Just purchased an 07 M45 Sport, gauge cluster question

[LIBRILZ]

I think my gauge cluster has been replaced, my big question is in doing so would the mileage stay the same between the clusters? or does the mileage go based off each individual cluster? It's funny because it is an 07 but it looks like a 2008+ design wise, yet the background colors for the gauges are orange like an 06-07? It's confusing me to say the least, I'll have to get some pictures

It just slightly concerns me that the mileage listed might not be actual mileage or something, but based on the condition of the car and how it drives, I would say it's accurate, but hey you never know

[Ilya]

Please do post some pictures...but generally speaking most of the time the mileage is stored in the clusters on most vehicles and even motorcycles. Don't quote me on that but that's been my experience.

[Larz]

If you change clusters, the mileage you will see is the mileage on the car it came from. There is a way for dealers to reset the mileage to be accurate for your car, but I doubt many other people would have access to do that. So chances are if the previous owner changed the cluster, it isn't accurate mileage. If it has the orange color, then it is from an 06 or 07, or it is indeed the original that came with the car. I reckon any dealer can confirm that for you.

[LIBRILZ]

Heres some pictures

https://imgur.com/a/VBdgU

What do you guys think?

[Ilya]

That looks like a normal 06-07 cluster to me. Although I had an M35 that only went to 8K RPM.

[LIBRILZ]

Really? Hmm..Well I have a M45, yet it starts showing redline on the gauge at 7500 if you look closely.. Also look at the shape of the needles, look closely..I feel like it's a gauge cluster for a 09-10 V6 with the higher revving engine

[Ilya]

As far as I know, someone here tried to changing the color of the gauge and it wasn't possible...so I doubt someone managed to turn a blue/white cluster into orange...unless the cluster is from another Infiniti like a G?

Your best bet is to examine images of M45's on Google Images or ask for others with an M45 to share their clusters...but to me it doesn't look that much different than my M35 did.

[pedsemdoc]

IIRC, looks pretty much like my "06 M45 gauge cluster.

Also, people can swap the front end from an '08 and up M35/45 onto an '06/07. So there is a chance that someone just made a cosmetic upgrade.
You should just look at the VIN (make sure it matches in various spots) and check out: https://vindecoder.eu/infiniti
That'll tell you when your car was manufactured.

[LIBRILZ]

Well the car is surely an 07 M45, the thing that just makes me go "no way it can't be the right cluster" is because the V8 clusters only show a max number on the RPM gauge of 8K, this one says 9, and it also doesn't show Redline being until 7500, something I saw on the 09-10 gauge clusters...Also by odometer reset button doesn't do anything, also as mentioned all of the 06-07 gauge cluster needles I could see online were silver, these are black, more like the 08+ clusters

but how in the world would it be that the cluster is orange? I mean maybe there is a way to change the color after all?

[pedsemdoc]

but how in the world would it be that the cluster is orange? I mean maybe there is a way to change the color after all?

yep, you can change the color of the instrument cluster -takes a lot of patience and time. Check this out: http://www.twistedperformancetx.com/inf ... uster.html

this guy changed his from orange to blue, so obviously you could switch it to any color LED.
This "How To" makes my Start button LED switch look like a walk in the park - lol.

Craig

[EdBwoy]

... the V8 clusters only show a max number on the RPM gauge of 8K, this one says 9, and it also doesn't show Redline being until 7500...

You're onto something here. Both my 06 and 08 M45 clusters redlined from 6,700 and ended at 8k.

I don't see your odometer mileage mentioned.
Might you by any chance have run a carfax report or requested a free history report from an Infiniti dealership to see if any oddities exist in the reported mileage?

[LIBRILZ]

... the V8 clusters only show a max number on the RPM gauge of 8K, this one says 9, and it also doesn't show Redline being until 7500...

You're onto something here. Both my 06 and 08 M45 clusters redlined from 6,700 and ended at 8k.

I don't see your odometer mileage mentioned.
Might you by any chance have run a carfax report or requested a free history report from an Infiniti dealership to see if any oddities exist in the reported mileage?

Well I just looked on CarFax and it was reporting pretty consistent mileage, it's believable it has 90K, although carfax says "Today's Mileage: 106---, granted I'm not sure how they arrive at that number, it is also something you can edit. But last time the mileage was reported was in April of last year to Austin, TX Infiniti and the mileage reported was 78K

but one thing to note is I'm not sure how CarFax arrives at it's numbers for instance the Previous Owner said the Catalytic Converters had been replaced, it doesn't show this on carfax though, so that tells me CarFax might not always know the whole story

[LIBRILZ]

but how in the world would it be that the cluster is orange? I mean maybe there is a way to change the color after all?

yep, you can change the color of the instrument cluster -takes a lot of patience and time. Check this out: http://www.twistedperformancetx.com/inf ... uster.html

this guy changed his from orange to blue, so obviously you could switch it to any color LED.
This "How To" makes my Start button LED switch look like a walk in the park - lol.

Craig

Aside from Soldering it doesn't look too intensive, not to mention from all the pics I've looked through online Clusters are cheap, in the even you mess up or you want one as a guinea

[EdBwoy]

... for instance the Previous Owner said the Catalytic Converters had been replaced, it doesn't show this on carfax though, so that tells me CarFax might not always know the whole story

^^Very true. A lot of things can be intentionally hidden from Carfax, as well as unintentional slips through the cracks. It might have been something as innocent as replacing the cluster to address dead pixels, or something more involved like changing the dials and needles.
I've also heard of unscrupulous people who pretty much keep 2 sets of instrument clusters and rack up the miles on the one they intend to keep hidden at the time of sale. It doesn't take too much to replace them, and it seems like the best way to figure out what happened to yours is to remove it.

[LIBRILZ]

Noted, thanks

Oh one other thing I should also mention, my M45 if the RPM gauge is to be believed, it goes to 7200 before it shifts, I mated it a few times just to see the power, and it for sure was shifting at 7200, lol?

[EdBwoy]

I doubt the 7,200 is accurate. In stock form, fuel cuts off at 5,500 rpm unless the car has been "opened up" by way of a some software?
Someone with an UpRev upgrade might roll by and tell us if their shift points are altered. But then, I'm talking about both changing the transmission shift points, and then going and also altering the engine cutoff speed.

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4fIGa9 ... u.be&t=56s
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu2O1YgSE4c&t=2m45s


On one hand I'm hoping there's an error in how the engine RPM is decoded then displayed maybe due to tampering with the unit, since you said the ODO reset button wasn't responsive. {I had thought about asking how accurate your speedometer seemed to you}. On the other hand, if all these changes were made to the vehicle intentionally but not necessarily maliciously, you might have a "very well exercised" vehicle on your hands, to put it one way.

[LIBRILZ]

Speedo seems accurate, but now that I think about it, if the gauge cluster is for a V6 Rev Up, the ones that go to 7500, well then it stands to reason that the RPM gauge might not be accurate to that particular engine, the engine I have which is the V8

The car genuinely drives so good, So i don't really think it has a lot of miles, but who knows?

[pedsemdoc]

The car genuinely drives so good, So i don't really think it has a lot of miles, but who knows?

My '06 M45 with 116k drove like a dream until it was rear-ended and the frame was bent. I think these engines (if you don't have major oil consumption issues) can last a good long time.
I think the only thing that was beginning to show its age was the suspension/shocks - they were going to need to be replaced or upgraded and a few tiny cracks in the dash - Texas heat/UV was prolly killing it.

[Ilya]

I've also heard of unscrupulous people who pretty much keep 2 sets of instrument clusters and rack up the miles on the one they intend to keep hidden at the time of sale. It doesn't take too much to replace them, and it seems like the best way to figure out what happened to yours is to remove it.

This is why, at least in my state, your mileage is reported to DMV at each annual inspection.

In Ukraine, where I'm from, it's so bad that people don't even look at the mileage. They look at the year and condition of the car lol. They advertise in the classifieds mileage-rewind services lol.

[LIBRILZ]

Yeah my dash certainly has cracks in it, not too bad but they are there unfortunately, and according to carfax and records that came with the car, it has been in Texas it's whole life

Well its mileage has been reported to the DMV, and it makes sense honestly, one other thing to note, if someone went through all the trouble to replace the gauge cluster with a newer one, and also change it from blue/white to orange, then maybe they have better attention to detail than someone just swapping around clusters, lol..hopefully