So - Just got my first 96 Neon - Pretty happy so far, BUT:
I'm thinking I want to swap out my non-tach gauge cluster for with with a tach - looks pretty easy to do.

But my question is; isn't there some legal problem with just swaping out the odometer? Do you have to get the milage certified some how? What would a dealer do that I can't do myself.

Does anybody know what the "right / legal" procedure for such a thing is? (there must be one).



Thanks in advance


esch

 

the only thing u have to do is change the odometer reading on the new cluster to match the one in your car now. yes its considered odometer fraud only if you go around telling people you rolled back your odometer or some stupid **** like that. as long as it matches up, the dmv will not question it.... not that they care.. i found out through carfax my odometer was rolled back 20k miles from the person who gave me the car and when i went to register the car they never even picked up on it.. i recently switched my non-tach cluster to one with a tach and it was very easy.

 

Awsome! -

So the I guess the next question is: is it hard to change the odometer reading? Can you just push it around by hand or is there some special trick?

(I guess if I time this right, my car is just about to roll to 100K - should make it easy)

But otherwise, sounds good to me - I'm not so worried about he DMV, but I like to deal on the up and up when I can....


Thanks again!

esch

 

You can unbolt the odometer from one cluster and swap it into the other. Think it's only 2 screws...

Keep in mind the stock tach isn't very accurate. It gets you in the ballpark and all. But if you need accuracy, spend the money on a decent aftermarket unit and/or shift light. The stock tack is voltage driven, aftermarket tachs tend to be pulse driven. Most Neons (all except some of the '95 models) have both voltage and pulse signals from the tach wire, but the stock tach only uses the voltage reading to make its guesstimate.

Best of luck!

 

its extremely easy and if you have computer experience its even better.. you have to take the back of the cluster off and unscrew the circuit board and pull some wires off. once thats out there is like a little black box that has number dials on it which is the odometer.. you basically just have to turn them until they match up to what you need on the front... takes a little time to turn the dials but its not hard... then you just screw every thing back on and pop the cluster in and make sure it all works..

 

Its very easy to do. I would not worry about the odometer. If you are trying to stay dead legal, I know in CT if the odometer was changed or altered in any way, you have to disclose it on the title. There is a spot on the title that state the odometer reading is not correct.

[IMG]local://upfiles/5849/9C414FF208FD498F875058E54F697BF5.jpg[/IMG]

 

Or... just swap the stupid odometer units from one cluster to the next and not have to worry about turning anything. The units are identical...

If you really want to make things that complicated, why not just find a cluster with fewer miles than the car you currently have, then pay someone to drive it around until the odometers are matched up? I don't know... I usually go with the simplest solution.

 

I agree 100%, its just hard to find something in the ball park

 

i don't remember how the odometer unit was attached. it could be easy enough to switch out the odometers. but that means you have to take apart 2 clusters and put two back together... that why i said it might just be easier to change the dials on the one odometer. its all a matter of choice both ways would work.