fiveainone

80% of the CT I see online or in person have these finger oil prints on the fan buttons. Is there a way to clean it off? I've tried rubbing alcohol, but no dice. See these images for reference:








Talking about the darker, circular colors on the fan buttons. Some are worse than others.

E46CT

If alcohol won't clean not not sure what will...

it may be just the plastic is polished smooth sort of like the keys on a keyboard.

you can try a magic eraser from the grocery store and lightly scuff the buttons to try and sand some of the shiny plastic down.

macmaster

Mine has that too. I've seen it on CT's with 10k miles. There's no way it's a sign of wear and tear - it's not like our fingers are constantly on those buttons, maybe a few dozen times over several thousand miles.

I know this sounds weird, but try touching the "untouched" part next time you use the button, to even out the "oil." Would love to know if that helps.

E46CT

it's wear and tear. It's a high traffic area in terms of presses. Just plastics smoothing out on a microscopic level resulting in a sheen. Everything wears.

fiveainone

Going to try the magic eraser right now, thanks. Have also thought about making it even as well. The unit itself is $500.

E46CT

^did it work?

i noticed a shiny spot on my button too. i'm going to try it and post the result. go gentle at first. and then progressively rub more as needed. it's a bit on the abrasive side so a little goes a long way. don't touch any painted or glossy surfaces.

btw this is pretty much common on most cars where plastic buttons get a lot of traffic.

my fan speed UP button has a larger and shinier spot than my fan speed down button. apparently i'm more aggressive with the button when turning the speed UP. lol

my keyboard at work is the same way. keys i use most are shiniest.

check out my space bar:

fiveainone

It didn't unfortunately. Although I only did it for about a minute or two, couldn't see a difference; perhaps I should've gave more time.

My previous car had **** adjustments, so there were no problems. They should've painted these like stereo buttons tbh. Seems like the up button tend to wear out more, from the ones I've seen.

I alcohol my MacBook keyboard often, so I take most of the oil out, and it doesn't have any particularly worn spots.

E46CT

It's not really oil (though there probably is some oil)

You are physically sanding (polishing) the plastic down smooth every time you touch it. Same goes for every surface known to man kind. If you wash your car enough, you'll eventually wear the paint down to the steel. Then eventually the steel. It's inevitable for all materials known to mankind.

NOID

First, I apoologise to the sloppiness and punctualistic nature my writing is taken due to a mini-phone keyboard. If I come off as rude or opake only it is because of my write speed so thank you for bearing with.

Okay -

Start here :
1. Purchase your favorite 'U.V. Protecting towels w/ resealability ( 27ct +/- 10 or under 50. 50 becomes excessive quickly and lack optimal dry time ). The reseal ability makes for easier adjustments in the last final touching up.
2. Gently pull and begin to expose the protection towel to the air. And stop, about half way.
( If you pulled one out, that's fine as they are numerous, it will only reduce your dry time further. Towels exposed directly and unattached to the original set ultimately lose moisture.)
3. You're done. Wait!

Urgent disclaimers : Waiting for the moisture can be tedious so take your time waiting for the UV Protectant to sink in based on your pref. Also, try not to clean the buttons or dash until Moist!


Best of Wishes & Luck in getting it just, right. ➰

E46CT

i'm not sure what i just read above.

are you telling him how to clean his car with towels and UV protectant?

OP is asking about the worn down buttons causing a shiny appearance.

14ct200h

I'm thinking the same as well.....what did I just read??!?!

E46CT

It almost seems like a spam account where the user creates a brand new account and posts a few things seemingly unrelated to the topic just so he/she (usually a he) can get his foot in the door on the website and post more spammy things.