Retrofit Message Centre - definitive answers

[Simon]

Originally Posted by Keith

there is another possibilty
Getting a matching LSM and IKE from the same car and just accepting the mileage they contain

You would have to get the mileage the same as your car, or as near to it.

Is there a law about altering the mileage data on a vehicle? Specifically, is it illegal to change the mileage data on a car? We wouldn't want Mr.Plod come knocking on our doors saying we've been naughty....

[CDTi]

Originally Posted by Simon D

If I recall, quite a few cars are fitted with the "Message Centre" IPK as part of the HighLine or Lo-Line SatNav options. This does not mean you have the trip computer (aka Button on stalk) feature too. This "Trip Computer" is another option that (as a new car) you could have ordered.

Isn't this a bit daft i.e. having the trip computer actually fitted but unable to access it due to the absence of a button. Marketing gone crazy...

Originally Posted by Keith

It should Identify IKE is incorrectly coded to the car and offer to recode it.
Provided IKE is new or has <100 miles on it (or something like that) it reads the cars ZCS codes all identical and stored in half a dozen ECUs and writes them to the new IKE. It also reads the cars mileage from the backup held in the LSM and writes that, job done

That is my understanding anyway

Thats what I need to know, Keith, for when I'm talking to a service tech. Is it a very specialised job on T4 or should anyone who can use a T4 be able to use it? Is IKE the same as IPK? What does ZCS stand for?

Originally Posted by Keith

there is another possibilty
Getting a matching LSM and IKE from the same car and just accepting the mileage they contain

Wouldn't the VIN still be different



Thanks again for all the expert knowledge. Where would we be without the gurus

[Simon]

IPK and IKE are one and the same

ZCS = something or other but it's the major codes that tell the car what it is, what options are fitted and all that.

VIN codes would be different, but from what I understand T4 will re-program these (somone correct me if I'm wrong about this). It won't reprogram the mileage data though as this is protected and cannot be re-written using T4.

[Keith]

Vin is also held in all main ECUS and I think it is read from there along with the ZCS codes during coding of a replacement. You are also supposed to type it in for each T4 session but people rarely do unless in cases where it might be needed like your exercise then I would definitely type it in first

I did that when replacing Austin Toveys BCU the other day

Simon as for mileage it might be ill eagle for an Arthur Daley type to clock a car and misrepresent it but a private owner can do as he likes.
MOT and V5 history may show a discrepancy if the difference is huge but that then just becomes an explaining exercise at selling up time, keeping records might help.

Anyway swapping both IKE and LSM is just a theory I have, no doubt someone will try it one day then we will know.

[CDTi]

Good news! - I found a former dealer with a T4 about 20 miles away and I am booked in @3 pm today. Bad news is its €100 (£60 sterling) for the priviledge :SHOCKED: . I don't mind paying if it works. Hopefully the techie knows how to use it! Wish me luck..

[Keith]

Whilst there (and to be safe) ask for a printout of the cars current GM SA and VN codes (they will understand)

Always worth having for the future

Note
Don't worry part of the SA code will change if you get them to enable other things whilst there like lazy locking.

Charging an hour is fair, Job will probably take 30 minutes to do plus you need to pay for the behind the scenes stuff booking and invoicing time etc even a simple piece of work in any business probably involves half a dozen people by the time it goes on the books.

I claimed £5 expenses for lunch a few days ago, god knows how much that expense will actually cost to process by the bean counters

[CDTi]

Originally Posted by Keith

Whilst there (and to be safe) ask for a printout of the cars current GM SA and VN codes (they will understand)

Always worth having for the future

Note
Don't worry part of the SA code will change if you get them to enable other things whilst there like lazy locking.

Charging an hour is fair, Job will probably take 30 minutes to do plus you need to pay for the behind the scenes stuff booking and invoicing time etc even a simple piece of work in any business probably involves half a dozen people by the time it goes on the books.

Thanks for the advice, Keith.

I plan on having most of the removal work done before I go to the garage - so only the single screw at the top of the IPK to remove. That should speed thing up a bit.

BTW was the T4 ever updated? The reason I ask is because my 75 is a facelift so were there any changes made to for my car? Hopefully not.

Originally Posted by Keith

I claimed £5 expenses for lunch a few days ago, god knows how much that expense will actually cost to process by the bean counters

I work for the Government and you wouldn't believe the red tape surrounding even the most paltry of expenditure!

[Keith]

T4 as a machine has been about quite a while the RDS application and the Car specific Data CDs were regularly released. These included T4 bug fixes e.g routines to better handle comms errors etc or updates to fault finding info and very occasionally engine ECU maps for emissions etc.

The latest Data CD I have is DST0005 for the 75 and ZT. I would be interested to know if they have a later one

[CDTi]

Originally Posted by Keith

The latest Data CD I have is DST0005 for the 75 and ZT. I would be interested to know if they have a later one

I will find out but my worry is that they may have an older version and it will not work on my facelift. Unfortunately I'll have my two sons with me (aged 3 and 5) so my ability to have a natter with the techie and look at what he is doing will be somewhat limited. I suppose I could lock the kids in the boot for a while!

There were not too many facelifts sold here in Ireland so I don't know if the dealers ever got the latest cds.

[CDTi]

I'm back from the garage and guess what - it worked The cost was €100 as previously stated but plus VAT , so a total of €113 (£75 sterling). I asked for the codes as Keith suggested (I even wrote it down!) but I didn't get them. The techie mumbled something about codes not needing changing so he couldn't print them. I don't know if what he said was true or if he couldn't/wouldn't do it.

The whole operation took about 20 minutes. I was informed that I wasn't insured in the workshop and politely asked to leave. I really would have liked to see the T4 in operation.

So anyhow job is done and I'm delighted . Total cost was £102 for the unit, £12 postage and £75 programming so £189 - less than half the cost of a new unit. Two last jobs to do on the fit now i.e. change the clocks overlay to my old one (the old one is Km/h) and fit the switch.

Thanks again for all the help and advice.