2010 Escalade Hybrid Drive Inverter question
 

A very specific question for those with Tech 2s. I am working on a 2010 Escalade 2-mode Hybrid. I replaced the Hybrid Drive Inverter that’s located under the hood at the passenger side firewall. The replacement looks identical and has the same part numbers as the original. I came to find out this particular component is VIN encoded to the theft system. Since it came off of a different vehicle, the theft system is now activated and the vehicle won’t start.
Can a new VIN be encoded to this Inverter to make it work or are they not interchangeable. I can’t find a local service department to give a straight answer.
I would rather not pay the $3500 to purchase a new one from GM.

I've been watching this one since it posted. Nobody else has responded so I'll throw in my $0.02 .

I speculate that it can be re-VINned, but don't know for sure. My speculation is backed by the knowledge that it needed to have a VIN applied in the first place so there is writable space in the unit to do so. The question would seem to be whether or not GM locked it somehow . . . and if they provided a way to unlock it for legitimate reasons. The dealership should be able to answer this question, however, they likely aren't highly experienced in this. There weren't many of the GMT900 hybrids built and very few of them are still on the road today . . . so there probably isn't much in-house knowledge at the dealerships, and if they have any, it is rusty. This being the case, I bet they'd have to consult others and/or the GM mothership with your issues. Doing this costs time and money and if the customer is cost-concerned and the dealership doesn't already know the outcome is a good quick one then they might not want to take on the task. Unless they have a lot of empty bays.

My suggestion: Call a bunch of dealers. You might find one that is more knowledgeable and/or willing. Pick your favorite and work it as a collaboration. Be willing to pay for at least a few hours labor while they explore the issue.

Thinking about this: What happened to the original inverter?

I looked around online a bit and can't find an answer to your original question. I did find this: https://gm.oemdtc.com/8752/tac-part-...-chevrolet-gmc

. . . which has some more information. I believe the phone numbers listed won't talk to Joe Public, but will probably talk to a dealer. I bet they'd want an hour of labor to call the mothership and find out your answer. Since your alternative is close to $4,000.00 I'd say pay them to find out.

Best case: The mothership says ["yeah, sure you can reprogram the VIN, here's how"]

Worst case: The mothership says ["nope, the VIN is locked in"] and you at least know where you stand on the issue.

Actually these can be cleared and have new VIN added. Not sure if this one can be done with the scan tool or if you have to hard code the chip directly.

I have reached out to all 3 dealerships in my area and none seem too keen on helping. I was told they would have to consult with a tech and get back with me - they never did. Or I was told right off the cuff to bring it in and they would do it (didn’t seem like they put any thought into what I was actually asking).
In the end I’m trying to save the time of having to take it out there. I already took it in once (closest Chevy dealer) for them to diagnose the problem ($130) and all they did was pull the same codes I did and tell me that it would probably cost $1200 in diagnostic labor to figure out the problem.

I would use either option if I knew it existed or would work.

I haven't seen in GM SI that that module can not be over written. I would try to do a replace and program option in Programming that should over write it and then Theft Deterrent would have to be learned. Hope this helps

Ok. Thanks for the response everyone. I haven’t had anybody tell me yet that it can not be done. I’ll be taking the Cadi to the dealership on Monday.

Sounds like a winner. Get a quote and hold them to it. Maybe they know they can do it. There's no way to know for sure from your perspective. That's on them.