NAV screen replacement....
03-31-2014, 01:47 PM
#1
NAV screen replacement.... So I sold my NAV and when I took it out of the car, I must have buggered it up somehow because now there is a small but noticeable scratch on an otherwise nice screen. It's probably not a big deal but I don't want to ship it that way.
Searching here and on the evil forum lead me to Specmo which appears to be an authorized GM service center for the factory NAV units. Based on a phone call I placed to them, they may or may not be able to replace the screen but I would have to ship it to them to know for sure....uhhh, that ain't happenin...
I called Lindsay looking for a screen and they said SOL....
But, I have seen mentioned that the screen is easy to replace and that some have used Lexan in combination with an anti-glare cover thats sold on ebay but nobody left any feedback on how well it worked...
Who thinks I can get away with using Lexan as a nice substitute for a new factory screen????
Searching here and on the evil forum lead me to Specmo which appears to be an authorized GM service center for the factory NAV units. Based on a phone call I placed to them, they may or may not be able to replace the screen but I would have to ship it to them to know for sure....uhhh, that ain't happenin...
I called Lindsay looking for a screen and they said SOL....
But, I have seen mentioned that the screen is easy to replace and that some have used Lexan in combination with an anti-glare cover thats sold on ebay but nobody left any feedback on how well it worked...
Who thinks I can get away with using Lexan as a nice substitute for a new factory screen????
04-03-2014, 09:15 AM
#6
Success!
After shopping around and looking at how the unit is put together, I figured using glass was going to take cutting precision because if the glass is cut to small (just a little) it may not sit inside the screen retainers and if its too big, you won't be able to get it inside the retainers....it would have to be cut just about perfectly to seat correctly...
That lead me to a more flexible product which would give me a little room for error. So I went down to Lowe's and purchased a little piece of Lexan which they graciously cut for me into the pieces I needed that are very close in size to the stock screen, but not perfect.
After shopping around on the internet, I found that probably the clearest/thinnest screen protector/anti-glare film that is readily available to me is made for the Kindle Nook and sold at Barnes and Noble. As they are directly across the street from Lowe's, I decided to give them a try.
So I already had the NAV system out of the car and to access the screen all you have to do is gently pry the front cover off the unit, unplug two rather delicate looking plugs and remove the front cover from the NAV unit all together. After that, removing the old screen simply required wiggling it out from underneath the retaining tabs that hold it in place. This is where you will come to realize that if you're going with glass, it'll need to be cut just right.
Before I started, I turned off the heat in the house so I wouldn't have to worry so much about dust moving around. I then took the Lexan, peeled the protective film off one side, put the Nook screen cover on and trimmed it to fit with a razor blade. I went to install it and had to flex the Lexan a bit to get it underneath the screen retaining tabs but being able to flex it enough to slide in was the key here. But what I found is that by simply using a razor blade to trim the Nook sheet, it came out slightly larger than the plastic itself and tended to "bunch up" a little in the corners which prevented it from seating all the way, leaving me with bubbles in the corners that I couldn't iron out.
So, I took the plastic back out, lifted the edge of the Nook sheet just a bit, trimmed it with a pair of scissors, laid it back down, slapped in back in, ironed it out with a credit card and the results look nice for the time and investment ($28) I have in it.
Because the Nook sheets come in a pack of 2, I had Lowe's cut 2 pieces of plastic just in case I screwed up the first install. I got lucky and got it right the first time so if anyone wants my leftovers, pm your name and address and I'll send the extra Nook sheet and Lexan your way.
After shopping around and looking at how the unit is put together, I figured using glass was going to take cutting precision because if the glass is cut to small (just a little) it may not sit inside the screen retainers and if its too big, you won't be able to get it inside the retainers....it would have to be cut just about perfectly to seat correctly...
That lead me to a more flexible product which would give me a little room for error. So I went down to Lowe's and purchased a little piece of Lexan which they graciously cut for me into the pieces I needed that are very close in size to the stock screen, but not perfect.
After shopping around on the internet, I found that probably the clearest/thinnest screen protector/anti-glare film that is readily available to me is made for the Kindle Nook and sold at Barnes and Noble. As they are directly across the street from Lowe's, I decided to give them a try.
So I already had the NAV system out of the car and to access the screen all you have to do is gently pry the front cover off the unit, unplug two rather delicate looking plugs and remove the front cover from the NAV unit all together. After that, removing the old screen simply required wiggling it out from underneath the retaining tabs that hold it in place. This is where you will come to realize that if you're going with glass, it'll need to be cut just right.
Before I started, I turned off the heat in the house so I wouldn't have to worry so much about dust moving around. I then took the Lexan, peeled the protective film off one side, put the Nook screen cover on and trimmed it to fit with a razor blade. I went to install it and had to flex the Lexan a bit to get it underneath the screen retaining tabs but being able to flex it enough to slide in was the key here. But what I found is that by simply using a razor blade to trim the Nook sheet, it came out slightly larger than the plastic itself and tended to "bunch up" a little in the corners which prevented it from seating all the way, leaving me with bubbles in the corners that I couldn't iron out.
So, I took the plastic back out, lifted the edge of the Nook sheet just a bit, trimmed it with a pair of scissors, laid it back down, slapped in back in, ironed it out with a credit card and the results look nice for the time and investment ($28) I have in it.
Because the Nook sheets come in a pack of 2, I had Lowe's cut 2 pieces of plastic just in case I screwed up the first install. I got lucky and got it right the first time so if anyone wants my leftovers, pm your name and address and I'll send the extra Nook sheet and Lexan your way.
Last edited by ls1247; 04-03-2014 at 09:40 AM.
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04-04-2014, 02:40 AM
#8
Launching!
This is great. I had mine out the other day trying to decide how to replace it and thought I would have to find something small enough to remove the 6 point screws holding one of the circuit boards on to remove the glass. The thought didnt even cross my mind to bend the little tabs back to get the glass out. I was too scared I would break something. Looks like ill be making a trip to lowes and barnes an noble this weekend so my scratches up nav face can finally look better.
