My controls for the DIC dont work... cluster works fine and shows what its supposed to but the controls dont work.. i took the car to the dealership they said that they would have to replace the cluster and the controls... after they told me its gonna be a little over $1000 i found clusters on ebay... i found one with almost the same exact miles.. just a little over.. so i could wait until i hit the exact mileage then swap them... i just have 3 questions:

1. Will the cluster that i buy work with the car.. or would it need some kind of programming?

2. Would a Z06 cluster work?

3. By any chance could it be something else preventing the controls from not working (even though the stealership said it was the IPC and the IPC controls)?


THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

If the cluster itself is functioning properly, the problem could be in the control buttons or the connector/wiring harness. Check the connectors and wiring to the control buttons first. Buttons second.

ALWAYS be suspect of what the dealer determines to be the problem. They are not nicknamed “stealerships” for nothing.

Sounds like the dealer suspects either the IPC or the control buttons, so why not cover their own butts by replacing them both and increasing profit at the same time. (They probably suspect the buttons or related connector/wiring)

Dealers and some other repair shops like to throw expensive parts at a problem until they stumble upon the true cause, charging YOU all along the way for their incompetent experimenting.

 

In the Navy, we called that process "Easter Egging" and it's BS. I also agree that the switch or cable connection is a strong suspect here.

Much of the time dealers will throw parts at something until it works and gets the car out the door as fast as possible, in order to get the next car in. In their defense though, SOMETIMES........repeat SOMETIMES, a repair can only be accomplished by them by replacing a complete assembly that GM offers for a particular component. Such is not necessarily the case here, as the IPC switch mentioned IS an available part as a separate item.

This is the kind of problem that involves real, actual, diagnosing and the vast majority of dealerships do NOT want to get into a diagnosing scenario, ESPECIALLY if it involves warranty work. The longer the diagnosis takes, the longer the car stays in the shop taking up space that could be filled by another customer with a potentially high-dollar repair, i.e. transmission repair or engine repair. They cannot make a viable profit by operating on labor alone, and that's what (real) diagnosing involves.

To the OP's question:

1. Yes, and no it does not need to be programmed (unless you want to program the correct mileage).
2. Yes.
3. Possible? Yes. Likely? Not realistically.

Btw, if this car has ever had the IPC out for any reason (HUD installation or repair first among them), then it's even more possible that the connector to the switch is loose. Remember too, that particular wire harness has a "switch end" and a "IPC end" and there is a connector on each end.

HTH