It will make things easier to work on. You don't have to fear scratching the face plate up if you have it removed. Bring the needle over the stop and let it come to a natural rest, and mark that location. Or, if your speedo is off by a few mph's, now is the time to fix it the poor mans way. Pop the needle off using steady pressure from underneath and from the opposite side from the needle. Be careful as it will go flying when it releases. Then you have the 2 screws. It's easier than it looks. When you go to re-assemble it, the needle pushes on easy. I had to re-glue the little black cap on my needle.