Going for a $99 MFD Screen Replacement

Bought this 2009 Prius a few weeks ago which came with a non-responsive MFD. Figured on having to send it off for about a $300 repair. But, I saw listing for a new, $99 made-in-Japan screen on eBay, free shipping. So, I have ordered one. Looking forward to it's arrival so I can sock it in and hopefully have a fully functional MFD. I had tried cleaning with alcohol with no luck. Was considering pulling it out and seeing if I could have any luck fixing the solder connections to the ribbon cable as I have seen in some other posts. But, at this price, just decided to spring for a new screen and hope this cures it. I'll report here on how it turns out.

There is also an eBay listing for a $28 unit, but it is made and ships from China. I opted for the Japanese version because I just somehow feel better about it and it ships much faster, from within the U.S. That is a great price, though, for anyone who is seriously budget conscience -- assuming the quality is okay.

 

Talk about some super fast shipping! Got it in yesterday's mail. May try to install tonight. If not tonight then this weekend.

 

YIPPEE! The new screen actually works! Posting my experience here for any who are bold enough to try the same. I say bold because I would classify this as a procedure for only the hardcore DIY’er. All you get for your $99 (German Audio Tech on eBay) is literally just the fancy piece of glass with the cable ribbon pigtail attached, and no instructions. There is extensive disassembly required and you must peel the old glass off, which is glued to a thin plastic cushion or insulator pad, which is in turn glued to the metal frame.

I first removed the MFD unit from the vehicle, in less than an hour. Plenty of Youtubes out there for that. Some show removing it in 2 minutes. I’m sure that’s possible for a pro, but my dash apparently had not been apart before and it was tight, plus I am slow, cautious, and really didn’t want to scratch or break anything. The first snap tab towards the driver door did break when I pulled the lower panel below the steering wheel apart from the upper panel, but it seems just fine without it. It was actually the female tab from the upper panel which broke. Think I’m better off without it since it will be easier to take apart again if ever I need to.

I used this Youtube as a guide for the disassembly of the unit once it was removed from the car:

It was a big help; however, after I finished the job I found this one which looks much better:

It doesn’t have narrative like the first one but it’s a really good video. However, both of them only show removing & replacing the screen as a unit attached to a new frame & PC board, which you just plug in and reassemble. No peeling the glass off of the existing frame. I was envious.

You really need to keep up with all the screws and where & how they go, as well as the cable routing inside the unit. Take pics as you go to help with the reassembly.

When you get down to the glass removal, be careful to preserve the black plastic cushion or insulator pad which is glued between the metal frame & the glass. I used a hair dryer to heat the glass while carefully sliding a thin knife blade between the glass & plastic, starting at a corner and slowly working my way around so as not to break the glass or rip the plastic. I let the plastic stay attached to the frame. I rubbed the old glue off the glass side of the plastic best as I could, then placed some double-sided Scotch tape (width trimmed to fit) where the glue was, to hold the screen during reassembly. I imagine it would have been better to have used glue (maybe a millimeter or two wide strip of Weldwood Contact Cement?). It may eventually slide down on my tape and cause me to have to go back in, I don’t know. I was careful not to leave fingerprints inside the glass – don’t know if that would ever be a problem.

I had some anxiety when I realized the ribbon cable on the new glass was not in the same location as it was on the old. It was maybe an inch or so closer to the center of the screen. I was afraid that would cause it not to reach the board connector would probably have mailed it back to German Audio Tech because of that if I had known before starting. However, there was enough “rope” for it to reach the board, and it turned out fine.

Reassembled everything, installed back in Prius, pushed the Start button. Screen was black for a few seconds, and I felt dejected. Then, everything lit up like a Christmas tree, and all my buttons work! Now I can adjust A/C temp and fan speed separately, choose recirculate or outside air, the works. Yay! I may post a pic or two later, but this pretty much covers it.