Junkyard cruising today and picked up an SS instrument panel for $25.

I temporarily installed it and no codes, didn't go crazy, FBI didn't show up, car did not explode

However, the SS mileage showed on my odometer, not mine. That is almost a 100,000 mile discrepancy, and not in my favor.

Took it for a drive, speed was correct, tach was correct, temp and fuel gauges worked normally.

Now then, what I have been able to discern online is that in order for MY correct mileage to show, I need to get the IP VIN matched with the BCM. I'm calling around a few dealerships over the next few days to see if anyone will do it, as well as program my extra fob. My local Chevy dealer will not do anything if you don't buy the parts from them. But at least for the test, everything else worked fine.

My main reason for the IP swap is I like the red accents, they match the car. If they were both 120 mph speedos I'd just swap faces. Once I get this done, I'll post up what was necessary and what it cost so there is a definitive thread here for anyone else interested in doing this. I should note that my panel and the donor SS are both 2008's, as that may be a factor.

I also picked up the rear door cards from a windowed HHR, to give me a grab handle other than the door handle in my panel. Since there is no upper surround I'm going to fabricate something and cover it with vinyl. I don't want to cut up my original panel door cards because if I screw it up, they are not easy to find around here.

The SS in the junkyard still had it's rear axle, going back later to grab that. But that is a tale for another thread.

 

The Odo data is stored in the BCM. A replacement I/P must have the VIN matched to the BCM in order to function properly. It is part of the GMLAN.
Nobody ever said anything about illegality or codes or dire warnings.

 

But fun to tease about the FBI showing up! I so want to swap in a Canadian issue 200 KLM IP to replace the 120 mph US , but am concerned the speed will be off, and my Tech II scanner expert has retired and nobody at my dealership knows how to use one!

 

Based on reading, I think the new GM computer interface works on the older systems.

 

This is what I have read, and hooking it up and going for about a 5 mile drive it did not show my mileage of 142,xxx miles, but the other car's mileage of 250,xxx miles. Now on another GM forum, it was stated that turning the key to 'on' with no IP connected, then turning off the key and installing the IP will cause the BCM to upload the mileage to the odometer. Dunno, worth a shot. But I did find it interesting that everything functioned, including the odometer. I'm aware that anyone with the proper scanner will be able to read the car's true mileage, so I'm not too concerned about adding 100,000+ miles but I do want it to at least be in the ballpark. But the SS IP did essentially 'plug and play' without any warning lights or problems other than incorrect odometer reading.

 

That might work with a "brand new" IP. Like radios.

 

Well, that trick didn't work. I was mistaken earlier, the SS odometer does not advance, but the trip odometer does. Otherwise, everything functions. I'll be calling a few dealer service departments to see if any are willing to try and VIN reset the SS IP.

Side note, when I plug my original IP back in, the miles accumulated while it was out are added to the odometer.

 

Because the data is stored in the BCM. The BCM does not recognize the SS I/P so it does not update it.
If you replace a BCM you have to extract the odo data from the old one and insert it into the new one along with introducing it to the CANBUS.

 

Yep. This is pretty much what I expected. Its actually an effective way to prevent scammers from rolling back odometer. I have found a couple scan tools that can do an odometer "calibration" but they are fairly expensive.

 

So, after calling the few Chevy dealers in my area, there is one 15 miles from me that will do the odometer correction. Cost is $275.00
There is another way to do this that involves removing the EEPROM chip from the original cluster, and soldering it to the new one. While I'm good at soldering, my hands are a bit shaky these days so I won't likely pursue that avenue.

Side note- when you call about odometer correction, it's best to state that you are looking to make the odometer match the actual vehicle miles. I could literally hear the apprehension in the voice of one service dept rep who flat out refused to do anything with the odometer.