Graff Bay City Microchip Retrofit FAQ
Due to the worldwide semiconductor chip shortage some of our customers purchased new vehicles with equipped safety and convenience features disabled and at Graff Chevrolet in Bay City we wanted to provide some helpful information for our guests regarding the process to have those features enabled.
In 2021 and 2022 General Motors was able to continue production of vehicles without some semiconductor chips while making later retrofits available to enable features and options when those chips became available. Some of these options included heated and ventilated seats, heated steering wheels and front and rear parking assist notification alerts.
The supply of those semiconductor chips has improved in recent months and General Motors has made more information available regarding the retrofit process for those Chevrolet vehicles. Retrofit microchips are not all available at once and GM has been making microchips available in phases.
Below is a quick synopsis of how General Motors has directed us to handle the retrofit process and also a FAQ with some questions we regularly receive from our guests.
Here’s an overview of the microchip retrofit process for Chevrolet vehicles.
1.General Motors notifies the customer and our dealership that retrofit chips for their vehicle are available to order.
2.The customer contacts Graff Chevrolet or Graff contacts the customer to confirm vehicle information and details. Graff Chevrolet then orders the retrofit microchips needed from General Motors.
3.General Motors ships the retrofit chip package to Graff Chevrolet and we contact the customer to let them know that we have received the parts. Once we have received the retrofit microchip kit we can schedule a day and time that is convenient for the customer to come in and have the retrofit performed.
Here are a few questions we regularly receive from our guests.
How will I know when retrofit parts are available for my vehicle?
General Motors will be notifying guests by U.S. mail when their vehicle is eligible to have the retrofit on their vehicle performed. Additionally, customers may be notified through the myChevrolet mobile app or by email.
You can also visit https://www.chevrolet.com/ownercenter/recalls and search using your VIN. If your vehicle has a retrofit semiconductor chip kit available the details will be displayed there. If no retrofit is currently available a message will be displayed that “Currently, there are no recalls or programs associated with your vehicle".
Should I schedule an appointment to have the retrofit performed as soon as I know that parts are available for my vehicle?
No, for the best experience General Motors recommends that you contact our dealership when you are notified that your vehicle can have the retrofit performed since the parts will need to be ordered. You can reach us at 989-684-4411 and work with our Service Department to have the retrofit parts ordered before scheduling installation.
Additionally, GM periodically provides our dealership with a list of vehicles that are eligible for the retrofit process and we do our best to contact those guests proactively to begin the process.
How long does the retrofit process take?
Currently, we estimate that the installation, programming and testing of the retrofit chips takes 1 to 3 hours. In some cases the process can take longer if additional programming is needed.
Will it cost me anything to have the retrofit performed?
No it will not. GM is covering the costs of the retro-fit process.
When will retrofit microchips be available for my vehicle?
Currently, semiconductor chips for the heated and ventilated seat retrofit are becoming available and General Motors is in the process of notifying guests when they are eligible to have parts ordered for their retrofit.
It is currently estimated that the retrofitting process for heated steering wheels and front and rear parking assist will begin in the first quarter of 2023.
What is the estimated time frame to have the retrofits completed?
Currently GM expects parts to be available for all of the heated/ventilated seat retrofits by the end of 2022, but expects the installation of those microchips to continue into 2023. Parts are expected to become available for the Heated Steering Wheel and Front and Rear Parking Assist retrofits in the first quarter of 2023.