'04 S60 DIM Dissassembly
 

Has anyone successfully disassembled the later style DIM (with the build-in LED's)?

I need to switch out my Kph speedo with one that displays mph in prep for importing to the USA. I had found some dials at the local wreckyard and thought I was good to go but they are not compatible. At least, I don't think they are compatible as I have not been able to fully take the speedo dial off my existing cluster.

I was able to take the back and front off but I can't seem to pry the board away from the dials. All the pressure seems to go on the needles which I don't think is right.

Any suggestions?

I think it's fiddly and may not go back in place properly. A somehow alternate option would be to buy a used DIM off Ebay with the same numbers and more or less closes miles, should be under $100 shipped - the thing is I don't know if it will work being from a US car. On my S60 I have an XC70 cluster so compatibility is possible in some situations

Having been involved in vehicle conversions from one market to another my advice is: unless you have a rare or very very valuable car, (Lamborghini, Porsche, etc) don’t even bother shipping to another market.
The shipping costs and hassle and conversions costs may eat into any saving you think you may be making.

When going from Europe to USA you will have the following issues:
Speedo and odometer readings in wrong units
Headlamps that may not be DOT compliant
Radio that has wrong de-emphasise and frequency steps and RDS functions
Nav system that may not work due to market differences
Emissions may not be compliant
Other legislation requirements like bumpers, airbags, knee protection that may differ
Issues with access to spare parts

And given that these cars are often cheaper in the USA than in Europe, you may also find that a local used car of the same model (but USA spec) may cost you less than overall.

Thanks guys. All good points. Actually for Canada —-> US it’s not too bad. Step 1) contact Volvo HQ, 2) ask for a letter of compliance 3) address items in letter, 3) drive to border with paperwork, 4) get them to stamp some stuff, 5) show up at MTO in whatever state you are driving to and get a title and process docs. I did it a while back with my V40 and it was pretty painless.

I’m inclined to agree with finding another full cluster. But it does irk me that I can’t figure this out. Maybe you do need to carefully take needles off. Been there done that and failed...