# 2004 Buick Regal - Odometer **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** buick\ **Created:** [November 2, 2019, 3:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977 "2019-11-02T03:39:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Vaughnj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/dec6dc/32.png) [@Vaughnj](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Vaughnj)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 3:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/1 "2019-11-02T03:39:42Z")
Have a situation where all dash lights work, except the odometer, which comes on, maybe once every 3months. The bigger problem is that I can’t get the emissions check done without it. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2019, 4:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/2 "2019-11-02T16:14:01Z")
Likely the instrument panel has a bad trace on it and will need replacing. Parts are not likely available from GM. Try a google search for a repaired unit. Good Luck on that. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/3 "2019-11-03T01:04:58Z")
There may be shops somewhere who offer repairs on these GM display units. You mail the broken one to them, and they mail it back to you, fixed. Google should find them. Problematic GM dash displays isn’t an unheard of thing here. You can use the forum search feature to see what others have offered for advice and what the poster has done. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/4 "2019-11-03T01:16:13Z")
There may be a bad connection between the instrument cluster lamp for the odometer and the circuit board. ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/b/e/bef77036c6467b1c1e70b2efa42d1ab9005575af.jpeg) Those small tabs on the lamp are what makes that connection. I’ve removed clusters and used an eraser to remove corrosion at these connection to get lamps to work again. Tester ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 4:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/5 "2019-11-03T04:24:20Z")
> [@Vaughnj](#): > > The bigger problem is that I can’t get the emissions check done without it. says who . . . ?! I perform smog inspections . . . and there is a provision for situations where you can’t read the odometer it doesn’t require any additional paperwork . . . the inspector has to indicate that the mileage is unknown at one point during the inspection process. It’s all computerized ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2019, 11:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/6 "2019-11-03T11:02:21Z")
> [@Tester](#): > > There may be a bad connection between the instrument cluster lamp for the odometer and the circuit board. It’s not a bulb ![Capture](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/a/d/ad42da4441b0f31f4f3bed56a4c37726bcd11af8.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/7 "2019-11-05T02:47:01Z")
I’ve always been curious about how the dashboard space is parsed out. For example why do you think they devote so much valuable dashboard space to the rpm-meter? It seems like that display should be about the size of the coolant temp display, and certainly not bigger than the fuel display. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 4:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/8 "2019-11-05T04:00:43Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > why do you think they devote so much valuable dashboard space to the rpm-meter? does your 1992 Corolla have an odometer . . . ?! 🤔 Moving on . . . Not everybody driving a vehicle has hearing as excellent as yours. For such a person, the rpm gauge might be quite important . . . ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/9 "2019-11-05T04:08:56Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > does your 1992 Corolla have an odometer The 92 used the tried-and-true conventional (mechanical) version, so of course has worked perfectly for 28 years. I wouldn’t have guessed that drivers who are severely hard of hearing would shift by looking at the rpm meter. I thought either they would choose to drive an automatic, or would look at the speedometer. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 4:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/10 "2019-11-05T04:16:02Z")
If you’re hard of hearing and driving an automatic, the rpm gauge might still be useful What if you’re driving in “D” on the freeway at 65mph, yet the rpm gauge shows 4000rpm . . . ?! That might indicate the automatic didn’t shift into the proper gear ratio . . . Since you appear to think the rpm gauge is useless, you could use this The brothers mentioned this product many times ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/9/1/91546cae35ef2ca97fb39608ad1efb0fe83c3212.png) George, I could not resist 😃 ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/11 "2019-11-05T04:17:09Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > Since you appear to think the rpm gauge is useless I don’t recall saying that. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 4:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/12 "2019-11-05T04:18:03Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > I don’t recall saying that. The way you’re talking, it sounds like it to me there will be times when somebody interprets things you say in a way that you didn’t expect them to just saying . . . ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-buick-regal-odometer/151977/13 "2019-11-05T04:20:52Z")
Fair enough. However I wouldn’t waste Scotch Super 33+ to block out the dashboard display. I’d use some of the 50 cent electrical tape for that.