After installing my indiglo needles I'm 60% sure I messed up the gauge cluster. I'm going to attempt to rectify it but anticipating the problems I have with it I think I may need a new one. Now I've checked a few junkyards in the area looking to see if I can get a cluster close to my own reading. I found a cluster that is actually only 2,000 miles over my original reading. I'm not looking to screw anybody over in the future so I figured I'd get one a little above my reading and drive a bit with the broken cluster and then swap.

Heres the question... in the event that I can't get a perfect swap (ie the mileage is off by 500 - 1000 miles or so) is the mileage recorded anywhere else... like by the ecu? my car is a 96 gxe. If it isn't then I can just swap out the cluster with the new one. If it is, I'll have to take the new cluster to nissan so that it's perfectly matched and documented. I'd like to avoid this if possible as I know they'll charge an arm and a leg but i'll do it if it means no hassles later. I just don't want to try to sell the car in the future and have a big problem because the mileage doesn't match up some where.

Does anyone know the answer to this?

TIA!
Chris

 

Call your local dealer, reputable shop or even your local BMV / License branch.

Explain your odometer just busted ... they should be able to issue some document that will indicate what your miles were when you swapped gauges and what the replacement gauge has. I don't know if you need to use a new gauge with 0 miles to do this though ...

I would imagine it could be done properly since people's odometers go bust occasionally! Let us know

 

from what i knoe...every time u go to have service at the dealer the mileage is recorded...even in major accident ur mileage is recorded with the insurance company and the shop u had it repaired...it is documented....

 

i'm going to call the dealer and see what they want to do this... although it will most likely be pretty expensive. my friend did this with his ford truck and they wanted $300 + to do it!!! this is what i'm trying to avoid. if it's not recorded by the ecu then i won't have a problem.

 

right but i mean like a rolling recording... ie - the ecu. i don't have a problem with the shop recording the mileage since i'm not turning it back or anything. i just don't want my mileage on my cluster to read 93,000 miles and the ecu to read 91,000 and have someone question it later on ya know?

 

Go to the Tag Department for you state. Tell them that you need to file an adjustment for milage. There is a peice of paper that you have to fill out with the old milage and the new. That way you aren't going against "rolling back". This is available in GA, but I am not sure about your state. I think it is available nationwide.

 

I'm 99% sure it is not recorded any where else and if it is nobody knows were anyways . If you have the dealer document it you may run into suspision when you go to sell the car, your best bet is to just get one from a junkyard and keep it to yourself.

 

this is what i'm thinking... you know what kinda questions i'm going to get when i say "this is a list of oil changes... and oh yeah - this is the document from when i had the mile changed". heh.

 

Either way you've just lost about 40% of your vehicle value. You won't be able to sign off on your cars "original miles". I've dont a lot of dash board work and I'm wondering how you might have ruined your Odometer since it's encased in plastic. If it isn't working properly go back and double check your connections. You might want to give JWT a call about the miles on the ECU, since they have experience with doing modifications to the ECU.

 

I think I told this story before. A guy when we were in college tried to alter his mileage on his VW before he was gonna trade it in. He broke the odometer. He got it replaced by the dealership. They did not do anything special, there is no secret panel with a triple-lock seal. They just put a new odometer in and that's it. It's a good thing that odometers are electronic now, not mechanical. I wouldn't buy a car that's got a mecanical ODO. C'mon now, 1997 Maximas in Jersey with 27,000 miles and such for sale. Try to take that car in for warranty work at a Nissan dealer. yeah, right. I'm not sure why but the 2 dealers I've taken my car to do not have the correct delivery date, it just says 1/1/98.

Since the 96 is mechnaical why sweat it just put a replacement in. I would think that most of the used ones would have realistic mileage, because it'd be unlikely it came out of the car in say 98, 99, etc.

 

well than just roll the odometer 2K back or leave it like it is
2K miles wont to much of a difference trust me

 

My buddy had his changed at the dealership also. (at around 70,000) Even though this is reported by the dealer (or is supposed to be), they gave him a piece of paper indicating the odo change +extra miles, all while his CARFAX came back CLEAN!!! SPOTLESS!!!

I wonder how reliable CARFAX reports are... or was the dealer just too lazy to report it?

G

 

carfax is the devil!

 

probably too lazy to report it.

 

My brother had his replaced at the dealer, they put in a new odometer, it read 000000, adn they put a sticker on the car stating the odometer was replaced on such and such a date, and it read xxxxxx at the time.