Hi Folks,
I just got a Toyota Celsior 1997 55,000km from Japan. The speedometer is in Km/h and I need to get it into MPH for the UK. I've got a company here that does it, but I might try and destroy it myself first, and save a few bob.
This video here:
Shows the guy replacing a faulty speedometer unit within the instrument cluster. So I was thinking I could get my hands on a UK Lexus one, and swap them. But I was wondering if the new odometer would read zero and could I get the garage to program in the original Km <> miles on the odometer?. I don't think the mileage in KM matters, just that it hasn't been rolled back or tampered with.
Thanks in advance, I'm thinking I might as well just get it done professionally?.
It looks like there's actually a National Mileage Register in the UK. You can contact them about the legality of swapping speedometer/odometers. It certainly won't be an issue until you sell the car. Then as long as you disclose (in writing) the mileage discrepancy between actual miles and the odometer miles to the buyer it's likely OK.
If you buy a used Lexus speedometer and put it on your Celsior the odometer will display the mileage that was on the Lexus when it was removed.
I'm not a "circuit board guy" and my knowledge on this was acquired when I was researching odometer tampering ((odometer tampering is way too easy)).
Anyone should feel free to correct me on any of this next stuff if I got it wrong.
The odometer mileage is kept on an EEPROM chip on the speedometer circuit board. It's not visible in the video you posted. But the circuit board solder points for its socket are.
I'm thinking what if you swap the EEPROM chip off of your Celsior's circuit board with the chip on the Lexus' circuit board? I think it would work except for one problem. You'd have a speedometer displaying in MPH with an odometer displaying the Celsior's correct total distance traveled in kilometers. Try explaining that one to the UK's National Mileage Register.
To get the Lexus odometer to display the actual total kilometers of the Celsior AND display it as miles you'd need to find someone with an EEPROM chip reader setup and a program that can edit the .hex file on the Lexus' EEPROM chip.
There's guys who advertise on the internet that can do it. Your local garage guys can't.
@Jack62 Thanks Jack, I'm likely gonna keep this as long as possible, so was just thinking of being a cheepskate and trying it myself. I was just going to change the physical display and worry about the odometer later. As you say it's only an issue if sold, and the MOT (inspection) here in the UK is on the internet for everyone to see, and HMRC already have the original reading, so was maybe just going to get it through the first MOT getting it to read MPH and worry about the odometer later.
At least I know it's possible though, so thanks again.
You need to declare it to your motor vehicle registration authority.
