Do you want an 8.2" but don't know how to find one? Here you go!
Yellow = VIN indicates it has locker
Green = confirmed available with locker
Red = sold or otherwise unavailable
No color = no locker
You can run VINs through Vehicle Specification | Toyota Owners to see what was equipped from the...
I wouldn't buy a junkyard dash unless I could verify it had already been replaced by Lexus. It's way too much hassle to swap in something that's just going to crack on you later for a couple hundred bucks in savings.
I rarely lock the center diff in normal driving, regardless of weather. If I'm on a trail I may or may not preemptively lock it, depending on the terrain. If you start seeing any wheelspin it may be worth locking, but generally the full time 4WD system will manage daily driving conditions...
You can also test the switch - it's pretty easy, just a momentary switch that should have continuity across two of the connectors when the button is pushed. I forget which ones offhand - if you can't figure it out lmk and I'll see if I can dig up the relevant page in the manual.
If you have...
+1 to check fuse. You should be able to lock the diff without doing anything special - just push the button and the light should flash until it's engaged.
You can also check to see if the 4wd control ECU is firmly plugged in, though its absence would likely give you a christmas tree dash...
I can't find anything in the owner's manual that says side curtain airbags are disabled when in low range or with the CDL locked. I can infer based on the contents of the owners' manuals that roll sensing was not a feature on 03's, but I don't have confirmation of that. Note the phrasing in...
if I ever had a reason to repaint my roof, I would be tempted to have the sunroof filled in entirely. It's really too bad we don't have a non-sunroof headliner option, though I bet an interior upholstery shop could convert it easily enough.
The more I think about this, the more I think it was a multi-faceted problem. When I replaced the master cylinder / skid control ECU, C1203 went away but C1340 did not. C1203 is potentially a skid ECU fault. I was talking with a friend this morning and remembered a time I had to use my CDL to...