> Just as a point of information, I went ahead and tried to pull the needle of the remaining stem, and it took a great
> deal of force to pull it off. My understanding is that these are supposed to easily pull off. Is there some sort of technique to removing the gauge needles that I'm not aware of? I don't want to repeat this with my other gauges...

The following is how a gauge repair guy told me to do it. The shop has been repairing clocks and gauges since the 1920's, so they've done this more than a few times. When I've done it this way, it's always worked very well.

Grasp the gauge needle between your thumb and forefinger where the needle fits over the stem. Slowly turn the needle counter-clockwise, like you would loosening a wing nut, until the gauge hits an internal stop. Gradually increase the counter-clockwise pressure until the needle starts to turn on the stem. Apply some upwards pressure as you continue to turn the needle counter-clockwise on the stem. The needle should pull off fairly easily as you turn it like that. Don't try to turn the needle with your fingers towards the ends of it, or you could much more easily bend or break
it. To put the needle back on, put it on the stem, gently tap it down with your finger tip, and then turn it counter-clockwise as above to get it in the proper position.

Mike Schmidt
'88 928S4 Auto Black/Black "PORSCHE" cloth