Cluster question?

[SD_GR]

The many threads regarding people that are looking to buy a used car (for example, this thread, 2002 WRX purchasing worries? that I anwered and linked to another similar thread, and another, and so on) and the many threads from people parting out a car got me thinking about the stock instrument cluster.

The stock cluster has an electronic odometre. People sell clusters on auction sites all the time. This raises a concern: is there any way to tell if the cluster on the car when one buys a used car is not the cluster that came with the car? In other words, can a potential used car buyer tell if the mileage on the cluster is correct just by looking at the cluster?

Or are they limited to checking up the history and hoping to find a discrepancy?

Some older electronic clusters had a "dot" that'd warn if the cluster had been removed etc. Is there any warning on our cars, or are used buyers right to worry about true mileage? Isn't anybody worrying about this if I'm correct?

(Note that I'm neither selling nor buying a car, nor a cluster, nor trolling - I just want info to get out there as I think it'll probably help more people than it could hurt, though I admit that's anyone's guess).

[EvilCerealBoX]

i think the mileage is stored in the ecu or something... cause i've disconnected my cluster multiple times to put in new gauge faces (recently) and it goes back to normal... only the trip meter is reset...

[GotWRX03]

i'm not sure if the ECU retains the mileage information, but I know the cluster do. If the cluster relies on the ECU for the correct mileage, mine should've reset to the actual mileage when I replaced the cluster - unfortunately, it didn't. I took note of the the difference between the new and old cluster - comes out to be 20K miles. so, now whenever I look at the mileage, I always have to add 20K to it.

[Trainrex]

Some cars store the mileage in the cluster, and in the BCM (body control module). Our cars do not. The mileage is stored in our clusters alone and can be changed easily. Unfortunately I don't know any way to determine if the cluster in a WRX came with that paticular car other than evidence of tampering on the screws and whatnot. I get people in my business all day looking for used clusters to change the mileage on their lease vehicles because they have gone over their mileage allowance.