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Thread: DIY: How to reprogram a used cluster to match your car's mileage, VIN and coding

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    DIY: How to reprogram a used cluster to match your car's mileage, VIN and coding

    DIY: How to reprogram a used cluster to match your car's mileage, VIN and coding for E38/E39/E53 and E46


    Hey guys, I know several people have been asking me if I can help them to reset the mileage on a used cluster in order to allow it to match their cars actual VIN, mileage, and coding, just like buying a brand new un-coded cluster from the dealer or other parts websites, so I have decided to provide the instructions on how to do it. Keep in mind that this information is to make your cluster download the correct information from your LCM and EWS modules and not to set the mileage to something it isn't. I realize that some people could possibly use this information in that way, but unless they change other modules and the key, there will always be a record of the original miles to compare the cluster to.


    So, let’s move onto the actual information. In order to do this properly, you will need PA Soft 1.4.0 and the associated cable and an INPA cable as well in order to use NCS Expert. This is because some options are unavailable to PA Soft (e.g. setting the fuel tank size so the fuel gauge reads correct when switching between e39 and e38 cluster), while some options are much easier to set in PA Soft, including restoring from a backup of your EEPROM, which is discussed below. If you don't have these, the cables are fairly cheap and can be found on eBay or other such sites. I have no affiliation, but www.bimmersoftware.com sells a FTDI 232-RL based cable (INPA type) for about $40 that ships from the US (gets to you much quicker) and has been tested before shipping. I do know that most if not all will need pins 7 and 8 soldered together inside the cable for it to see all modules, but that's discussed in other DIY's.

    For E38/E39/E53, you will also need a very thin set of pliers with good grip to counterhold the motor shafts while removing the needles, otherwise you WILL destroy the stepper motor springs. When I say thin pliers, I mean very thin, like only a few millimeters wide for the whole length. E46 doesn't require them as they use different stepper motors that aren't so easily damaged.


    First, make a backup using PA Soft of the cluster's EEPROM since you'll need to restore it after setting the VIN and mileage. Ok, so now for some fun stuff. Open up your backup in a hex editor.

    First you need to change some things so that when you restore the backup, it doesn’t write the old VIN and mileage (defeating the purpose of this process). Things will be different in some sections depending on which exact cluster chip you have.


    93S66: (Clusters with SW versions less than or equal to 14)


    If it is a 93S66 cluster, your file should contain data from 0x000 to 0x1FF.
    Change everything from 0x040 to 0x04B to 00 and change 0x084 to 0x087 and 0x089 (there will be a value of 12 at 0x088 that I didn’t change since this is the Coding Index value) to FF. This will write a blank VIN and 0 miles when you restore the backup. Unfortunately, if you already had something programmed in those areas, it won’t change them, hence the reason for putting a new chip in. Also, you can change the value of the VIN as many times as you want until you restore the backup.


    Now that you have modified the file to remove the VIN and mileage, save it as IKE_wr_0_miles.bin, or anything else you want to differentiate it from your backup. You will be restoring this file using PA Soft when you finish installing the new chip.


    M35080: (Clusters with SW versions 15+)


    If it’s a M35080 cluster, it should range from 0x000 to 0x3FF.

    Change everything from 0x200 to 0x21F to 00 to make sure you don’t write the wrong mileage when restoring the backup. The VIN is easily changed at any time, so you don’t need to also clear at section, but if you want to do so, there are several places where you need to change the values to FF. Basically, the process is to look for the first two characters of your VIN in the ASCII side of your hex editor and that will tell you the areas you need to change. The pattern is for example, DN85537 is the VIN, D = 0x44 in hex and N = 0x4E, the rest are in the hex side and look just like the numbers in your VIN, 85 53, then you have that value of 12 I mentioned previously that we don’t change, then the last digit of your vin, 70. So, the pattern I would be looking for in the hex is:


    44 4E 85 53 12 70
    Change each occurrence to:
    FF FF FF FF 12 FF
    The occurrences that I’ve found are at 0x084, and 0x22C. Again, none of this is necessary since you can easily change the VIN on a M35080 cluster using PA Soft.

    Set 0x014 to 0x024 to all 00. Also set 0x02C to 0x038 to all 00. These set the error codes to nothing.
    Set 0x1C4 to 0x1FF and 0x36C to 0x3A8 to (Two different block locations and only do this on M35080 clusters):
    00 00 00 00 0C 40 53 0C FF FF FF FF
    FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
    FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF
    FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF 01 FF FF FF
    This sets the mileage interval for service resets to 0 miles.

    Read current needle calibration:

    Now that you have modified the file to remove the VIN and mileage, save it as IKE_wr_0_miles.bin, or anything else you want to differentiate it from your backup. You will be restoring this file using PA Soft when you finish installing the new chip.

    After you have made your backup, use INPA and go to the "Activate" then "Activate Analog" menu under the cluster section. This will let you set an angle or speed manually. Then you record the needle position for a given angle or speed. I set the angle to specific marks on the gauges so I can easily see where to set the needles when recalibrating them later, for example setting the angle of the tach so that it lines up with 2500 RPM. Using the speed value instead of the angle for the speedo will let you decide how much additional mph it reads over what you actually are going (5% correction that is built-in to the cluster).

    Needle removal:


    After recording the angles of each needle, make sure you get a very good hold on the motor shafts with the pliers. The best way to tell when you have a good grip on the shaft is by twisting the needle and listening for a creaking sound. If you don't hear the creaking, you're turning the shaft and will likely damage the motor by trying to remove the needle. If you do hear the creaking, just lightly pull while twisting back and forth a little (really just a little bit) and they will come off pretty easily. As for the MPG/Oil Temp gauge needle, to remove it, just use a small salad fork to pry it up. The reason that one is different is that the shaft that it is on doesn't go into the motor. Instead, it connects to the motor's shaft through a couple gears.

    Anyways, once you have the needles off, carefully pull the faces off. (If you have a M5/X5 4.8 or 4.6is cluster, you will encounter some resistance on the left side of the cluster when pulling due to the electrical connector that goes to the warm-up led board on the back of the faces.)

    Chip removal:

    After that's been removed, you should see either the 93S66 chip or the m35080 chip in pretty much the same location (refer to pictures on the web of where that is). To remove the red epoxy, I use my hot air station with an xacto blade to lightly scrape it off. If you don't have a hot air station, you can probably try a hair dryer or the soldering iron tip. You'll see that as the epoxy heats up, it crumbles and you can scrape it away. Keep the soldering tip clean by using a wet sponge while you're working. After the epoxy is out of the way, add a bit of solder to the legs on the chip and then add some solder flux. Then use some solder wick to pull up as much of the solder as you can. There might be just a little bit, so try to quickly apply heat to all the legs of the chip while prying it up with a small flat screwdriver on the chip. There is also a bit of epoxy under the chip, so this might be a little difficult. You really don't want to pull up the pads under the chip, so be careful. This is a LOT easier with a hot air station as you can heat up all legs at the same time and just lift the chip off with some tweezers. A basic hot air station is about $120 or so on Amazon and usually comes with a fast heating temperature-controlled soldering iron attached to it as well.


    Ok, so now you've got the old chip off and a new one ready to go on or you've erased the existing M35080 chip. M35080 and M35080-6/V6/VP erasers are not the same, so keep that in mind if using one. Most of the later clusters use M35080-6/V6/VP chips and not the earlier M35080-3 chips that the cheaper erasers work with. Make sure the writing orientation is the same as the chip you took off. There are no indicators telling you where pin 1 is, so that's why I recommend this method.


    93S66:


    Writing upside down when looking at the board.


    M35080:


    The M35080 writing right side up.


    Go ahead and clean the solder pads and solder the new chip in place of the old one.

    Chip programming:

    Now, I made a test bench setup so that I can power the cluster and connect my obd2 cables without being in the car (it's cold in my garage), but you should be able to do this in the car as well. Power on the cluster and make sure that all the lights come on (they might be on a lot brighter than normal) and the mileage reads 274,xxx miles or 641,xxx miles (don't worry, this is effectively 0). You might also have a blinking tamper dot, which means that there is a problem with the EEPROM (obviously, it's blank). If nothing lights up except for a red or yellow light on the right side of the board, you have the chip installed upside down.

    Open up PA Soft 1.4.0. You'll probably get an error talking to the EWS, but this is fine. After it identifies the IKE, you should see all xxxxxxx in the VIN and ZCS area and mileage should be 0km. Anyways, close the identify window and double click on IKE. It again will give you some kind of error and take a bit longer reading the data (though you can bypass the algorithm selection), but should show xxxxxxx in the FGSTNR window, show FF in all the HW, SW, Date, etc. windows. First thing you'll notice is that the algorithm will be misdetected. This is fine. Click the Read EEPROM command. You should see the hex values being pretty much all FF's.


    93S66:

    THIS PART IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!

    On 93S66 - SW13 clusters, you need to set the mileage and VIN before restoring from a backup. I found out recently the hard way that the 93S66 clusters do not download the mileage from the LCM like the newer clusters do. In order to manually set the mileage, you need to leave the detected algorithm set to 93S56 - Tacho, then read the EEPROM, then go to "Reprogramming" and then to "Write Mileage". It will give you a message about connecting a meander or something, just click yes. Then you will have a dialog box asking you for the current mileage. Set it to your mileage in kms. It will reboot the cluster and should show the correct MILEAGE on it. I say mileage because it should show in miles, not kms.

    If you cleared the VIN in the modified backup file, you’ll need to code that to the cluster. Click "Reprogramming" and click "Write FGSTNR". Enter the last 7 of your VIN.

    Click change algorithm and set it to 93S66 - sw13. In the lower left of the PA Soft window, you should see a browse button, click that and point it to the modified backup you made. It should load the hex file into the window to the right. Verify that the values you changed earlier are still 00s and FFs where they were supposed to be. Click "Reprogramming" and "Write EEPROM". This will restore the modified file with all of the previous software information of the cluster (calibration values, M5 or non-M5, coding, ZCS, etc.).


    M35080:

    The algorithm will be detected as 0 by default instead of M35080-1 like you would expect.

    One issue with the M35080 cluster is that you will not be able to manually set the mileage without having the LCM connected to the cluster unless you program the mileage using a M35080 programmer before soldering the chip onto the board. This is because PA Soft cannot write mileage to the M35080, even if it is zeroed out. That being said, I think you can use tool32 to program the freshly installed blank M35080, but I haven't tested that method, and I still think you need it in the car for it to download the correct mileage from the LCM.

    Therefore for M35080 - assuming you have not pre-programmed the mileage before soldering the chip in - restore the modified (zero miles) backup using "Reprogramming" and "Write EEPROM". If you cleared the VIN in the modified backup file, you’ll need to code that to the cluster. Click "Reprogramming" and click "Write FGSTNR". Enter the last 7 of your VIN. Plug it into the car and turn the key to position 2 to download the mileage.

    Final Coding:

    After restoring EEPROM and setting VIN and mileage, you'll need to code the cluster to your car. The best way to do this is to use NCS Expert with an Expert Mode profile, aka reset profile. To do this, open NCS Expert and load the profile, then click the F1 button for ZCS/FA, then click ZCS/FA f. ecu. This will ask what chassis the car is, then ask what module to read it from. For E39/E53/E38, choose the EWS. For E46, choose ALSZ. Once it reads the ZCS/FA from the car, click the back button on the lower right of the screen. Now you have the option to "Process ECU", so select that and then select IKE or KMBI, depending on what is available. Now, click "Change Job" and select "FGNR_schreiben" (in case you didn't already write the VIN using PA Soft before) and execute the job. Wait for the job to say "finished". Next, change the job to ZCS_schreiben (E46 with FA choose FA_Write instead) and execute the job. Wait for it to finish again. Finally, change the job to "SG_codieren" and execute it. This one will code the cluster to the defaults for your car. This is highly recommended rather than changing only what you think needs to be changed and will ensure that the cluster works as it should have when the car was new from the factory. If you need to make any coding changes, switch NCS Expert to a ncsdummy profile and use ncsdummy to change any relevant settings you want. I'm not going into detail on that as there is already an excellent ncsdummy DIY if you search google.

    Needle reassembly:

    After you've tested to make sure everything is working, it's time to reinstall the gauge faces and the needles. The first should be self-explanatory, but reinstalling the needles shouldn't be too complicated. After you have the gauge faces on, plug it back into the car, load up INPA, and go to the same menu you were before. Set the angles that you recorded before and while it's at that angle, carefully hold the tip of the needle over the value you recorded and press down on the base of the needle just a bit. I usually set the angle to 10*, then go back to the angle I recorded to make sure it keeps going back to where it should. If you're a bit off, don't yank the needle off, just turn it as far as it will go until it hits the stop, then nudge it just a bit in the direction you need to adjust. Rotate it back and let the motor try to go back to its set point. If you nudged it too far, do the same in the opposite direction. Once you have it in the right spot, hold the tip of the needle where you want it again, and press down on the base of the needle until it's just above the gauge face. I think it's somewhere around 1 mm or so above the face. I use a piece of circuit board as a spacer under the needles as I press down to make sure I don't go too far and the needle rubs the faces. Check the angles again to make sure you got it still in the right spot and if not, do the same adjustment technique as mentioned above. I recommend doing the tach needle before doing the Oil Temp, since it's much more difficult to adjust the tach needle with the Oil temp needle in the way.


    Reassemble the cluster and you should be back in business.


    If anyone feels uncomfortable doing this themselves, please feel free to PM me for any additional help.
    Last edited by blackknight530i; 09-13-2018 at 05:08 PM. Reason: Updated for 2018

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
    2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
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    Good write up, one question I've had for awhile though...

    For those of us tackling a low to high cluster retrofit in the process.... will the EEPROM export and restore procedure still be valid? In my case going from a low non-m to a high M5.
    Tenured Automotive Service Professional - Avid BMW Enthusiast

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stück View Post
    Good write up, one question I've had for awhile though...

    For those of us tackling a low to high cluster retrofit in the process.... will the EEPROM export and restore procedure still be valid? In my case going from a low non-m to a high M5.
    Your question brings up the first bit of confusion that I probably should have expected from an overwhelming write-up. The backup of the EEPROM is not of your old cluster, but the new one. This is because the EEPROM stores hardware and software info, stepper motor values, etc. that need to be restored to the new EEPROM chip being installed in the cluster. You cannot restore a backup EEPROM from a cluster that is not the same hardware and software version and expect it to work, assuming it will even let you as many different version clusters have different size EEPROM files.

    Basically, to answer your question, this process is to install a new EEPROM chip into the M5 cluster and make it ready to receive your coding information, VIN and mileage. The only thing you would need to get from your old low non-m cluster is the correct mileage (can instead be downloaded from the LCM as mentioned in the DIY) and the coding specific to your car, though for most, they will be pretty much the same. NCS Expert can make a trace file of your old coding and you can load that into the new M5 cluster once you've got the VIN and mileage set and restored from the M5 cluster backup. The whole point of the DIY is to clear the VIN and mileage from the old car, insert a blank EEPROM, program the VIN and mileage of your new car, then restore from the backup of the new cluster. Since the VIN and mileage can't be changed once set, it fills in all the other holes by restoring the backup. Those settings can then be set using your standard coding tools (NCS, PA Soft, etc.).

    I hope this all makes sense. In summary, you shouldn't have any trouble following this DIY to install a M5 cluster in your car that had a low non-m cluster.

    - - - Updated - - -

    When I do another cluster this week or next week, I'll post pics of the EEPROM data as I change things to better clarify what I mean.

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
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  4. #4
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    Great info, I'm subscribed.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    Great info, I'm subscribed.
    Cool, I was a bit worried how posting this info would be viewed given the nature of what can be done with it.

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
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    I don't think much of an incentive exists at this point to illegally manipulate an odometer, and a simple carfax check would bust any fraudsters anyway.
    Tenured Automotive Service Professional - Avid BMW Enthusiast

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stück View Post
    I don't think much of an incentive exists at this point to illegally manipulate an odometer, and a simple carfax check would bust any fraudsters anyway.
    Agreed. It has just always been a touchy subject and, while I figured most on here would understand my intentions, there was still just a bit of worry.

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
    2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
    2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers

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    JimLev's Avatar
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    It's probably technically above most of the users to even attempt doing something like this. I see nothing wrong with swapping clusters as long as the mileage stays the same.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    It's probably technically above most of the users to even attempt doing something like this. I see nothing wrong with swapping clusters as long as the mileage stays the same.
    Exactly. I just didn't want to keep this information secret since it benefits a lot of people. It's kind of like DUDMD offering to virginize DME's. The market for used DME's is now possible, just as it should be for used clusters without making the car drop in value due to unknown mileage.

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
    2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
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    Great write-up!

    When I coded/retrofitted my M5 cluster - I was able to correct the VIN and mileage without changing any IC.

    NO idea how is it possible. Lucky for me.....I suppose.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jopecasa View Post
    Great write-up!

    When I coded/retrofitted my M5 cluster - I was able to correct the VIN and mileage without changing any IC.

    NO idea how is it possible. Lucky for me.....I suppose.
    Is it a black face gauge cluster? What did you do to change the VIN and mileage?

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
    2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
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    Wow! Excellent and highly detailed write up. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

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    Quote Originally Posted by GreenTiger View Post
    Wow! Excellent and highly detailed write up. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
    Thanks!

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
    Eibach ARBs, UUC Evo3/DSSR, Borla Exhaust w/Muffler Delete, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto, Bi-Xenons, e38 Style 37 M-Pars, e60 Hubs 530i 6-speed swap build thread
    2005 Range Rover 4.6is (M62TU Powered) - 4.6is Engine Swap from X5, BMW NBT with Carplay/Android Auto
    2006 Porsche Cayman S - Soul Performance Competition Headers and Exhaust, H&R Coilovers, 718 Boxster Spyder wheels, Rennline 35mm rear spacers

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    @ Blackknight530i

    I got a Grey faced M5 cluster.

    I just followed BMWPlanetDude writeup using PA Soft 1.40....see step 3.1

    M5 Cluster Retrofit

    After it reboots VIN and mileage were correct.

    IDK.....could be the version of PA Soft I'm using?

    Either way I was a happy camper!
    01 E39 530i - SOLD !
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  15. #15
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    The M5 cluster came from the same year as my 2001 530i.

    This could contribute why I was able to make it work with my E39 without hassles?
    01 E39 530i - SOLD !
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  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jopecasa View Post
    The M5 cluster came from the same year as my 2001 530i.

    This could contribute why I was able to make it work with my E39 without hassles?
    That just codes the VIN. Unless your cluster had the same miles as your car, it isn't accurate. This DIY shows how make the mileage match the car.

    -Paul
    2003 "M5" - Full M5 conversion, AMG C63S 6 piston front calipers, Porsche Panamera 4 piston rear calipers, GC Coilovers,
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  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by blackknight530i View Post
    That just codes the VIN. Unless your cluster had the same miles as your car, it isn't accurate. This DIY shows how make the mileage match the car.
    I haven't tested this, but I think if the cluster's mileage is lower than the real mileage, then setting the VIN will allow it to get the correct mileage. If the cluster's mileage is higher, then setting the VIN would cause every other module to get updated to the cluster's mileage. Which would be rather unfortunate if the disparity is large.
    Last edited by TerraPhantm; 03-04-2015 at 03:08 PM.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by TerraPhantm View Post
    I haven't tested this, but I think if the cluster's mileage is lower than the real mileage, then setting the VIN will allow it to get the correct mileage.
    I know this is true were as it concerns E36's, as I've done it a couple times putting low miles clusters in high miles cars (with bad clusters) There is actually a test you can run through the cluster with the odo reset button that makes it adopt the higher miles from the EWS/ZKE.

    The 2000 M5 cluster I have is 143k or so I think, where my car is 194k.
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  19. #19
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    Awesome stuff Paul. I have a whole electronics workbench so this all sounds real easily doable. Thanks for posting this, I know you've been doing clusters for a few folks so the proof of concept is rock solid on this... I had benched the idea of an M5 cluster a long time ago but w/ Terra figuring out the coding part for oil temp this is a whole different sitcheashun.
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    Quote Originally Posted by TerraPhantm View Post
    I haven't tested this, but I think if the cluster's mileage is lower than the real mileage, then setting the VIN will allow it to get the correct mileage. If the cluster's mileage is higher, then setting the VIN would cause every other module to get updated to the cluster's mileage. Which would be rather unfortunate if the disparity is large.
    I have tested both and neither happens. If the VINs match and the mileage doesn't, it increases the cluster mileage until it reaches the mileage of the LCM and EWS. Then, when they are the same, they all increase together. If the cluster mileage is higher than the rest of the car, it will increase the cluster only I think. Nothing automatically happens when you plug it in and turn to position 2 unless the mileage is 0 and the vin matches.

    -Paul
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    Awesome stuff Paul. I have a whole electronics workbench so this all sounds real easily doable. Thanks for posting this, I know you've been doing clusters for a few folks so the proof of concept is rock solid on this... I had benched the idea of an M5 cluster a long time ago but w/ Terra figuring out the coding part for oil temp this is a whole different sitcheashun.
    Yeah, I've done a few for people and will continue to as long as people want me to, but I wanted the info out there for the die hards. I just hope that anyone considering doing it themselves removes the needles the proper way. Replacing the stepper motors due to improper removal of the needles can be an expensive mistake. Not one that I can't fix, but a mistake nonetheless.

    -Paul
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    Hmm interesting. Have you driven on such a setup for any length of time? They're supposed to sync every 25km when everything is working, I wonder if that's the case for the above scenarios. Either way, if you're going through the work, resetting to 0 makes sense.

    Does the cluster really show 26xxxx when you set to 0? Every other BMW I've worked with shows 62xxxx (basically ~1 million km in miles)

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by TerraPhantm View Post
    I haven't tested this, but I think if the cluster's mileage is lower than the real mileage, then setting the VIN will allow it to get the correct mileage. If the cluster's mileage is higher, then setting the VIN would cause every other module to get updated to the cluster's mileage. Which would be rather unfortunate if the disparity is large.
    Yes I found a data tidbit in some piece of official doc - maybe some of those factory EWS training materials? - that said the mileage writeup only happens if it is within a certain amount. I don't remember what it was but it was sensible - like 2k km or something like that - so that any case of mix-match parts is highly unlikely to write-up the wrong mileage. Makes sense that the designers would have thought of that. So if a module gets unplugged or otherwise (comm errors or whatever) out of sync temporarily for some short mileage amount it will write up but if its a real different number then it won't apply.
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    Quote Originally Posted by TerraPhantm View Post
    Hmm interesting. Have you driven on such a setup for any length of time? They're supposed to sync every 25km when everything is working, I wonder if that's the case for the above scenarios. Either way, if you're going through the work, resetting to 0 makes sense.

    Does the cluster really show 26xxxx when you set to 0? Every other BMW I've worked with shows 62xxxx (basically ~1 million km in miles)
    Depends if it is a 93s66 or M35080 cluster. 93s66 reads 26xxxx and M35080 says 621xxx.

    From what I've understood, the modules only sync if they are within 60km of each other. If the disparity is larger, it won't sync.

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  25. #25
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    Hmm, 93s66 cluster might max out at 26xxxx miles then. I've only worked with m35080. At least in the m35080 case, they read 621xxx because the cluster is trying to read negative. There's a parameter, OFFSET_GESAMTWEGSTRECKE, which decrements the cluster's mileage by upto 255km (mainly for when a car is moved in the factory and then reset back to 0 and such). So when it subtracts a number from 0, it ends up reading the approximate max value the cluster supports (minus a few km)

    26xxxx is a very low max value though. I imagine someone would have mentioned the cluster stopped incrementing if that really was the max..

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