Is the dealership ripping me off?? Help! ASAP! [/align][hr]

I have a 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager. It broke down about 4 months ago, I replaced the BCM(body control module.) It still wouldn't run after, so I've had it towed to the dealer. The dealership has told me that you cannot replace the bcm beacuse the vin is burned into the part and you have to buy a brand new one which is 600 dollars. The bcm I put in is from the same exact van and part number. They say there's nothing else wrong with the van but the bcm, and the van won't even turn over. Everything the bcm controls is working.
Is this the case? I've seen numerous posts on here about people replacing bcms from the junkyard and they work just fine. I am really in a pickle beacuse I need this van really bad, but I don't have the 1000 dollars they want. THANKS SO MUCH![/align]

 

are they saying that u need a new bcm if so and u think u can get away with it just install another junk yard one. What are the issue ne way b4 i give my 2 cents worth.

 

I put a bcm in myself from the junkyard..
Since I bought the van, I've always had problems with the door locks locking and unlocking, alarm going off by itself, lights blinking on and off, door ajar ligth chiming. This is what led me to believe the bcm was bad. It got worse and worse over time, and then the van started stalling and shuting off while driving, and eventually I couldn't leave the driveway with it because it would stall so bad. My husband replaced the bcm with one from the junkyard with the same exact options. After that the van would start and immed. shut off, then wouldn't even turn over.
So the car lot I am buying the van from towed it to the dealership for me. The dealer is waiting for an answer from me as we speak, and I don't know what to tell them. I think they just want money beacuse I too have seen MANY instances of people replacing them and working even with no reprogramming. But what else could it be?, we can't figure it out and the dealer will go no further with checking it out, and we already paid 290 for 3 hours of nothing. Thanks so much for your response and help.[/align]

 

so after u put a junk yard bcm in the no start issue started then. Well that would be based off the alarm system that is built into the old bcm u installed. Now what u have done possibly is told the PCM engine computer that u now have an alarm and infact really dont have one. U may infact be looking at a new bcm and new engine computer I have had this done at my place b4 where some one installs it them self and not knowing that the old van had an alarm system and it will disable the van if all the stuff that the BCM is looking for is not there. The only real way of knowing if the old van had an alarm was to have a scanner that can get into the BCM and it will say with VTSS and if u installed the one that does have VTSS and u did not have it to start with U pretty well screwed your self by having to pay for a new BCM and possibly a new PCM to boot.

 

Chrysler tech, that was a good answer, thank goodness we have someone like you on this board

 

to bad i dont get paied some times on here hehe or atleast get some side work from here.

 

But my van does have an alarm system, the bcm I put in has all the same exact specifcations as my van. Everything the same...