2003 Buick regal driver information mpg please help!

[Hunter03regal]

Hello I just recently bought a 2003 Buick regal ls. And I have some questions regarding the dic or driver information display. When I bought the car it showed me the average mpg but when I ran low on fuel and filled up it then showed me miles until empty example (230miles). Is there a way to change this back? I don’t have any buttons near the fog light ?. Also is there any way to reset your mpg. Thank you for any help.

 

[TornadoThrower]

Hello I just recently bought a 2003 Buick regal ls. And I have some questions regarding the dic or driver information display. When I bought the car it showed me the average mpg but when I ran low on fuel and filled up it then showed me miles until empty example (230miles).

When you run low on gas, it'll always switch to the "Fuel Range" mode and say "LOW". Its just part of it being grandma proofed like the Automatic Headlights.

Is there a way to change this back? I don’t have any buttons near the fog light ?. Also is there any way to reset your mpg. Thank you for any help.

With the DIC cluster equipped, you should have buttons near the "Fog Light" button. 3 Buttons are "Mode", "Reset" and "E/M". "Mode" changes the display mode of what's displayed like "Fuel Range", "Fuel Average", "Instant MPG", "Oil Life", and "Boost" (Boost is for the supercharged GS models). You only have to press it for a sec to change the mode. When you want to reset values, go to "Fuel Average" or "Oil Life", hold down the "Reset" button until it resets to 0. E/M just switches the values from between Metric and Freedom Numbers (Miles). Only reset the "Oil Life" when you changed your oil.



If somehow you don't have those buttons, the average MPG values reset when you leave the car's battery unplugged for about 20 to 30 minutes. Although "Oil Life" will never reset when you do that way.

 

[Hunter03regal]

When you run low on gas, it'll always switch to the "Fuel Range" mode and say "LOW". Its just part of it being grandma proofed like the Automatic Headlights.


With the DIC cluster equipped, you should have buttons near the "Fog Light" button. 3 Buttons are "Mode", "Reset" and "E/M". "Mode" changes the display mode of what's displayed like "Fuel Range", "Fuel Average", "Instant MPG", "Oil Life", and "Boost" (Boost is for the supercharged GS models). You only have to press it for a sec to change the mode. When you want to reset values, go to "Fuel Average" or "Oil Life", hold down the "Reset" button until it resets to 0. E/M just switches the values from between Metric and Freedom Numbers (Miles). Only reset the "Oil Life" when you changed your oil.

View attachment 47321

If somehow you don't have those buttons, the average MPG values reset when you leave the car's battery unplugged for about 20 to 30 minutes. Although "Oil Life" will never reset when you do that way.

Unfortunately I don’t have those buttons. Near the fog light. Will it just switch back to show me the mpg randomly?

 

[TornadoThrower]

Unfortunately I don’t have those buttons. Near the fog light. Will it just switch back to show me the mpg randomly?

Its weird if you don't have those buttons. It won't switch back randomly. The car will only switch to the "Fuel Range" mode when your low on fuel. When you put fuel in your car, it'll stay on that "Fuel Range" mode and won't change back to your set one.

 

[Hunter03regal]

It’s weird if you don't have those buttons. It won't switch back randomly. The car will only switch to the "Fuel Range" mode when you’re low on fuel. When you put fuel in your car, it'll stay on that "Fuel Range" mode and won't change back to your set one.

Thank you for your reply yea I was super confused as it switched and I was looking for buttons to try to change it back with no luck. I tried YouTubing it and google but nobody talks about it. I guess I’m going to have to keep researching to see if maybe there’s another way to switch it back I like seeing what mpg I get compared to the miles left in tank. I know I could just calculate it but that’s kind of annoying.

 

[TornadoThrower]

Thank you for your reply yea I was super confused as it switched and I was looking for buttons to try to change it back with no luck. I tried YouTubing it and google but nobody talks about it. I guess I’m going to have to keep researching to see if maybe there’s another way to switch it back I like seeing what mpg I get compared to the miles left in tank. I know I could just calculate it but that’s kind of annoying.

A pro-tip about those regals, is if the "Fuel Sending Unit" is worn out, you'll get incorrect Fuel Gauge readings, which means your "Fuel Range" will be off too. You'll know if yours's is worn out when your car says its low (Needle resting on the little bump on the Fuel gauge) and fill up 5 gallons of fuel and it shoots past "1/2" full. Its common failure but won't effect your travel, just always put some gas in when it thinks its low.

 

[Hunter03regal]

Hey

When you run low on gas, it'll always switch to the "Fuel Range" mode and say "LOW". Its just part of it being grandma proofed like the Automatic Headlights.


With the DIC cluster equipped, you should have buttons near the "Fog Light" button. 3 Buttons are "Mode", "Reset" and "E/M". "Mode" changes the display mode of what's displayed like "Fuel Range", "Fuel Average", "Instant MPG", "Oil Life", and "Boost" (Boost is for the supercharged GS models). You only have to press it for a sec to change the mode. When you want to reset values, go to "Fuel Average" or "Oil Life", hold down the "Reset" button until it resets to 0. E/M just switches the values from between Metric and Freedom Numbers (Miles). Only reset the "Oil Life" when you changed your oil.

View attachment 47321

If somehow you don't have those buttons, the average MPG values reset when you leave the car's battery unplugged for about 20 to 30 minutes. Although "Oil Life" will never reset when you do that way

When you run low on gas, it'll always switch to the "Fuel Range" mode and say "LOW". Its just part of it being grandma proofed like the Automatic Headlights.


With the DIC cluster equipped, you should have buttons near the "Fog Light" button. 3 Buttons are "Mode", "Reset" and "E/M". "Mode" changes the display mode of what's displayed like "Fuel Range", "Fuel Average", "Instant MPG", "Oil Life", and "Boost" (Boost is for the supercharged GS models). You only have to press it for a sec to change the mode. When you want to reset values, go to "Fuel Average" or "Oil Life", hold down the "Reset" button until it resets to 0. E/M just switches the values from between Metric and Freedom Numbers (Miles). Only reset the "Oil Life" when you changed your oil.

View attachment 47321

If somehow you don't have those buttons, the average MPG values reset when you leave the car's battery unplugged for about 20 to 30 minutes. Although "Oil Life" will never reset when you do that way.

I was just reading this over again. If I don’t have those buttons how would I check oil life ? Or anything else?. Also the low fuel goes away when I fill the car back up obviously but it’s still stuck on the miles I’m getting on that tank and not the average mpg the car is actually getting. I still have not found an answer to this.

 

[TornadoThrower]

Hey



I was just reading this over again. If I don’t have those buttons how would I check oil life ? Or anything else?. Also the low fuel goes away when I fill the car back up obviously but it’s still stuck on the miles I’m getting on that tank and not the average mpg the car is actually getting. I still have not found an answer to this.

I mean if you could provide a picture that would be helpful.

 

[Hunter03regal]

I mean if you could provide a picture that would be helpful.

Instead of it showing the cars average mpg under the driver information center. It’s shows how many miles until empty example would be 300 miles and then it either goes up or down in miles based on how good the mpg the car gets.

 

[TornadoThrower]

Instead of it showing the cars average mpg under the driver information center. It’s shows how many miles until empty example would be 300 miles and then it either goes up or down in miles based on how good the mpg the car gets.

What about a picture of the buttons near the fog lights?

 

[MelsRegal]

Instead of it showing the cars average mpg under the driver information center. It’s shows how many miles until empty example would be 300 miles and then it either goes up or down in miles based on how good the mpg the car gets.

Have you looked in the owners manual?

 

[Hunter03regal]

What about a picture of the buttons near the fog lights?

It’s not letting me upload a picture anymore but I don’t have any of the buttons I only have the fog light button. That’s it there’s nothing else.

 

[Hunter03regal]

What about a picture of the buttons near the fog lights?

 

[TornadoThrower]

That is strange. If a DIC cluster is installed, they usually have the buttons with them.

Maybe yours got replaced before? You could pull back the bottom large plastic below the steering wheel and see if there's extra loose wires behind the fog light buttons.


In theory, if all the correct factory wiring is still there, you can probably swap it out for one that has the correct buttons.

 

[Hunter03regal]

That is strange. If a DIC cluster is installed, they usually have the buttons with them.

Maybe yours got replaced before? You could pull back the bottom large plastic below the steering wheel and see if there's extra loose wires behind the fog light buttons.
View attachment 47482

In theory, if all the correct factory wiring is still there, you can probably swap it out for one that has the correct buttons.

Thank you for the reply I will look into this. I just got the car but I bought it from an old man who barely drove it. The car has 76,000 miles and is a 1 owner but you never know it could have very well been replaced.

 

[Hunter03regal]

That is strange. If a DIC cluster is installed, they usually have the buttons with them.

Maybe yours got replaced before? You could pull back the bottom large plastic below the steering wheel and see if there's extra loose wires behind the fog light buttons.
View attachment 47482

In theory, if all the correct factory wiring is still there, you can probably swap it out for one that has the correct buttons.

Would you happen to have any pictures of a 03 Buick regal without the dic installed and what that would look like ?

 

[TornadoThrower]

Would you happen to have any pictures of a 03 Buick regal without the dic installed and what that would look like ?

It's the same cluster but it's just plastic where the DIC is.

 

[Hunter03regal]

It's the same cluster but it's just plastic where the DIC is.

I took a look behind the dash and there’s only two connection points that go into the fog light button they seem to be one wire though. Do you know how many are on the fog light button that also has the mpg mode buttons. Everything looks untouched but I’m not sure how this car could have a dic installed but no buttons

 

[MelsRegal]

I took a look behind the dash and there’s only two wires that go into the fog light button. Do you know how many are on the fog light button that also has the mpg modes?

Have you considered buying an owners manual?

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[Hunter03regal]

I

Have you considered buying an owners manual?

Pardon Our Interruption...

have the owners manual all it says is if the dic is installed to use the buttons. Check previous message I updated it with an image