Hi All,
Thanks for all the interest in my blunder. Well, after alot of research, second, third and fourth opinions, I finally gave the dealer the green light to fix the problem, and I just got the car back this morning, after a $900 price tag. Yep, $900.

My dealer said he couldn't even download software to the ECC - it wouldn't even connect with the main computer. So, it was fried, and apparantly, it's all because I unplugged it as part of replacing the bulbs. I am sure it had something to do with the sequence of how I put everything back together, but I can't honestly remember exactly what I did, so I can't pin it down. Bottom line was I needed a new ECC, $730, plus the software download $40, plus a little over 1 hour to take care of the whole problem.

And to think, all this because I didn't want to pay them $40 to install light bulbs in the first place. Tough way to learn a lesson.

I asked about replacing a battery - let's say it dies - by disconnecting it, am I going to fry the whole car? They said no, but at this point, I think I may just have the dealer do anything electrical/tied to the computer.

Also something I found quite unbelievable was that a window switch for a passenger door - not the driver's master switch - is about $350??? $230 for the switch plus the $120 cost of a software download? My switch stopped working, so I wanted a new one (unrelated to this ECC problem, it's been broken for a while), and they told me it is like a computer board - it also needs a software update. Crazy or what - a window switch is a computer part. Needless to say, I didn't get the switch this time - don't know if I ever will.

Well, I'll post again soon after I get over this sticker shock. Thanks!