bezel surrounding the dash cluster (two screws).
Remove the screw holding the top of the dash cluster down.
Now reach up behind the cluster and remove the speedometer cable.  It is held on by a plastic connector with a squeeze tab (image shows this connector).  If you have an up-shift light, there will also be an electronic connection above the speedometer cable.  Remove this as well.
Next, remove the two electronic connections from the bottom corners of the cluster.  To remove these, it's easiest (and almost necessary) to use a thin flat-head screwdriver; wedge it in-between the connector and *gently* twist until you have enough clearance to remove the connector.  The green arrow shows the tab which needs to be cleared on each connector.  Hint: once the cluster is out, file these tabs down a bit to make any future removals easier.
Now the cluster is ready to be removed.  It's a tight fit, but I found the easiest way to remove it is to tilt forward and pull the left side toward yourself, to remove that side first.  You'll find the cluster keeps trying to "stick" to its mounting brackets - it is magnetized.  Be gentle, if you're too rough you may damage the flexible PCB on the back of the cluster.  Picture depicts the angle I removed my cluster.
OK, the cluster is out!  Time to take it apart.  Start by removing the plastic connectors from the bottom of the cluster.  Pry them away from the cluster, then they will slide right off it.  You may get a better idea of how to do this from the image.
Remove the 3 bulbs (red arrows) from the cluster by grabbing them with pliers and gently turning 90 degrees.  These are 2 Watt, 12V bulbs, part number 431 919 040.  Remove the 8 screws (green arrows) holding the flexible PCB to the speedometer.  Remove the screw holding down the small brass bracket in the corner (orange arrow) and gently unclip the microchip.  Now pry the flexible PCB from the top of the cluster housing.
Now you can remove the gauges from the housing, but there's still one more connection before we can separate the speedometer from the rest of the gauges (and from the flexible PCB).   The image shows this connection, already disconnected for clarity.  To disconnect it, I gently pried up on the green PCB (the one in the image with the 6 pins hanging down) one section at a time until it popped free.  Once done, remove the speedometer gauge and put the rest of your dash cluster safely aside.
Before removing the speedometer needle, gently lift it over the stop pin and let go of it.  Make note of its resting position, this is where you will be reinstalling it.  If you install it too far off, I suppose your speedometer readings would be off by some.  Remove the needle by prying up on its base.  The needle itself is fragile, but the base can withstand *some* force.  It's a good thing, because you'll probably need a good amount of force before it pops free.  Next, remove the speedometer gauge face held on by the two small screws (green arrows).
Now remove the sideways "L" shaped circuit board that we unplugged the connection from previously.  It is held down by four plastic clips that you simply flex back to unclip.  At this point we are ready to take out the odometer components, so write down your mileage.
This gear/shaft is the usual culprit.  Analyze where the red gear attaches to the shaft for any obvious defects.  If none are spotted, it's likely that the shaft is spinning loosely in the metal gear (at the other end of the shaft).  Pry out the gear/shaft as shown and remove the mileage "wheels".
If you want to use the "burr" repair, here is approximately where you should burr the shaft; right where the metal gear normally fits on it.  I used needle nose pliers and just made a mess of the shaft (intentionally).  It held for some time, but eventually I had to do the repair again, so I went to the junkyard and found some spare shafts/gears.  If you go to the junkyard, bring the shaft and gear with you, as some are sized differently.  Make sure your parts match the replacements you may find.
Replace your "new" shaft, and slip the mileage wheels onto it one at a time, being careful to make sure they are in the correct position - there are small gears above them that need to be on the correct side of each wheel.  The diagram shows the correct positioning of these gears in relation to the mileage wheels.  If not installed properly, certain wheels will fail to "roll-over".
Once you're confident the wheels are in properly (and this will take some practice), test fit the gauge face-plate back on to make sure the numbers aren't too low or too high when viewed through it.  Then tape the wheels together so they don't spin while we install the metal end gear.
Slide the metal end gear into position, then push the shaft through it.  If your gear/shaft are in working shape, this part is a bitch (to put it bluntly).  Try putting the metal gear in the oven for a short time to warm it up and hopefully expand it (be careful - hot parts!).  A properly sized drift punch and a hammer worked wonders in my case.
  Once everything is in place, now might be a good time to test it.  A properly sized drill bit and an electric drill will do nicely.  Stick the drill bit where the speedometer cable plugs in, and drill away.  Just be sure the drill bit is the right size so you don't strip anything.  I skipped this step, seeing as my new gear/shaft are so tight I wouldn't be able to get them apart if I tried.
  You're done!  Installation is the reverse of removal.  Now I have an odometer which I know to be working and accurate.  It makes timing oil changes much easier, as well as calculating gas mileage.  Plus I like to have an accurate account of how "old" my car really is, if nothing else.

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