jim...before I did the Novus thing, I got down there with a decent flashlight and thought I saw the matte, not perfectly glass -like surface talked about in previous posts. It looks like the lens/bezel whatever is not the same as the radio display (no NAV in my V). I did 4 applications of Novus2 with some microfiber lens cloths. It applies and comes off very easily. Each time the micro swirls I was creating as well as the 'matte' were markedly reduced, and the display surface looks almost perfectly clear & glass-like now. The display is still not perfect...but at least 95% better...:rockon: I may try a few more apps in the future, but for now I'm much happier.... As far as waiting for a Toyota fix....well I need instant gratification.... & I knew I would do no harm w/ the Novus.....
jm, did you use only the Novus #2 or did you finish off with the #1? That may bring in the shine a bit as well... radio
I applied some of the Novus 1 and buffed clean. I does shine things up a bit...it also leaves a somewhat slick surface, which is why I use it on my helmet shield before every ride. Sort of like RainX for bugs.....
OK, I'm a bit pensive on this. Received the Novus 2 - via ebay - $4.23 with shipping. Just tried it on a sample plastic piece. I had a very glossy black plastic panel left over from an HDTV install here. This was my sample for application before I went to the car. I have a new microfiber cloth and applied a bit and lightly applied in a circular motion for about 20 seconds. Wiped dry. And re-applied 4 more times. Each application I noticed very tiny circular swirl marks. And none on the non-touched area next. So....am I doing something wrong? Do I absolutely need to finish it with Novus 1? My screens are not THAT bad, but have that matte dull finish and very fine scratches. Sure don't want to make matters worse.... Suggestions please???
I used the Novus polish on an iPod a couple of years ago, and those results convinced me not to try it on the a/c screen. While the iPod generally looked okay in certain lighting, in direct sunlight you could see nothing but scratches and swirl marks.
OK Jay, I'm now officially on the fence and Novus won't touch my screens until I feel better about this....
It seems like Novus 2 & 3 are polishes, and Novus 1 is a wax, which will (temporarily) fill in the fine scratches & swirls caused by the polishing.
So, now even firmer on the fence. Not that I don't trust you other folks - it may have done pretty well on your screens. An analogy may be - hmm unlabeled small bottle. Wonder if this is eye drops. What the heck, I'll try it out. Doh! Can't un-ring that bell.
Thought I would let people know that I can confirm the "Brasso" fix for the screen/lense. My container of Brasso made no mention of use on plastic so I chose not to go that route. I did have some "Novus" scratch remover made specifically for plastic scratch removal (used it on airplane plexiglass) and used it to drastically improve the clarity of the screen. I wouldn't call it clear as glass but the difference is drastic. The stuff is the same concept as Brasso in that it is a mild polishing abrasive in a liquid slurry. I'm sure many other products would give similar results. I agree with everyone else in that the screen looked like it had a plastic film over it that needed to be peeled off. After rubbing this stuff in for a few minutes with a soft cloth the screen is way better. There seems to be some sort of antiglare coating on the face. It went from the flat look of some laptop screens to more of a high gloss you see on some laptop screens. Anyway, no going to the dealer to complain and having them look at me like I am an idiot. Problem solved in about 20 minutes.
Can you please share with us the exact steps you took to resolve the screen issue? Such as, how much Novus did you apply? Did you use a circular motion? How much pressure did you apply? How long did you perform the procedure? Looking for some details so that I don't ruin the screen! LOL! I HAVE ONE MORE.... I see that Novus is sold as a three step phased kit. Did you use all three or just one in particular? Thanks!
The Novus 3 step kit is a moderate abrasive (step 3) a mild abrasive (step 2) which are sort of like a liquid polish. The last step (step 1) is a liquid spray that doesn't really do any polishing just cleans and provides an "antistatic" coating. I used step 2 on the lense. Didn't use a circular motion just back and forth right to left. The directions say circular but there isn't a lot of room to work with. I was trying to stay away from the "plasmacluster" marking which appears to be painted on the outside. I used moderate pressure (probably about the same as you would use to apply paste wax to your car) with a small amount placed on a soft cotton cloth wrapped around my finger tip. Basically just dipped my finger tip in the novus to wet the end and rubbed it in. It is a slowly progressive process and you quit when you like what you see. Rub it in for 20-30 seconds then wipe it off and check it out. The abbrasive is pretty mild so there really insn't much fear of over doing it. Worked for me. I wish someone else would try the Brasso. Novis isn't as easy to find or as cheap as Brasso. You will end up using about 0.01% of the Novis on this. Seems excessive to buy the whole kit. Hope this helps.
Hi Group, I am the guy who used brasso in the first place. I will follow up with some additional advice. I did a follow up treatment with some more brasso to put the final touch on the job. It is important to use a very soft lint free cloth. That it is why I used a kleenix to polish the screen. If you use anything else like a paper napkin or towel it will introduce scratches of it's own. I know this from experience of cleaning my scratch resistance polycarbonate glasses with a paper towel of any kind. Only a kleenix is gentle enough to let the abrasive in brasso do it's thing without adding scratches from the towel. I then finished up the job by applying New Finish auto polish, a non abrasive silicone polish. That final step removed all residual swirl marks that the first step left behind. It is kind of scary to attempt this but it works great if the proper procedure is followed.
All - the BRASSO technique is also a time-honored way to repair CD's and video game disks which fail when their surface plastic is too scratched. The data layer the laser reads is underneath a relatively thick layer of plastic which polishes up quiet well with BRASSO. I have done this frequently. That said, my climate display's annoying as well but I'm not dragging out my can of polish yet. I too peeled at the corners in vane when I took delivery on the car. I also noticed a small amount of something sticky as well, which looked a lot like adhesive residue from protective cover I assumed the dealer had removed.
Hmmmmm....is it possible..that the dealer's removing a film..that, maybe, would be better off if left in place? Could this be the reason that some people have no problem with the display: they still have the film in place? I know..weird, but, I thought I'd ask.
Any paper product (Kleenex included) can scratch the surface. Paper products contains cellulose fibers which can scratch (if you wipe your glasses with kleenex, you will find it will scratch the lens)... You should only use a soft clean cotton cloth...
I'm happy to report that, with much trepidation, I used the above-mentioned Novus products with great success on my blurry a/c screen! I happened to see a Novus polish kit at the Container Store for about $10 and grabbed it. It came with directions and some lint-free disposable polishing cloths. I have the plasmacluster and was concerned about polishing off the logo, so I covered it with a strip of clear packing tape, thinking that this would provide a nice, clean line between polished and unpolished plastic. (I also used the tape to seal off the edges of the screen, so I wouldn't get any polish in the cracks between the screen and the surrounding buttons.) I followed the package directions, using first the #2 polish followed by the #1. It worked beautifully, and I'm happy to say the the screen is MUCH improved! If it looked the way it does now when I first purchased the car I would never have had a complaint. (And the blurry screen was driving me CRAZY!) So...one more vote for the Novus method. It sure beats waiting around for a fix from Toyota.
