I have a 2020 Nissan Kicks, I bought it used with 71,000 miles. The A/C was not working when we bought the car, so I took it to the dealer to see what is causing the problem. They found code B20C7-15, power to IPDM and no power out of IPDM to clutch circuit. They said it needs a new IPDM, and wanted to charge me $1500 to replace. I paid the diagnostic fee and brought the car home. My question is:
1. If I buy a new IPDM and replace the old, does the unit need to be “flashed” or “programmed” to the my car specifically? The dealer said it would
2. Can I buy a used IPDM on eBay and use that? I read it should come out of a car that is the same make, model and trim level as my car. True?
I have read conflicting stories about new vs used and wether it needs to be programmed so that’s why I’m asking. Thanks for any insight on my issue.

It doesn't need programming but it does need configuration. That's about a 10 minute operation, and nothing could be easier than physically changing one on a Kicks (no tools needed). List price for a new one is around $450, so that dealer is totally scamming you.


If you get a used one, it may or may not have the right configuration for your ride. If it's wrong, some things on the car may not work right, particularly in the lighting system. You can minimize the chances of getting a wrongly-configured unit by getting a used one that came from a car with a similar trim level to yours. Many eBay JY's list the VIN for the junked car, and you can use that on an "authorized" parts site like NissanPartsDeal to determine the trim level of the JY car. At worst you'll need to pay the dealer to reconfigure the used one, half an hour if they're fair and an hour if they're out for profit.

Thanks for the input VStar650CL. Sounds like the cheapest and easiest thing to do is buy a used one from a reputable seller that matches the model and trim level of my car.