Since I just did this job, I thought I'd do a little write-up in case someone else wanted to do this repair.


These are the tools you'll need to pull your Nav unit out of the dash. I would also include a nice thick towel to drape over the gearshift when you're disconnecting the plugs from the back of the unit.
The method is to use the trim tool to pry up the trim piece around the gearshift. You'll need to turn the key and drop the shifter into D, put up your armrest, then lift the trim piece over the gearshift and set it aside. There are some connectors, but I just leave them connected and drape the piece into the passenger footwell. Then put it back in park and disconnect the battery.
Next, undo the clips holding in the center air vent above the Nav unit, and wiggle it out. Unclip the hazard switch and set the air vent aside. Take out the two bolts holding the Nav unit on top and also the two on the bottom. They both need a 10mm socket. Then pry out the plastic clip between the bolts on the bottom, unclip all the electrical connectors using the screwdriver and the two antenna prongs, and pull the unit out.
You'll have to order the bulbs here: https://www.jkllamps.com/CW85. You'll need at least 5. The bad news is, they only sell them in lots of 20 bulbs, and with shipping and tax you're looking at $30 delivered. That's a lot for some tiny bulbs, but maybe you can find other bulbs with the same specs elsewhere.

 

Next comes the teardown and soldering. Here's the tools you'll need for the job:


You'll also need a pair of wirecutters to trim the excess on the bulb leads. Also have a good quality superglue handy because there's some rubber extensions for the faceplate switches that like to fall off. Also, before you begin, have a clean workspace and a clean floor. If you drop one of these tiny screws or bulbs, and you probably will, you want to be able to find it.


Remove the Nav unit from the cage.


Then remove the screws on top that hold the top plate and back plate on. Remove the flat head screws that hold on the plastic face plate. Use a fine flat head screwdriver to lift the retaining tabs. There's one on each side and two on the bottom. Then you can ease the face plate forward. It is still connected by three ribbon cables, so be careful here.


These ribbon cables were the biggest stumbling block of this job for me. They are a real PITA. Gently pry up the plastic retaining clips holding in the cables. They only go up a fraction of an inch. Did I say gently? If you break these clips, you're done. Your unit won't work. This is as far as the clips extend:


Now your lcd panel is free. Remove the two top screws from the touch screen and set the touchscreen aside.


Now remove the screws that attach the lcd board to the faceplate. I've already removed them in the following photo.




Now bend the metal tabs on the metal lcd covers so you can remove them from the board:



Now you're ready to start soldering. Each of these bulbs sit in a plastic holder. The bulb leads wrap around each side of the plastic holder and are embedded in a small pad of solder attached to the board. Here's what it looks like with the bulb out:


When you're de-soldering and soldering these bulbs, you want to leave as small a footprint as you can. The less time you have a hot soldering iron on that board, the better. The last thing you want to do is have one of those solder pads come off the board because you were too aggressive with the soldering iron. Good luck re-attaching it. To de-solder the bulb, the best method is to have your tweezers and soldering iron ready. Put the tip of the iron on one end of the bulb holder to melt the solder while simultaneously pushing on the plastic bulb holder to push it off the pad. One or two seconds is all you want to have the iron on the board. It might not move at all on the first try. Move over to the other side and repeat. Keep gently pushing with your tweezers while the iron heats up the solder. Move back to the other side and try again. It should only take a couple of tries before the bulb comes off the board. Now snip off the leads of the bulb and remove it from the plastic holder. Thread a new bulb into the holder and wrap the leads around the ends.


Snip off the excess and cinch it up tight. Take your iron and some solder and tin the leads on the new bulb, then position it on top of the solder pads on the board. Hold it there with your tweezers and put your iron on the solder pads to attach it to the board. This should be very quick. A second or less. Repeat for the other side. Your bulb should be done. Check to see if it moves with your tweezers. If it's solid, move on. There's no need to add any solder to the sides. The more you mess with it, the more things can go wrong. Repeat for the other four bulbs. It's a little tricky to get to a couple of the bulbs because they are under the plastic lcd housing. You really want a fine tip soldering iron for those. When you're done, put the metal covers back on and carefully put the board back on the face plate. Be sure that none of your switch prongs have fallen off. Screw the board onto the face plate and check that all your switches click. Then attach your touch screen. Now comes the hard part--the ribbon cables. Get your tv screen and position your faceplate for installation. The method I use for the ribbon cables is to grab them between the index and third fingers and use my thumbs to close the clamp. You need to put even pressure on the clamp to close it evenly. If anything is crooked, your unit won't work. If the cables aren't fully seated all the way in, your unit won't work. I failed approximately 70% of the time in installing these cables. After numerous attempts, my failure rate decreased to 50%. That's how finicky they are.
When you think you have the cables installed correctly, here's a quick way to check your work. Before you button up everything, plug the Nav unit into the car without the stereo or climate unit. Just the blue and white connectors. Now turn the key (after re-connecting the battery). If the middle LCD panel reads 1:00 and the Lexus logo appears on the tv screen, you're good to go. Put everything back together and install it all back into the car. Job done. If you get nothing on the lcd panel, go back and re-install the ribbon cables. That is your problem.

 

What voltage replacement bulbs are you planning to use?

Certain display bulbs are 8V while others are 12V....

Numerous electrolytic capacitors...anyone have comment on whether they should be replaced?

 

Didn't you see that he used CW85 bulbs?
Those are 8V 50mA bulbs. The originals are 8V 60mA though.

 

Now I see the link...the post did not open entirely with poor reception on portable device.

Thanks.