[ieelan]

I cannot find GM part 84081553. Can you tell me what years the Malibu had this Center Console Trim?

 

[freemen]

Pretty sure it was 2018

 

[wssix99]

I cannot find GM part 84081553. Can you tell me what years the Malibu had this Center Console Trim?

If you google "GM 84081553" it comes up. The part should be on the 2016-2018. I'm not sure about the 2019, but some used parts listings imply that they kept the part through the 2019 update. I forget where it was in the online catalog, but I do recall it was listed in an odd place.

 

[mswlogo]

Done, what a nightmare.

First problem the color of the overhead console was off. No wait, it's filthy, smoker maybe. After stripping it down and cleaning like crazy it looks pretty good. No wait, the color is still off, be careful, it's very subtly different.

Second problem, my car has two Mic's. The one I bought has ONE !! There is still a spot for 2nd but it's not punched out. After 30 minutes of drilling, cutting it doesn't look terrible once mounted.

Third problem, pulling Volt console down was ridiculous. I've worked on a lot of cars. One tip is to release the front clips (towards rear of car) with a screw drive or narrow clean instrument while pulling down so you don't pull on headliner. I still had to pull so hard the trim came down but the center module broke loose and stayed up there. Luckily that's the trim you chuck.

Looking through what @wssix99 did I see he made a "Plug in" tap. That's a lot of work. But he didn't want to cut into factory harness. Neither do I. So I tapped the back of the connector on the console. Very tidy and if you wanted to reverse it you could get an original console and plug in and it's 100% factory again. To do that I had to hack saw (literally) the guard over the back of the connector. Once that was off (fairly easy) it was a breeze to solder onto the pins. No T taps, No extra harness, no tapping harness of the car. And it was pretty quick and tidy.

Worked perfect the first time. I hope I put the mics on the correct side. Not sure what second one is for. Maybe noise cancelation.

 

[wssix99]

So I tapped the back of the connector on the console. Very tidy and if you wanted to reverse it you could get an original console and plug in and it's 100% factory again. To do that I had to hack saw (literally) the guard over the back of the connector. Once that was off (fairly easy) it was a breeze to solder onto the pins. No T taps, No extra harness, no tapping harness of the car. And it was pretty quick and tidy.

Very clever. Did you need to also tin those wire ends so they won't flex and short out on the other contacts? These pins are so small; I had to make my harnesses under magnification. I imagine this operation was the same?

First problem the color of the overhead console was off. No wait, it's filthy, smoker maybe. After stripping it down and cleaning like crazy it looks pretty good. No wait, the color is still off, be careful, it's very subtly different.

A wash with rubbing alcohol should restore the color.

Second problem, my car has two Mic's. The one I bought has ONE !! There is still a spot for 2nd but it's not punched out. After 30 minutes of drilling, cutting it doesn't look terrible once mounted.

Do you have a 2019? I recall my 2018 just had one. Maybe this is an issue that needs to be resolved for the 2019? If you have any scuffs from the cutting, acetone can help dissolve the plastic and smooth things out - but be careful; if any gets on the front (good part) of the console, it will ruin the whole deal.

Third problem, pulling Volt console down was ridiculous. I've worked on a lot of cars. One tip is to release the front clips (towards rear of car) with a screw drive or narrow clean instrument while pulling down so you don't pull on headliner. I still had to pull so hard the trim came down but the center module broke loose and stayed up there. Luckily that's the trim you chuck.

This really surprised me also. It's a really odd design and unlike anything I've come across before. Maybe it needs to be on there really securely for some crash/collision safety issue. Regardless, if one isn't careful and a hand slips... it's really easy to loose a fingernail or two in this operation.

 

[Godholio]

My 19 premier had two mics. Easy to move one over to the new panel, but yeah cutting the slots was a pain. So was popping the console down, too.

My biggest problem in the whole thing was in popping the A-pillar trim out...one little metal clip didn't want to release and was so tight that it actually ripped the plastic tab off the piece itself. So every once in a while the trim piece starts to hang down.

 

[beehaze]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but I just added Homelink to my 2018 with an overhead console from a 2019 Traverse and it works great. Just want to add a couple details about my install.

Without the custom harness, I followed the method @mswlogo went, piggybacking on to the connector on the overhead console. To make wiring easier, I bought a pigtail for the Homelink module on eBay for about $9. (Sorry, no part number, but if you search "homelink harness 84084118" you'll probably find it if someone has one.)

Rather than cutting through the shroud covering the connector, you can disassemble it a bit further and simply drill a hole to run the wires through. The pigtail was too short, so I just extended it with some spare wires from an LED project.

All done. Everything works like it should from the factory; the buttons are illuminated in white and they dim with the rest of the panel.

Last thing: I didn't even consider that Chevy might have a couple of different "light grey" interior options, and the panel I got from the Traverse is a shade or two lighter than my Volt. Not a huge deal — and with my tinted windows everything is dark enough that it doesn't really stand out — but if you've got OCD like me, just be careful about which part you're ordering.

 

[wssix99]

If anyone is interested in doing this plug-n-play, I have an extra custom harness that I can let go of: A Factory Homelink Garage Remote Kit is comming!!!

 

[scraejtp]

Bump. Just bought a Traverse console to replace the OEM Volt unit.

@mswlogo, @beehaze



Why has everyone seemed to use just the trim of the new console? It looks to be the same unit, so why not change out the whole console? Fixes the potential color mismatch at the same time.

 

[wssix99]

Why has everyone seemed to use just the trim of the new console? It looks to be the same unit, so why not change out the whole console? Fixes the potential color mismatch at the same time.

See post #27. The Malibu console has controls and buttons that don't apply to the Volt.

 

[scraejtp]

See post #27. The Malibu console has controls and buttons that don't apply to the Volt.

Yeah, the Malibu with homelink seems to be tied to an option package with a sunroof. But the Traverse console does not have extra functions beyond the Homelink.

 

[scraejtp]

Made the modification today. Took me about an hour and cost ~$40. The Traverse console was picked up off ebay (it is a slightly different color) and I already had a small wiring harness for the Homelink module that beehaze mentioned.

Pulled the old console out by hand. No tools needed, just a firm pull being careful with the short wiring above.
Disassembled the Traverse console, extended my Homelink harness, and soldered to the back of the main connector for power/ground.
Routed the wiring through the existing holes in the console, reassembled, and installed.
Works fine, and the color difference is minor enough that it does not bother me.

 

[wssix99]

Yeah, the Malibu with homelink seems to be tied to an option package with a sunroof. But the Traverse console does not have extra functions beyond the Homelink.

It has been a long time since I purchased my trim but the color match issue with the Traverse trim would have been a deal breaker for me.

 

[scraejtp]

It has been a long time since I purchased my trim but the color match issue with the Traverse trim would have been a deal breaker for me.

Yeah. I think the Malibu unit may be the same color, so if you split the outer trim you can use it with your original unit.

With the Traverse trim you need to use the entire unit as it is a slightly different gray. It is fine (to me) as a complete piece, but you can see the difference when comparing to my visors.

As it is I have a modified Traverse unit installed and my complete OEM Volt console.

 

[Robertsmania]

Can anyone advise as to whether the Homelink unit in these consoles will work with the "yellow learn button" garage door openers like the LiftMaster 8850? I think it needs Homelink version 4 or better?

We recently purchased a 2017 Volt and really like it! The previous owner had installed the Gentex 536 mirror with the Homelink buttons, but sadly it is not compatible with our garage door opener.

They do sell a bridge unit that would make it work, but my parents also have the same style garage door opener and I'd kind of prefer to have a modern Homelink system that just works with them rather than buying bridges for all the locations I need to access.

 

[omandave]

Made the modification today. Took me about an hour and cost ~$40. The Traverse console was picked up off ebay (it is a slightly different color) and I already had a small wiring harness for the Homelink module that beehaze mentioned.

Pulled the old console out by hand. No tools needed, just a firm pull being careful with the short wiring above.
Disassembled the Traverse console, extended my Homelink harness, and soldered to the back of the main connector for power/ground.
Routed the wiring through the existing holes in the console, reassembled, and installed.
Works fine, and the color difference is minor enough that it does not bother me.

I just did this Traverse Garage Door Opener Panel mod to my, new to me, 2019 Volt Premier.
I can live with the color difference at the roof panel.

Just as a quick soldering note:
Pin1 is the 12v + power
Pin5 is the 12v - ground
Pin22 is the LED lighting (button backlighting at night) happy soldering...

Thank you for the inspiration!!

 

[seigi009]

I recently got a homelink console from a traverse. I’m very leary of doing any electrical work so what I did was I removed the homelink module, kept the buttons and glued/taped my remote garage door opener in its place. It lines up perfectly with the homelink buttons. The only downside is that the numbers don’t illuminate but otherwise it works perfectly.