PuckPuck

I have a Canadian 2009 IS 350 with Nav and ML. I LOVE IT!!!!

With work, I'm relocating from Canada to the San Francisco Bay area. My car is coming with me (naturally). Although I do have miles on the inner ring of my speedo, I would prefer it to be the larger ring. I also want all the display settings to read in Imperial instead of metric.

Doing some spot checks, it seems like I may be able to get a Speedometer cluster from a totalled IS 350 with imperial measurements on it. Will it be simply a matter of swapping my speedometer cluster? Does the dealer need to do any extra programming?

PS: I'm not as concerned to convert the temp for the A/C unit. I put it on auto anyhow, and could care less what that number reads.

Sango

iTrader: (10)

I have actually had this kind of question myself but the other way around (using a Canadian cluter for a US car). When I tried to ask Lexus on either sides, they say it cannot be done - void warrenty and cannot guarentee the operation etc...

I wonder if anyone has actually tried or done this.

GiantsFan

iTrader: (9)

I have no idea, .. but Im curious now

kuuqi

isuxel i believe had an ISF cluster put in his 350 and it worked like a charm except for the oil temp gauge but that's only because the 350 doesn't have a sensor for that.

probability wise, i'd say it'd work perfectly fine IF the rings match up. I would assume that both versions have say...60mph on the same spot except its just the position of the rings. if that IS the case then it should work fine. i'd think the only difference between the two is how they "printed" the numbers and programmed only the temperature.

i'd say try it and let us know!

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

It will likely work fine, that being said, your odometer will of course be incorrect. Mileage for the vehicle is stored in the cluster. If you get a new one it will read 0, if you get a used one, it will read whatever the mileage is on the car it came out of.

For warranty purposes it will be up to you to provide proof of mileage, and I'm not sure how Lexus USA dealers respond to that. I know in Canada it can be a bit of a hassle sometimes.

I've never done it in a Lexus, but I've swapped newer Toyota clusters before and never had a problem. There's usually not much different between them besides things like maintenance reminders, different symbols used, etc.

Jeff

PuckPuck

What about the "other" display settings within the cluster? I'm talking about the items that show Avg Speed, Temp, etc. I noticed that when I change my Nav from Metric to Imperial, the fuel mileage display settings do change within the cluster. I would like to see the Average speed be done in miles instead of kilometers.

As for Warranty, the worse they can do, is stop fixing the damn squeaking coming from the cluster, but if and when I do this, I'll make sure to fix that squeaking myself... permanently. I'll make sure to note odometer, and document the procedure as well, just in case a dealer freaks over odometer readings.

I'm not moving for another month, so this won't happen until early spring, but when I do this, I will report back. Hopefully the Canadians buying in the US, will have a good solution for themselves when I'm done.

Thanks for the input.

PS: I asked the same question for my Cadillac SRX in the cadillac forums, and got flamed... Its nice to know, some people actually care about their cars, and can be part of a community forum to share information with other like minded owners...

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

The units on the display can be changed in the customization settings for the car.

Jeff

PuckPuck

Which customization settings are you talking about? I have found no way to convert the "Distance Remaning", "Temp" and "Average Speed" settings in the cluster from metric to imperials. I can do the mileage ones, via the NAV unit but that's it.

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

If you connect a TechStream to the car, and enter the Customization settings portion of it, you can choose units to display. I've never actually changed any of them, just seen the options in there.

Jeff

Sango

iTrader: (10)

Is this something that the Lexus dealers have in their procession which they can do?

Jeff Lange

iTrader: (1)

Yes, the TechStream is the computer that is connected to the car to do diagnostics, etc.

Jeff

Sango

iTrader: (10)

I found out from a Lexus tech with help from a friend who works at the dealership researching this said that there is a high possibility that a different version instrument cluster (ie. Canada, Japan, etc…) can be used in the vehicles. The terminals and wiring are in the same location and the differences seem to exist in the combination meter. It should be plug and play.

They did ask me to keep in mind about the disclaimers about the cluster, so if they dealership were to get me the non-US cluster that it would be non refundable and if there are any issues then they would probably not be able to do anything about it.

Good news so far, and I am trying to verify if the same can be done to the navigation unit as well unless it can be simply be reprogrammed to display in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit.