Dash Gauge Repair
08-25-2015, 06:54 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Dash Gauge Repair
After dealing with a "Check Charging System" message for 2-3 weeks, installing a new alternator, and having the battery load tested twice it's aparent that I have an issue with the dash. I have several questions:
If I buy a replacement dash is it plug and play or do I need to have it flashed at Ford?
Has anyone with this problem had their dash repaired thru the company on ebay that sells the repair service for $49 plus $15 shipping?
I'd live with it but am getting tired of having to reset the audible alarm all the time.
If I buy a replacement dash is it plug and play or do I need to have it flashed at Ford?
Has anyone with this problem had their dash repaired thru the company on ebay that sells the repair service for $49 plus $15 shipping?
I'd live with it but am getting tired of having to reset the audible alarm all the time.
08-26-2015, 06:49 AM
#2
Moderator (Ret.)
Are you absolutely sure its a cluster issue for this warning light?
Most Ford dealerships will order a replacement cluster for you with the odometer's mileage flashed into it prior to it being installed. I suspect that the places you have found on eBay for repair service do this as well.
If you buy a similar cluster for your truck used off of eBay or a junkyard, it will not require any flashing to work; the odometer mileage will not reflect your current mileage though; this is what would need to be flashed if you want to be "legal". Whatever odometer mileage that is in the used cluster is what's going to show when you install it in your truck; if its lower, maybe you see this as a benefit (although illegal); if its higher, then it could hurt your resale if its significantly higher.
When you go to trade the truck in, a dealer makes you sign a paper that states the mileage is "true", and has not been altered. If you sell it outright "as is", I don't think you are required to make that statement.
Most Ford dealerships will order a replacement cluster for you with the odometer's mileage flashed into it prior to it being installed. I suspect that the places you have found on eBay for repair service do this as well.
If you buy a similar cluster for your truck used off of eBay or a junkyard, it will not require any flashing to work; the odometer mileage will not reflect your current mileage though; this is what would need to be flashed if you want to be "legal". Whatever odometer mileage that is in the used cluster is what's going to show when you install it in your truck; if its lower, maybe you see this as a benefit (although illegal); if its higher, then it could hurt your resale if its significantly higher.
When you go to trade the truck in, a dealer makes you sign a paper that states the mileage is "true", and has not been altered. If you sell it outright "as is", I don't think you are required to make that statement.
Last edited by Mod (Ret.); 08-26-2015 at 06:53 AM.
08-27-2015, 02:22 PM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I understand the mileage issue. I have no desire to misrepresent the mileage. My question is another dash going to be plug and play, which it is. Earlier dashes had to be flashed to the truck they were going into to operate. Also still unanswered, has anyone used the repair service thru ebay to resolve the message issue on their existing dash and did it work? This is important since $65 is much cheaper than buying another dash and having it flashed to the correct mileage.