I was looking online for a Second tC gauge cluster to do a LED swap out. I have a manual transmission and I noticed that this cluster is for a Automatic. Not sure if that would make a difference, but want to ask the community before doing so.

Thanks-Scott

 

yes it does, your mileage is stored in the cluster that your car came with. Also if you look at the auto cluster it has the P-N-D-L-R inside and of course the manual does not.

 

werd...

 

So if someone was going to turn their odometer back, they can accomplish the same thing by changing clusters?

 

yes.. not that i'm advocating such a person to do such a thing.. but your odometer reading is stored in your cluster.

i personally wouldn't mess with it. just do your own gauges.

 

The odometer read out is really stored in the cluster?? I thought that was permanent information stored in the ECU.

 

yeah.. my friends learned the hard way when they swapped out gauges during an led swap.. their odometers are off now. thankfully not by much.

also the reason why the dealership asks what your odo reading is when you order a new cluster.. they gotta program it.

again... i wouldn't mess with it.

 

edit: whoops

 

in the cluster.....

 

So right before I go to sell my tC in 2020, put that gauge cluster I have sitting around with 17,500 miles on it

I knew something was different, but I've never driven an auto to know the difference.

 

I can vouch for that too. When I first started doing them I thought of doing a core swap sort of deal. When you order a new cluster you have to either have them program in your mileage or recieve it with a sticker stating that the odometer is incorrect.. I will not in any way condone screwing with it (which is highly illegal by the way) or giving someone the opportunity to buy a cluster with incorrect mileage on it, so only take them if they are local or are willing to ship theirs to me.. which most are willing to do.

The auto is different as well. It has the shift indicators.

 

I would think toyota would have made it a little harder for screwy used car dealers to change mileage (NO OFFENSE TO CAR DEALERS) but some dealers are snakes! I would think it would be stored in the ECU as a back up or something along those lines??

 

unfortunately not that i can say... but like engifineer suggests... i wouldn't screw around with it.

 

I wouldnt be worried as much about car dealers than with individual sellers. When a car dealer buys a car, they typically dont have it for super long. And they arent driving it every day. Unless they forge the whole title process, when the owner signs it and it is notorized they list the mileage before the title is sent to the DMV. So (without forging the title process.. which of course I am sure some do) the only thing they could do is unhook it while they have it, which wouldnt save them much.

A private seller, though, could unhook it and drive it for a couple of years, hook it back up and sell the car. Nothing on the title would have to be fooled with.

Of course, some dealers and people will find a way to screw with anything. I know that some have programmers to change the mileage to whatever they want. Although that is also highly illegal to do.