well, here it is... seems like everyones starting to do it, idk but i just hate that amber color on the gauges... alright heres my question, idk if someone asked it yet but i couldnt find it:

if i wanted to change the gauges led's would it be possible if i got another gauge cluster from a diff tC (ie: tC in the junkyard, or cluster on ebay). a friend said the odometer would be different? Would my miles be the other tC's miles that i picked the gauges from? I wanted to know if there was another way to grab some other gauges rather then work on mine just in case i mest up or something...

and if it is possible to work on other gauges and then just swap those with the stock gauges, where and how much can i get them for? or is the junkyard my only hope.

any help would be appreciated

 

get a cluster with more miles than ur, test it to see mileage, change the leds in it, then drive ur car till it has same miles and then swap out guages

 

you cannot get another cluster, you will have that tC's miles and then you have to bring it to the dealer and explain to them why you got a new cluster and pay them to reset your ODO to your mileage.

My opinion, its just not worth it, if you don't feel comfortable doing the LED swap send it to someone or find someone close by to do it for you.

 

um... i may be wrong, but isn't the mileage noted in the car's computer and not the gauge cluster? That just doesn't sound right to me.

 

^^ I'm with him. I was under the impression that Total mileage is in the ECU and the Trip meters are stored in the Cluster.

 

What I can tell you is this:
I had my speedo assembly removed for about a week, bt the battery was connected the entire time.

The trip mileage was reset once I reconnected the speedo assembly. The odometer was not. To me , that suggests that the odometer is controlled by the ecu. Most likely there is no battery in the speedo assembly, otherwise, both the ODO and trip meters would have been reset.

Not sure that this ironed anything down for you, but certain it provides some speculation.

 

If I remember what has been previously said in this situation, I do believe all of the mileages are stored in the cluster.

 

It is stored in the cluster. You can order one from Toyota and you have two choices, either have them program your mileage in or get one with zero miles that is marked that way so if it is pulled there is notation that the odo is innacurate. This will also be stored with the VIN of your car so they can pull it later.

I still think it is funny that they dont store it in the ECU, but it is no different than cars without digital odometers, they all had it stored solely in the gauge cluster.

 

They are most likely using flash memory to hold this data. It is definitely stored in non-volatile memory.

 

^^ what he said.

Odometer reading stored in flash memory in the gauge cluster.

but this:
haha... that'll actually work for the most part.

btw... where are you in central cali? i may be able to help you out.

 

wow, it would be really easy to mess with consumers for resale with this... Drive the car til its like 100,000 miles and just swap the gauge cluster and sell it as if you drove it 5 miles and just kept it in the garage.

 

^^ Just like any car before digital odometers were used.

 

Yeah thats what i thought to, apperently not. Its not that im uncomfortable with taking out the gauges, its just im planning to take less risks then possible. I dont wanna hurt my tC


i live in the 209 area

 

if its stored in the unit itself that means somewhere in the world people are reflashing them.

 

^^ like all over the US. Once you pull the code from memory it is not hard to figure out which registers contain what type of data. Then you just build an in circuit programmer to do it. Last I heard they have been busting used car dealers for buying tools to fake mileage in newer cars.

 

if its 0's and 1's most of the time it can be cracked.

 

Plus, if you take it out for a spin w/o a gauge cluster, you get a check engine light when you plug it back in.

Stupid emergency trips to the store while the cluster is apart