Retroplay

I was asked by PM to help a member get inside their climate controller so that they could clean the inside of the plastic LCD window.

First off, that black dust you see inside is from a deteriorating foam gasket around the LCD. Once inside, you are going to drive yourself nuts trying to clean the dust away because every time you touch that gasket, it will crumble some more. Have some compressed air handy!

So here we go. It is very simple, but not immediately obvious:

Starting point (controller removed from the car):



I recommend taking a picture of the unit before you disassemble because those buttons are most likely going to fall out when you take it apart and you will want to know where to put them back in place.

Our first step is to remove the screws on either side of the unit which holds the leather trim in place.



Once the screws are out, there are two clips at the back that hold the trim in place, just pull upwards and they will pop out.



Put the trim piece and the screws aside in a safe spot.

Now, we need to start removing the front face piece.

With the trim piece removed, you will see two screws from the back side. Remove them on both sides:


Then flip the unit over and you will see another two screws on the bottom side:



Now the tricky part is to unclip the front face piece. I use stiff guitar picks and slide them between the clips and leave them there, but use whatever you have.



Release these clips on either side




Keep control of the front face because there are two flex cables inside that you don't want to put stress on.



To disconnect these flex cables, grab with your fingers on either side of the plastic connector and pull it outwards to release the tension. Then the cable will pull out easily.




Remove these two screws and the connector for the Nav display buttons.


And more clips to get the front gray face off. These are a pain, but again, I recommend some guitar picks to hold all the clips open at once so you can just pull it out.








These can break pretty easily, so be careful. Though it won't really affect anything if you do, except cosmetics.


Now, pull the front off carefully, but forcefully. It might not feel like it is going to come off, but keep working it and it will come free.






And there go. Very simple. It took about 5x as long to create this post than it did to disassemble it for the pictures.


Put everything back together in reverse. You didn't lose any screws did you!?

The real clever observer will notice that I intentionally swapped the defroster buttons to show how easy it is to put the buttons back in incorrectly.

Retroplay

If your window is really ugly (the anti-glare coating rubs off and becomes mis-colored) you can pop it out and replace it with some 3/32 anti-glare acrylic intended for picture frames.

2ksoftail

Great write up Retro....I'm the guy that couldn't figure it out, but I bet I'm not the only one that will use it!!! Thanks much.........BZ

ShawnOk

iTrader: (1)

Awesome work Retro! You're still on point, as always! This is something soooo many members have tried to accomplish. Way to go! While you were at the tear down stage, did you attempt changing any of the LED's?

mandyfig

This comes in handy. Thanks Retroplay, salamat.

Retroplay

No, not on this one. This is the one I bought from another member that has missing LCD segments. I still need to get to the bottom of that.

Getting to those LEDs looks to be a pain, so I am saving that for when I have more time. Don't want to rush and break another one.

Retroplay

And please excuse my very messy workbench. I am in the middle of building up a test-bench for reverse engineering the network communications.

apavlopl

Hello guys,
I recently bought the SC430 2006 and I added an additional module for USB and AUX to complete the audio functions. But while dissembling the car, the climate unit window cracked. So I have to replace it. I found the BASE SUB-ASSY, HEATER CONTROL, but it coasts $250 and I think it's a little too much only to change this window.
I would like to know if the window was sealed/glued or just mechanically under pressure to make perfect contact to the external cover?
Do you know the exact size?
Do you know where it can be found a replacement or similar product with same quality?
Thanks in advance

GmanSC

apavlopl

Well, you are completely right that it will be difficult to find an original piece. Nevertheless, I managed to find a person to cut the exact same size. I still need the thikness of the window and find the appropriate way to fix it on the cover (bond/glue).
If you know something related on that matter, please share it.
thanks

DshngDaryl

I like your thinking, but wanted to chime in that I think it is polarized glass. That means when they cut it, it has to be cut in the right direction. Unfortunately I do not know what direction that would be. I also don't know the answer to the rest of your questions, but might suggest you just take the glass out and down to the glass place, since they have to match the polarization direction anyways.

Harold57

Can you just give the glass supplier/cutter the glass from your unit and ask them to replicate it?

Retroplay

I replaced mine with a piece of anti-reflective plexiglass intended for picture frames. I used thin "LCD tape" to secure it. The original isn't polarized. It has an Anti-reflective coating on it which is what rubs off and makes the screen look terrible over time. There is quite a bit of room between the window and the LCD. The picture frame plexiglass is a bit thicker, but it fit without any problem. I cut it myself using the original window as a template.

LCD tape:

DshngDaryl

Thanks man. I thought I remember you flipping the glass sideways and us not being able to see through it. That is why I thought it was polarized.

Retroplay

Yeah. That is a thin film that is attached to the LCD directly. It is glued on to the LCD. I believe the OP is talking about the little plastic window on the faceplate, which can be removed very easily (it just pops out if you push it from the front.) It is just a piece of PETG or polycarbonate with an anti-reflective coating on it. About 1/16" thick. It is taped inside the faceplate and away from the LCD to protect it.

Maybe the OP should post a pic of what he is talking about.

On an interesting note, flipping the polarized film on the LCD makes the LCD negative (white letters on black background) and also actually works with sunglasses on. I noticed in my car if I wear polarized glasses, I can't read the climate control display. So doing it is a double bonus, but handling the LCD itself is pretty dangerous. You have to use force to remove the polarizing film and the LCD is so thin, it is easily cracked.