Driver Information Module (Instrument Cluster) repair options? Topic is solved

[Jonboy74]

Hi everyone,

My DIM is going bad, likely due to bad solder joints. I'm wondering what experience any of you have had with these, or ther repair shops? I've got the skill, but not the time and proper solder tips, and I'm, not willing to risk a slip and face the wrath of SHMBO if I goof and have to pay $1,400 for a new cluster

So, XeMODeX appears to be the most comprehensive, providing a pre and post diagnostic test of some sort...but at twice the price or more of the others I have found, I'm trying to decide if they are really worth the difference. Any insight you all might have would be appreciated.

Here are the sites I have found:

XeMODeX, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada https://xemodex.com/us/product/driver-i ... 473-10-20/
Cost: $399
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Prepaid shipping: Included both ways
LED lighting upgrade available: Not sure
New/Remanufactured DIM available: Yes - $499
Repair Turnaround Time: 1 day (excluding transit time for shipping)

Automotive Circuit Solutions, Ozark, M, USA https://www.automotivecircuitsolutions. ... 2963751944
Cost: $149.99
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Prepaid shipping: NOT Included - only return shipping
LED lighting upgrade available: Yes - $20 extra
New/Remanufactured DIM available: No
Repair Turnaround Time: 1 day (excluding transit time for shipping)

Circuit Board Medics, Greenville, SC, USA https://circuitboardmedics.com/2001-200 ... er-repair/
Cost: $199.99
Warranty: one year
Prepaid shipping: NOT Included - only return shipping
LED lighting upgrade available: Yes - $30 extra
New/Remanufactured DIM available: No
Repair Turnaround Time: 1 day (excluding transit time for shipping)

European Electric, Tullahoma, TN, USA https://europeanelectric.net/products/v ... n-shipping
Cost: $135
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
Prepaid shipping: NOT Included - only return shipping
LED lighting upgrade available: Not sure
New/Remanufactured DIM available: No
Repair Turnaround Time: 1 day (excluding transit time for shipping)

Any I am missing?

Thanks,

Jonboy

[dwaldron]

I had mine repaired recently at European Electric. It is perfect. I had to reset codes after install.

[SuperHerman]

Xemodex is a solid, but expensive outfit. I had a 2002 XC70 which was showing signs similar to yours, but ended up being shunt in the CEM. I doubt this is your problem as I had fuse blowing immediately. I have used Xemodex on two occassions for CEM repairs with great success.

When I pulled out the DIM I found a sticker on it showing it had been repaired locally in Minneapolis by a shop that does speedometer repairs. I asked the prior owner and he stated they charged him $150.00 and provided a one year warranty. It may be worth doing a local search for speedometer repair shops - the problem is rather common across brands. Makes life easier.

[oragex]

Have you looked on Ebay ? DIM repair services, around $150. At least you will get some sort of backup/warranty for 60 days.

Not sure if it's a problem, but maybe ask first Xemodex for any chances to pay extra for duty/brokerage. Canadian customs are not that obvious

But make sure you choose a place that will check the whole control board, not just the chips. there are also small smd resistors that go bad, so everything must be checked. Once fixed, it should be good for many years

Remember the trick with the car battery being disconnected while the DIM is out

Just for fun, the DIM is not the most expensive module that goes wrong, I think the top is the DEM for the haldex awd (part 2) https://www.volvopartswebstore.com/show ... y_make=865

[Jonboy74]

Remember the trick with the car battery being disconnected while the DIM is out

Not sure I follow - what do you mean?

Thanks,

Jonboy

[oragex]

If the DIM is unplugged while the car battery is still connected, the fresh DIM will show an permanent SRS message and a yellow triangle - only the dealer can era$e it (or someone with Vida)

[Jonboy74]

If the DIM is unplugged while the car battery is still connected, the fresh DIM will show an permanent SRS message and a yellow triangle - only the dealer can era$e it (or someone with Vida)

Too late - I've already got that just from the DIM failure itself...half the time I'm driving around dependent upon the Speedo app on my phone because the entire cluster is dark half the time...

[Jonboy74]

I also found these guys - http://www.nsifleet.com/home.html - I submitted a contact request form. I'll let the collective know what they say...they are actually local to me.

And these guys: http://www.atlanticspeedometerrepair.com/ but no email contact info on the website, so I'm gonna have to call them.

And these guys: https://www.instrumentclusters.com/ - they provide shipping both ways and include a 1 year warranty, but you have to submit contact info to get a quote for repair.

And these guys.... https://atlantaspeedometer.com/sign-in. ... ort=normal howvere they do not specifically list the V70, their price to repair other Volvo DIMs is over $200...so I would lean toward XeMODeX over this one.


At this point, unless I decide I am comfortable with NSI I am leaning toward XeMODeX or European Electric.

Thanks,

Jonboy

[Jonboy74]

Well, none of the independent shops responded to my query, so I ended up going with XeMODeX. Here's why:

The bottom line is that I'm dealing with a *VERY* expensive piece of circuitry and gauges that cannot be easily replaced without $$$$. The cost of the part quoted from the dealer was well over $1,000. $1,400 if I recall correctly, and that was just the cost of the part. So, I wanted to choose an actual business where someone would definitely be there to sign for the package and be responsible for it...not an opportunity for package thieves to steal it off the front porch if it was a home repair shop. Second, because of the expense involved, I wasn't interested if a lifetime warranty wasn't offered. Third, I used to work in manufacturing, and have actually worked in two ISO 9001 certified facilities. I understand the expense and processes required to obtain that certification, and its nothing to sneeze at. When I realized they had this certification and had over a dozen employees, I knew this was a serious outfit. Fourth, I wanted diagnostic testing, not just someone who would reflow the solder. As I mentioned in the beginning, I COULD do that myself, but would have no definitive way of knowing that I had REALLY solved the problem. Finally, XeMODeX replaced all of the bulbs, and added heat-sinks to help dissipate heat from the critical components. This seemed to be over and above what everyone else offered, adding value to their product offering.

Here's my thoughts on the others that I mentioned:

Circuit Board Medics, Greenville, SC, USA, pay to ship to them, $199.99 - these guys were honestly my first choice, because I could literally drive to them (a few hours away). The other reason is they are a real business, not a guy working out of his house. Dealbreaker? no lifetime warranty offered.

European Electric, Tullahoma, TN, USA, pay to ship to them, $135 This was my second choice....until I figured out that this guy worked out of his home. I have nothing against home based business, however see above...that was a deal breaker in this particular case.

Automotive Circuit Solutions, Ozark, MO, USA, pay to ship to them, $149.99 These guys were 3rd choice, simply because they were SOOOOO far way from me. If they shipped ground, then it would take too long, and I'd have to rent a car while I was waiting on the repair...thus increasing the out of pocket cost significantly.

So....the premium guys it was. I was ready to pull the trigger on this:

XeMODeX, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, all costs included, $511.05 including Express Shipping

But then I thought about it for a moment and decided to see what the price difference would be to get one off the shelf from them:

DRIVER INFORMATION MODULE PRE-PROGRAMMED FOR VOLVO - $499

When I realized the total cost defaulted to express shipping @ $79 (becasue they are in Ontario) and still included return shipping....the total came out to $653.05 (and I'd get $100 back once I returned my misbeaving DIM to them) which meant that the cost difference was only $42. I wouldn't have to rent a car, and would have essentially zero down time.

I ordered the new unit on Friday, and Received TODAY. I installed it today, and shipped the old unit back to them today. I couldn't be happier with the fact that I have a lifetime warranty and experienced practically zero down time.

So there you go.

Thanks,

Jonboy

[abscate]

I enjoyed reading this thread just for the kickass analysis of the options. I think your evaluation procedure could be ISO 14000

Let us know how your car repair goes of course