Instrument Cluster Question

[kattz]

TLDR: Anyone else change their cluster and have a problem finding one?

I want to change my instrument cluster to Imperial from Metric.  The main reason is that on 5 different occasions people at the BMV, title office, US Customs, and the tire shop have all recorded the km on the odometer as miles.  I've had to have them go back and change it at every turn.  Eventually the vehicle will get flagged by both CARFAX and Ohio as having a tampered odometer if I miss catching one little slipup.

I received a p/n for a new cluster for my 4/2012 GT VIN of 85021AJ37A. It shows as discontinued, and was only in use from 2010/02 to 2011/06.  It's also non-existent.  Not even in the auto recylcler's database or on eBay.  There is a second number usable, 85021AJ29A, and it is also vaporware.

I finally found ONE in the entire nation from a 2012 built in 11/2011 with a p/n of 85003AJ63A out of VIN 4S3BMFL62C1018629, which I confirmed is a 2012 LGT 6MT. However, that p/n is also vaporware.  Can't find it anywhere.

I removed the metric cluster today and it has a p/n of 85003AJ71A.  It's a non-indexable part number as well.  Doesn't exist.

I'm stumped.

Anyone else have any issues like this that they can share? Does any 2012 Legacy cluster fit? This has gotten to the point of driving me slightly insane.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2023 by kattz

[kattz]

I can get one out of a salvage yard for a 2010, and one for a 2011 new.  I'm going to ask Subaru if they will work.

[Scubaboo]

DeltaSniper's car is Canadian market IIRC, so cluster is metric and you want to convert to imperial? 

Some parts numbers on it may not come up in the US parts catalog, even for similar or exact same parts.  I've come across that myself cross referencing part numbers on some parts.

Cluster will fit physically.  Clusters are programable to a certain extent as I have seen people on here convert to the newer layout facelift cluster with some work.  I have not seen a metric to imperial conversion yet though

I suggest you look on the UK forums, as there is a lot of used cars there imported from Japan and they need to do the metric to imperial conversion too.

[MoleMan]

10 hours ago, kattz said:

TLDR: Anyone else change their cluster and have a problem finding one?

I want to change my instrument cluster to Imperial from Metric.  The main reason is that on 5 different occasions people at the BMV, title office, US Customs, and the tire shop have all recorded the km on the odometer as miles.  I've had to have them go back and change it at every turn.  Eventually the vehicle will get flagged by both CARFAX and Ohio as having a tampered odometer if I miss catching one little slipup.

I received a p/n for a new cluster for my 4/2012 GT VIN of 85021AJ37A. It shows as discontinued, and was only in use from 2010/02 to 2011/06.  It's also non-existent.  Not even in the auto recylcler's database or on eBay.  There is a second number usable, 85021AJ29A, and it is also vaporware.

I finally found ONE in the entire nation from a 2012 built in 11/2011 with a p/n of 85003AJ63A out of VIN 4S3BMFL62C1018629, which I confirmed is a 2012 LGT 6MT. However, that p/n is also vaporware.  Can't find it anywhere.

I removed the metric cluster today and it has a p/n of 85003AJ71A.  It's a non-indexable part number as well.  Doesn't exist.

I'm stumped.

Anyone else have any issues like this that they can share? Does any 2012 Legacy cluster fit? This has gotten to the point of driving me slightly insane.

 

 

Op,

I get the issue. But why so worried about what Carfax says?  I have seen clean title cars on that site show up as totaled a few months later yet no accidents.  I do not put much faith in Carfax.  As far as Ohio flagging the car they will not.  If someone messes up just have the DMV change the paperwork. I am guessing the car was imported legally from Canada.

It's not your fault people are recording in Miles when your displays says KMs.  

 

It's not like you are hiding anything.

 

 

 

[kattz]

This is true. But I now have everything else converted except the cluster.

These part numbers do not even show up in Europe, UK, Australia, or JDM.

[Brunzo]

Does your speedometer dial have miles ? If not and if you need also miles on the dial as well, its easier to swap the cluster to US type. 

If you dont care of cluster not having miles of the dial, your cluster can be reprogrammed to have miles instead of km. You have to find a person who can read eeprom microchip data from cluster and modify it accordingly. 

This person can also program your odometer value to other replacement US cluster with miles on the dial. 

So your first step to find the guy who can do soldering and flashing chip eeprom. Cluster part numbers are not so important

 

[Humble Rumble]

Ok, part numbers for the 5th gen gauge clusters were weird. Typically when a part number dies/is discontinued, Subaru will leave the page active on the main parts.subaru page so that it can be searched, and just put "This Product Is Not Currently Available" in place of where "add to cart" usually is. This is up to and including the JDM front end parts used on the 2009 SEMA VIP 5th gen, which were literally JDM parts with USDM part numbers, to the point you can still find those part numbers with some digging and they'll be marked "For SEMA Use Only".

However, Subaru made TONS of revisions to the gauge clusters for 5th gens, and there's no real rhyme or reason as to when and why. There's even small weird changes like moving the TPMS warning light from inside the tachometer on a 2011 3.6R to above the tach tucked in left of the gear display on a 2012 3.6R. What's even weirder is how many of these dead but real part numbers do NOT exist on the parts.subaru page. 

***AFTER SOME BRUTE FORCE RESEARCH***

Ok so I'm going to make a separate post for what I've found after brute forcing every part number in the 85002AJ, 85003AJ, and 85021AJ families (I'm concerned with 85004AJ as that's 2013 and onwards) but basically it appears that all clusters actually technically have 2 part numbers: the one physically on the cluster (which will be 85002AJ/85003AJ/85004AJ/etc), and the ones in Subaru's parts system for re-ordering, which is the entirety of the 85021AJ family. It seems Subaru consolidated all the 5th gen clusters under the 85021AJ, as barring a small handful of gaps, every single numerical part number between 85021AJ000 and 85021AJ68 is populated on parts.subaru .com, with the majority still being purchasable. Unfortunately, a handful of 2012 cluster part numbers are discontinued (likely since 2012 was a weird transition year to the mid-model facelift, in which 2012's had pre-facelift bodies but some facelift features, like the steering wheel), including the two part numbers for the 2012 2.5GT. However, FUNCTIONALLY, if you're getting the mileage reprogrammed anyways, the 2010 and 2011 GT clusters should be interchangeable, and you can still get any of the following part numbers:

85021AJ01A - 2010 USDM 2.5GT

85021AJ06A - 2010 USDM 2.5GT LMTD

85021AJ15A - 2011 USDM 2.5GT

85021AJ20A - 2011 USDM 2.5GT LMTD

I would say if you're going to order it new, go with the 2011 2.5GT LMTD, since all 2012 GT's were LMTD anyways, it should be the closest match. Only physical difference I'm aware of between the two is the location of the TPMS light.