Instrument cluster swap - legality?

[TheInsanity1234]

I've just bought a '60 Kia Picanto 1, and I want to swap over the instrument cluster from one with just a speedo and a huge fuel gauge to one with a rev counter.

Having done my research, it does appear that the mileage displayed on the odometer is stored within the instrument cluster, and not on the engine ECU.

It is likely that if I'm swapping the cluster that I'll be getting a used one from a breaker somewhere, so the odometer will have the mileage of the car that was broken up stored on it.

Will there be any legal issues with the odometer not displaying an accurate number for the mileage done by the car it's fitted to? I doubt I'll ever sell it on, it's £350 and a true shed to see me through the next few years.

[TheInsanity1234]

Ah, another question - would doing this be classed as a modification that I'd need to inform insurance about?

steveo3002 said:

do what you like as long as youre not trying to pass it off as lower mileage , document it and inform any future buyers

Thanks, that's what I thought. As I said, unlikely it'll ever get sold on, it'll be my daily for a few years and then when I upgrade my parents will probably take it off my hands as a dog car/shopping trolley.

[TheInsanity1234]

steveo3002 said:

well some insurers claim a sticker is a mod

personally if its a factory fit part id not be calling them , but it up to you

That's true. It will be a factory fit item, it's just not fitted to this particular specification. The only difference is the new cluster will have a rev counter. I want to keep it as OEM as possible as I don't particularly want a garish blue backlit pod poking out of the dashboard somewhere!

[TheInsanity1234]

CAPP0 said:

Those 1.0 Picantos are a bugger to rev-match on a fast downshift if you don't have a rev counter

Trust me, my motive not about speed and performance, a 1.0 Picanto has neither of those! I'm profoundly deaf and can't really shift by sound, so I like to have the visual aid of the rev counter to aid mechanical sympathy, as otherwise I'd probably just be relying on the synchromesh to match the engine speed and it'd just be a jerky old time for all passengers!

After a few months of driving a car daily I do settle into it and the rev counter is no longer a necessity, but for those first few months while I'm still learning where the torque peak is and how much flexibility do I have in gear, it is useful to know whereabouts in the rev range the engine is!

[TheInsanity1234]

BertBert said:

Putting a rev counter on a model of car normally without one is definitely going to be a risk factor
I'd make sure your insurance increase doesn't make it uneconomic!

Mind you, if you are replacing a broken one with whatever you can find in a scrappy, perhaps it's not risk enhancing!

Bert

I am quite clumsy, so it is feasible I'll break it whilst just having a quick peek behind it to figure out what the wiring looks like, and then have to buy a replacement anyway!

Cyberprog said:

Could you not buy a plug in ODB gague which may report the engine RPM to you?

Not entirely sure the car has an ODB port... I've only had a cursory glance around it, but I'll be able to take a more thorough look tomorrow!

Chiswickboy said:

Will the new instrument cluster be a straight plug in with existing wiring for the rev counter or will it need additional wiring and a sender? i.e. need to be modified.

I'm hoping that it should be a straightforward plug-and-play type situation, as the car does have an ECU and a wiring loom, so wouldn't make sense to have an entirely different loom when the instrument cluster changes with the trim level!

[TheInsanity1234]

Thanks for all the useful advice, I'm now on the look out for a cheap cluster on ebay. I'll likely do the swap in January, perhaps shortly after the MOT which is due at the end of January, as that way I have it on official record what the approximate mileage was around the time of the cluster swap. I'll make sure to take photographs. My father suggested writing up a simple document stating something along the lines of "cluster swap on [date], mileage recorded on original cluster xxx,xxx miles at time of removal, mileage recorded on replacement cluster xxx,xxx miles at time of installation" and then signed by myself as RK and a witness, and then attach photos to that document as a belt and braces method!

That way there can be absolutely no dispute as to what the true mileage of the car is!

[TheInsanity1234]

boyse7en said:

Seems a lot of work for what you admitted was really only needed for a few months until you get more used to the car. An OBD port reader (The ELM327 ones seem to get decent reviews, so that's the one i got) is around £5 then just download a free app like Torque and it will display the RPM. Takes less than five minutes to connect it all up.
I don't know the Picanto very well, but having had to work on instrument clusters on other cars they can be a long job with lots of hidden screws and levering of delicate plastics to find clips.

Well it's also kind of a thing I fancy doing, for the sake of doing it, as my last car was a Citigo on finance and whilst I desperately wished I could muck about with it and change the radio etc, I never could because it had to go back as standard as possible, so this is the first car I've got that I can mess about with, just for the sake of it!

[TheInsanity1234]

swampy442 said:

As above, just record the mileage and inform any potential owners.

As an aside, with MOT checking app's you can see the mileage history so it will be very hard to hide it anyway. Not saying you would of course

The car is only worth £350, and my dad has already said when I'm thinking about moving it on he'll take it off me and keep it as a worthless runabout for their dogs until its wheels fall off, so no need to worry about mileage issues when selling it on.

Was just unsure as to the possible repercussions from the DVLA/other organisations for not having a true representation of the mileage within the car or something.