I'm thinking of buying a HHR made for USA and importing it to Canada.

How is the instrumentation switched to metric?

Is it something the operator can change or does it require that a dealer do it?

 

Through the DIC. You are able to switch back and forth from MPH to KMH.

 

Like Hillsdale has said, it is done through the Drivers Information Centre. Basically it's just a push of the button and it recalibrates the speedo for KM/H and changes the mileage readout to KM and changes the temp displays to celcius. There's no need to buy anything or go to the dealership for anything.

 

You are both wrong!!

To switch to metric you pour Canandian Beer into the gas tank. The HHR will then figure out that it needs to change everything to metric automatically!

 

Technically you are not changing from Imperial to Metric, you are changing from US measurement to Metric, since the US does not use Imperial measurements (i.e. US gallon != Imperial gallon).

 

Hope this helps!!

At one time, the volume of a gallon depended on what you were measuring, and where you were measuring it. But, by the 19th century, two definitions were in common use. The wine gallon, which was 231 cubic inches, and the ale gallon, of 282 cubic inches.

In 1824, Britain adopted a close approximation to the ale gallon known as the Imperial gallon. The Imperial gallon is based on the volume of 10 pounds of distilled water weighed in air with the barometer standing at 30 inches and at a temperature of 62 degrees Fahrenheit (and in 1963 this definition was refined as the space occupied by 10 pounds of distilled water of density 0.998859 g/ml weighed in air of density 0.001217 g/ml against weights of density 8.136 g/ml). This works out at 277.41945 cubic inches.

The United States by this time, had already standardised on a close approximation to the old wine gallon. It was at one time defined as the volume of a cylinder 6 inches long and 7 inches in diameter, or 230.907 cubic inches. Today, however, the gallon is 231 cu. ins exactly. Thus 10 US gallons equals 8.327 Imperial gallons. The Imperial gallon is about a fifth larger than the US gallon.

Both the Imperial and United States gallon are equal to 8 pints. However in the US a pint is 16 fluid ounces whereas an Imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces. Thus a U.S. gallon is 128 fl. oz and an Imperial gallon is 160 fl. oz; this means that a US fluid ounce is around 1.8047 cu. ins and an Imperial fl. oz is around 1.7339 cu. ins. The US fluid ounce is actually bigger than the imperial, although the US gallon is smaller.

http://www.all-science-fair-projects...lopedia/Gallon
Something I found elsewhere.

 

Wow, I actually found that interesting. Had to read it twice to assure I realized what was being described, but really good...thanks.

Oh, and the weight vs. volume method is what our State Weights and Measures people use to check if gas pumps are cheating you on the reported gallon of gas.

 

Therefore, when ordering beer, always order the Imperial Gallon, correct?

 

Now I know when I order a pint at the pub, why they are 20oz. THANKS

 

I did not know this. Maybe I should go double check my HHR...maybe I will get lucky, and find out i am not speeding, and only have 33k KM on my car!!

doubt it. hahahaha