My 94 Caravan's dash lights stopped working. My mechanic said it's the
body control module and a rebuilt one from the dealer is $380. He's put
out a search to local junkyards to see if we can find a used one, and in
the meantime, I'm searching on line.

They replaced the switch that they say shorted out the BCM, and they
tried jumping that circuit on the BCM, with no success. He said this BCM
controls other stuff too, and if I don't get it repaired or replaced,
those things will start to go too. (I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play on
on tv, so I'm not sure if I understood that correctly.)

I've done the prerequisite searches on Google, and I have a bunch of
used-parts dealers saying they have the part for me. Weird thing is that
prices range from $35 to $225. The $225 quote is from someone who has
BCMs with the exact part number. Some of the other places say that
matching the exact part number isn't necessary because all Dodge BCMs
are essentially the same thing. My mechanic shook his head a little at
that and said he thinks it *is* necessary to get the exact same part. I
tend to believe him, because he's always done right for me in the 12
years I've been taking vehicles to him.

So I guess I'm asking two questions - is it, as we believe, necessary to
match the exact part number? And is $225 a reasonable price? $225 is
certainly better than the $380 the dealer wants, but I'm paying my
quarterly taxes next week so I'm not feeling very wealthy.

I make the wry observation that if this was one of the 10-year-old cars
I drove in the 80's, dash lights not working would be merely a bulb or a
switch or a fuse!

Thanks in advance all,
fatbak