Mileage adjustment
 

Hi all new on here though read it for a few help topics many a time but this is not covered...Note before as it seems in other threads like this folks get carried away saying its illegal and so on I have a very genuine rreason for my request to adjust the displayed mileage... So genuine and thinking others do it for none genuine reasons I am wondering if I should declare the rreason as it may be an excuse others are not aware of to adjust request a mieage adjust...for non legall reasons...
Anyway does anyone know if this can be done easily say using ebay purchased or internet available items...its already cost me a bit to sort the problem prior to this bit and dont fancy paying a UK volvo dealer silly money to do it ...I will have a seconhand instrument cluster to fit.. wasnt buying a new one and I am told it will come with with whatever miles are on it which undoubtedly of course wont show the same as the car its being fitted to has done ...

The cars mileage is stored on two separate places , dash display & the main control module..

From what I've read it is not as task for the DIY'r

However, it is very doable to have an instrument cluster repaired, so as to keep displaying the original miles.

"Original" to the cluster or "original" to the recipient vehicle??

Cheers

Dave

I meant, to have the original cluster repaired, so as to display the original miles has.

Thanks for your replies guys I had heard its stored two places which is great but also a problem as well then Harveys you seem to know your stuff Does the module record in both Km as well as Miles eg is it convertable I sadly cant have the instrument cluster repaired or I would have done. there is actualy nothing wrong with my original instrument cluster except it cant be used in the UK so I am left buying a secondhand one that can be used in UK and altering the mileage I guess but the module will show up I guess in KMs unless that can be changed conerted to miles maybe it has to be a dealer job

Volvo probably stores the data in the Flash memory as Kilometers.
Most car manufacturers outside the USA do this.
The display of the mileage is then easily adapted to Miles by a simple mathematical calculation.
But that is not your issue.
You issue is wanting to fitted a 2nd hand DIFFERENT instrument cluster to the vehicle, and thus you will end up with a configuration in the vehicle that was not anticipated by the vehicle manufacturer.
The cluster you fit will have a different part number to the original cluster, and it will be not the anticipated cluster for the vehicle.

Volvo never anticipate that a vehicle be reconfigured from eg a USA market to a European market, or a Japanese to a European market, etc.
You MAY thus have firmware and software controls in place that cause further problems.
I say MAY as I am not sure if the cluster itself is a programmable item.
I am not sure what your results will be.
The DIM inside the cluster IS programmable, and must be coded with the correct data for the market that the car operates in. This holds some basic info such as time and date format, display in °C or °F, etc.
But how does the cluster handle differences in vehicle coding when it comes out of vehicle A and is fitted to vehicle B?
I don't know.

Even if you do swap of the cluster from the original cluster in MPH to a cluster in KMPH, you may continue to have problems as the vehicles core market data, as stored in the CEM, contains a coding item that states what type of instrument cluster is fitted (MPH or KMPH) and other market relevant data

So while I am not saying this is impossible, I am saying you need to be prepared for the event that it may be more difficult than you think.

I suggest you find a supplier that is willing to provide you a cluster on a "try and see" basis with some form of money back if not satisfied.

why don't you just get the software changed for UK market ? I'm sure that option is available ,

You can use a car in km in the UK - every model I have seen has the alternative units also marked on the speedo.

The mileage is stored in the instrument cluster and it is possible to alter this, it’s is also stored in the central electronic module (CEM) and I don’t think it’s is possible to change this in isolation?

FYI the CEM is configured at the factory for miles or km and the distance is also stored in the native unit, and service reminders, speed limiter etc is based in those units.

So as Clan said if you a really determined to do this then a full software reload of all relevant modules would be the only safe, predictable way. Whether Volvo has a documented process for that I don’t know, if they don’t then I suggest it’s not an option.

A safer option might be to buy a second hand instrument cluster and swap all the guts of yours into it - if the speedo was on the same scale. You’re odometer would still be in km but speed readout in mph. I’m sure there will probably be a downside to this but I can’t think of one currently.

There Is only one software for the DIM needed , "English" application is probably the one if the car was configured for say France ...

One day I was looking at two clusters side by side, one with miles, the other with km. It seems to my eyes that the speed gauge sits at the same place on both of them, so perhaps only swapping the speed overlay will do the trick?

thanks for all your help guys if i didnt have to do this I wouldnt but dont want to sell the car its only done 45k and thats kilometres the cluster I am swapping is a different part number as this one does not show mph at all.
I am left with three choices pay a dealer some silly money to do this and they are not even sure either Spend a poultry 50 60 GB£ or the equvalent in euros on ebay for a second hand cluster and ether get on Kmh with Mph as secondary in middle... say a mainland europe one or a UK US style one with MPH foremost then KPH in middle Ill worry about the actual distance travelled as I am keeping the car after all but at least I can register it in the UK then... sorry I put the picture upside down but its just given me a great idea one of you may eluded to Tskr the cluster to pieces and hopefully that MPH KPH is just a black metal disc if it could be swapped with a kph mph euro style without upsetting the needle as I imagine thats quite sensitive Ok that might not be easy

Be very careful: USA clusters have different warning icons and different symbols and thus may also be different internally

Even Canada is different to USA

Make sure you understand what market your vehicle was made for, and what market you want to convert it to
Investigate the differences in the clusters - the easiest way is to read the Owner's Manuals for the different markets

Then take a very deep breath and take the plunge in whatever direction you want to go

You will likely need to reprogram things using VIDA as well, so make sure you have access to VIDA

Thqnks again Swiss I have a place called Southport Auto center who are Volvo specialist and Vida equipped but mot sure I have had a read of the manuals and no difference heck ive even got the towbar turn signal on the dash...The car was a diplomatic sales supplied to Australia so right hand drive.... Australia are a bit of a cheepskate (typical Australia) eg it has an alarm button. alarm red light on dash and on fob but the alarm was forgotten ...the car has been parked for 4 years of its life in total and for some 1200 AU dollars it is being shipped to UK financially its a no brainer but it has no mph dash which is a yes brainer ....

you could just memorise what 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 are in KPH and stick with the original instruments.

I know in the motorbike world there are a lot of grey import vehicles with KPH clocks. All that is needed on these is for an instrument overlay with the mph figures marked. Can't see why it would be any different for cars. Only downside is the 'mile' counter is still in km.

The converting is somewhat easy in my head as I drive in many countries so have got used to kph mph in my head.. its the red tape guys at Vosa or whatever its now called wanting an mph displayed on fascia. I am looking into the overlay option or swapping just the front of the clock facia and leaving the car in kms with an mph second much like mainland europe cars... hoping there may be a thin semi circle even hollow circle shape that will negate the need to even touch the needle on the speedo eg feed it over and stick down

It’s the DVSA now and most of them are half trained fugwits with attitude (in my experience). They’ll probably miss the speedo and try and do you for not having matching wheel nuts or something.

The Speedo is checked at MOT now but I think only that it works. There are a few testers on here that may be able to confirm?

Hi,

First off mileage correction is like cutting and shutting cars. It isn't illegal. What is illegal is doing so with the intention to deceive a buyer, or using stolen parts.

Second, it's straightforward to alter the mileage, forward or backwards, if you have the right equipment and know-how. I suspect this isn't something Volvo could do, as I doubt their equipment is specifically set up for it.

From my experience with commercial vehicles, 9 times out of 10 the truck manufacturers couldn't alter the mileage, or they could wind it forwards but not backwards, but specialists with the right equipment could. All about the EEPROM :)

Have a quick trawl through the MHH Auto forums, it's an eye opener!

I agree that it's possible to alter the mileage on the dashboard using simple memory chip programming tools, but altering the mileage stored in the CEM is another matter and I don't think anyone's done that.

With regard to "clocking", in the new age of electronic service and MOT records, unless you are winding back a sub-3 year old car small amounts on a regular basis - I don't see the point because it's so easy to check now.

The Russians have.

I've read some discussions on Russian forums about altering the CEM flash memory.

BUT it requires very special tools, not readily available, and knowledge of how to calculate and generate the required PIN code needed to alter the CEM memory. And even the Russians keep that a very good secret.

In other words, there's a lot of security built in to the CEM that will stop all but the most determined hackers from messing with it's memory contents

It's straightforward altering the memory in the ECU, its just a specialist job.
Equipment is readily available, what isn't readily available is the knowledge on how to do it! Hence the expert needed.