Hi Everyone, I'm back with a question. I loaned a friend my 2007 Prius last week and when it came back the Touchscreen was apparently damaged. It has a 3" round circular ring in the middle that looks like it has striations in it, probably cracked. The screen only works at the very edges. It may have been hit accidentally with something like a coffee cup. However, is it possible this may have been due to heat or some other reason? Has this happened to anyone else lately? I hate to mention it to my friend if it was not their fault. Also, what is the scenario for buying one to replace myself? Are they available aftermarket? Is there a link to a priuschat knowledgebase on this? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
I have never heard of the MFD randomly cracking. You can purchase used ones on eBay from time to time. Do you have any pictures of the damage? It might help us decide what the problem is. Are you sure your friend didn't have an accident and break the screen? Might want to try and bring it up in conversation.
A friend of mine was carrying wood in his Avensis.. he braked and a piece slid fwd and smashed the stereo console.. Post a picture of the MFD.. I doubt it'll crack in the heat.. LCD's (eg: LCD watches) go dark when exposed to heat.. but recover when back to normal operating temperatures. The question is: why didn't your "friend" point it out to you?
Never lend a friend your wife, car, chainsaw or lawn mower because if you do you will likely get them back f***ed.
Almost certainly your friend carried something long and round, like a pipe, and smashed it into the MFD screen. Your best bet, other than killing your friend, is to buy a unit from eBay. It's also possible to purchase a rebuilt unit from Toyota. This is a really sad story. I hate it when people mess up my stuff. Tom
Well, I suspect my friend doesn't even know she did it. It was part of a vehicle trade and I gained some benefit from it that I don't want to lose next time - so I'll suck it up this time. I'll contact the dealer and look on eBay. If I can get it to show up on the photo I'll post it also. Thanks Steve
The MFD isn't cheap -- even on E-bay. You may be sucking it up through an enormous straw. The benefit must be a date... Two other possiblilities with the MFD cracking. Your friend may have wanted to keep fingerprints off your MFD because they were polite. What they didn't know was that almost any object harder than a finger or fingernail can crack the MFD. Second scenario, your friend wanted to return your Prius without fingerprints and pressed a little too hard when cleaning. Both options show an attempt at respect but not enough knowledge of the car.
So, I took my car to the dealer and they said it looks like someone stuck a GPS suction cup on it, which they said will wreck it for sure. I suspect this is what happened. The dealer says they can only sell me an exchange MFD. They can't sell me the screen alone. Has anyone taken one of these apart? Can the touchscreen be separated from the LCD module? I'm sure only the touchscreen is damaged. I'd rather buy a touchscreen than a whole LCD module. Steve
On the subject of MFD/LCD screen damage, what if any effect would result from a magnet being placed on the screen? If there is a reaction, is it instantaneous? Is it permanent, or does it diminish over time?
The OP's friend should volunteer to replace the MFD. They must know that they damaged it. As to the magnet: I'm not about to find out :_> If any mild steel was used in the construction the consequences could be ugly.
I have touched magnets on flat panel touch screens at my work, and nothing happened, but I have no idea if it would mess up the LCD in the Prius.
Your friend attached a rubber suction mounting device for something like a Garmin to the touch screen. And then pulled it off. The exact same thing happened to mine - who knew you weren't supposed to attach your garmin there? It seemed like such a logical place to put it.... mine's been that way since a few months after we bought it - not covered by the new car warranty, at least $1000 to have the dealer fix it. I just noticed a cool you-tube video where someone disassembled his dash to put in a radio, now that I see how to take it out - i may just get a replacement from somewhere and put it in myself. here's a link to the YouTube video... How to Remove Radio / CD Changer / Control Display from Toyota Prius for Repair - YouTube
Who knew that someone would not want to make use of the MFD, which is needed in order to drive the car properly? Be wary of car borrowers bearing suction cups...
