05 Ion body control module

I bought this car for my granddaughter who will be driving soon. It has 89000 miles on it and I gave $1000 knowing it had a problem. The drivers master control on the armrest doesn't work. I bought a new one but it didn't fix the problem. local garage said it was the body control module which is no longer available. Found a used one on Ebay which when i installed it shows a lock icon on the control panel. Service manual says it needs to be programmed . Took it to the Chevy dealership and was told it wouldn't accept the VIN.then told me once they were installed new they couldn't be swapped later. Is there a company that sells rebuilt modules? This car is immaculate and drives great.

 

If I'm not mistaken, your Ion has Passlock antitheft with remotes. The bcm is married to the ecm for security, A Passlock sensor in the ignition assembly detects ignition lock rotation as well as an embedded resistor in the ignition switch as part of Ion antitheft. When a sensor, ecm or bcm is replaced, the Passlock system must be relearned in a 30 minute procedure to remarry parts to allow the antitheft system to work. GM uses their scantool in 10 minutes while owners must perform the same procedure in 30 minutes without GMs scantool.

You can try marrying the replacement bcm to see (a) learn Passlock security and (b) if the driver's control panel is restored. Security is a priority when dealing with ecm and bcm issues. The bcm carries odometer mileage and cannot be reset. If the original bcm/mileage is lower and the replacement bcm has higher stored values, it will display the stored mileage.

 

Passlock reset indeed.

To answer your question directly, yes there are outfits out there that sell refurbished BCMs for all kinds of vehicles. You buy a blank BCM, DO NOT INSTALL in the vehicle. Get a binding quote from the mechanic for installing and flashing the BCM with a correct program for your VIN. Sounds like he knows what he's doing except he's not old enough to know or hasn't worked on enough Saturns to know that the Vin can only be entered once.