E9X M3 Cluster Retrofit

Downeaster1 · 07-18-2014, 04:02 PM

Sooo...I bought a used E9X M3 cluster off of ebay (slightly cracked) for $15. It was from a 02/2013 M3 6spd so I figured worst case, I'm out $15. For shits and giggles, I plugged it in. The cluster was advertised to have 4k miles on it and my car having about 14k, didn't think there would be an issue. Upon startup, the cluster assumed the higher of the two mileage, so all was well. The VO in the cluster didn't match the car's VO so I was getting errors for electronic damp. control (because my car didn't have EDC).

I went to an indy shop to use their programming tool to code my VO to the cluster and sure enough, the program (the name of it, im drawing a blank) said it was the wrong cluster. Duh. So I set it back up with the OEM cluster and told it to program again, but right before I hit "code", I shut the car off, swapped the M3 cluster back in, turned the car on, and hit code. after about 20sec, the cluster lit back up and all errors were gone.

I'm still getting the mileage tamper dot due to the cluster and vehicles VIN's not matching, however, I did manage to find the workaround for this to work. I'm going to order a brand new cluster now and program that.

Now one question: To anyone who has done this, which areas need to be physically modified for the cluster to fit? Ive seen one image saying to shave down the sides, but mine still doesn't fit perfectly. Any ideas?

Thanks!

I35it · 07-18-2014, 06:17 PM

Thats so awesome you got the cluster for $15!

07-18-2014, 04:02 PM	#1
Downeaster1 BMW Master Tech 587 Rep 850 Posts Drives: E30, E36, E82, E90, F10, F80 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0) Garage List 2015 Aston Martin V ... [0.00] 2010 Lamborghini LP ... [0.00] 1985 Alpina C2 2.7 [0.00] 2017 BMW M3 [0.00] 2008 BMW 128i [10.00] 2013 BMW 135is [0.00] 1992 BMW 325i [0.00]	E9X M3 Cluster Retrofit Sooo...I bought a used E9X M3 cluster off of ebay (slightly cracked) for $15. It was from a 02/2013 M3 6spd so I figured worst case, I'm out $15. For shits and giggles, I plugged it in. The cluster was advertised to have 4k miles on it and my car having about 14k, didn't think there would be an issue. Upon startup, the cluster assumed the higher of the two mileage, so all was well. The VO in the cluster didn't match the car's VO so I was getting errors for electronic damp. control (because my car didn't have EDC). I went to an indy shop to use their programming tool to code my VO to the cluster and sure enough, the program (the name of it, im drawing a blank) said it was the wrong cluster. Duh. So I set it back up with the OEM cluster and told it to program again, but right before I hit "code", I shut the car off, swapped the M3 cluster back in, turned the car on, and hit code. after about 20sec, the cluster lit back up and all errors were gone. I'm still getting the mileage tamper dot due to the cluster and vehicles VIN's not matching, however, I did manage to find the workaround for this to work. I'm going to order a brand new cluster now and program that. Now one question: To anyone who has done this, which areas need to be physically modified for the cluster to fit? Ive seen one image saying to shave down the sides, but mine still doesn't fit perfectly. Any ideas? Thanks! __________________ 135is #502 of 586 BMW LED Performance Wheel \| OEM FULL Carbon Fiber \| E9X M3 Gauge Cluster \| E9X Exterior Mirrors \| E9X M3 Full Suspension \| E9X M3 Diff \| PT-CAN2 Enabled \| Bilstiens \| Michelin PSS's \| NBT Navigation Retrofit with Touch Pad
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07-18-2014, 06:17 PM	#2
I35it all day 48 Rep 1,181 Posts Drives: 2012 135i Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Temple, TX iTrader: (10) Garage List 2004 Toyota Tacoma [0.00] 2009 VW GTI [0.00] 2012 135i [10.00]	Thats so awesome you got the cluster for $15!
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