OK I get an award for SUS, Stupid User Syndrome. I used a Zeiss eyeglass cleaning cloth which had isopropyl alcohol in it on my MMI screen and it looks awful. Took it to my dealer and they said the whole entire system had to be replaced. I have asked Audi to research if I can clean it some way to get the coating off or just replace the screen, not the whole system; they haven't gotten back to me yet. Meanwhile I found www.photodon.com which has the right cleaner for an LCD screen, am waiting for delivery of that. They also have a PROTECTION cover for it...gee wish I had thought of that before. Has anyone else had this experience and what did you do? I'm afraid to keep fiddling with it until I do the right thing...I have a post it on that says "Do not fiddle with this." HELP!

I initially had the car cleaned by a "professional" and they put some interior leather/vinyl dressing on everything, including the NAV screen. It had a nasty film on it that I thought was permanent. Many people say don't use any cleaning chemicals on the screen as it may ruin it, but I figured I'd try glass cleaner before replacing the screen. The screen looks perfect now.

Did it remove the coating or restore it? I think the coating has been damaged and needs to be removed. Thanks.

if that doesn't make it look perfect the anti-reflective (AR) coating is damaged. next option is to clean it again and apply screen protecting film to mask the coating failure. should cover it up nicely.

stoners is available at any autoparts store.

film screen protector is available at any best buy type place. custom sizes should be available online if you can't find a sheet large enough and want to cut to fit.

<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/148925/dscn2782.jpg"></center><p>Sorry it's blurry but to get close enough it turned out that way.

I'm afraid to do anything until I know the right answer. I agree the best thing to do is remove the coating and add a new anti glare protector, but I've tried to clean it more and it just looks worse so I'm trying to leave it alone until I know what will remove the coating.
Thanks for your help

I'm afraid to "try" anything until I know it will work.

Yes I am another female.

..try the LCD cleaner stuff first. It's not going to make the problem any worse. If it doesn't fix the problem, then it's probably damaged beyond repair. You might also try over on the nav plus forums, as this is probably a common issue (www.navplus.us).

not by humans anyway.

i kid.

but if the LCD cleaner doesn't work and you're going to trash the screen anyway, might as well try it.

I followed up on one of the suggestions and called Adam of Adam's Polishes. I'll see what he has to say. Also, would be nice to hear from the manufacturer how to remove the coating safely! (Still waiting on Audi for that one.) Easy enough to put a new anti glare screen on it. I'll let you know what my final resolution is. I'm not going to try anything until someone tells me they have safely removed this coating...will get out the nav forum also. Thanks for the help.

if they touch that screen

not sure if it's still going on, but i've already got 3 from them.

LCD cleaner best bet like Bob W says. Still
though the surface did not like what is on there

I would contact the manufacturer of the stuff
you put on it as they may no what will pull it
out or at least what the oil is

Tough to tell with the picture quality, but mine had that blue streaky smear too. It might be from the oils that were in the product that's still on the screen. The other suggestions about using only MF cloths are valid for regular maintenance, but they won't take off the oil. I also tried LCD screen cleaner and a MF towel from an office supply store and that didn't work. Glass cleaner will take off the oil residue if that's the cause. I wouldn't use it for regular cleaning, but in this case it won't hurt anything. I needed two passes with glass cleaner and a MF towel. Make sure the radio is off and don't rub the screen too hard. BTW Adams is just a manufacturer of car detailing products. Windex will probably work as well. I cleaned mine 2 months ago and have had no problems. It looks like new. Good luck

...to visit with Adam of Adam's Polishes. He says the coating will have to be removed and he has a product to do it. So since he is only about 2 hours from me, I'm just going to go there. He was incredibly helpful on the phone and says he has done this before, which were the magic words I was waiting to hear. The one thing I don't want to do is the wrong thing. I think this is a very poor design for such a high wear item.

www.adamspolishes.com
866.965.0400

in Boulder next week and I am going to let him do it...since he's not that far away. He says he has done it before and knows how to remove the coating, which by now has been damaged by interaction with unfriendly chemicals. Super helpful on the phone.

www.adamspolishes.com

AR is a chemically applied. i'm not smart enough to understand the process. stoners won't hurt AR. i've used it on many different plastic and glass surfaces w/ AR. it will remove any contaminants from the surface and reveal what is left. from there you need to either buy a new unit/screen or put on a the protective screen film.

you shouldn't even attempt to remove what might be left from AR coating. the protective film will cover it up and you won't notice if it's only the coating that is damaged. if the plastic is chemically damaged then you're simply going to have to replace it.

I used a MF towel and Enzeitt Cockpit Premium to clean my interior.

there's no reason to ever touch the screen, so unless you're routinely eating a lobster dinner with drawn butter inside the car, it really shouldn't ever get more than dust on it. of course, passengers might touch it...and they should be summarily dispatched.

so worst case you should be able to just replace the screen and not the entire unit. Hopefully the polish works out.

You would not believe the runaround from Audi...(or maybe you would). "We can't get that information." etc. They told me Delphi was the manufacturer and I emailed tech support and they pointed me back to Audi! Finger pointing par excellence. Tell me how you found new screens on the navplus.us forum. Thanks.

And it's inevitable that someone is going to touch it...I don't know about your passengers but most of mine are clients and I'm not going to scream at them if they touch my Nav screen. I will post the results. Audi and Delphi are pointing fingers at each other.

You can replace the unit, called an RNS-E unit, for $1,325 at navparts.com. Which was less than I thought it would be.

On Monday I am going to a detailer who says he has successfully removed the anti glare screen and promises peace from obsession with my screen. I'll let you know how that works out and what products work. Until then I am doing nothing...too scared I will make it worse. And trying not to obsess. Tonight I was told I have a guy's set of priorities when it comes to cars. This is true. Will post next week when I get the results of the anti glare removal. Audi and the manufacturer of the screen were uncooperative.

and oh BTW, nice car collection!!

Cosmetically the only difference is that the US-versions have a "CD/SD" button and the Euro ones have "CD/TV"

Periodically Navteq/Audi offer update DVD's that both have updated maps and firmware for the units (turning on new features,etc) and have specific firmware for either US or Euro units and they are not interchangable. Do your research from your supplier to determine excatly what you are getting so you dont have problems in the future.

When I installed the RNS-E in my RS6, I spent the extra $ to get a new US-version unit (2 yrs ago) so all future US updates would just require inserting the new DVD. From what I understand, the Euro versions can be completely "Americanized" to work with the US-firmware. I have not been keeping up as frequently, so again, please check with your supplier if you go that route.

This works amazing on my marine GPS. I was afraid it would take off too much, but it didn't. The unit looks better than showroom. I used plain old Crest, not whitening, no tartar control, just the old fashioned, keep your teeth yellow version.

I haven't done this on the RS4 yet. Thought I'd use the cleaner cloth that came with my LCD for the home computer first.

If anyone's interested in the toothpaste route, just dab a small amount on a smooth finger tip and gently rub in small circles, wipe with a damp cloth. Worked on the GPS. Not sure what would be the result on the MMI.

Adam's Polishes made it look perfect. I used these products from Adam's Polishes:
Detail Spray to clean the screen, with their super plush microfiber towel
Swirl and Haze Remover to remove the damaged anti glare coating.
Revive Polish to polish the screen

You must let the screen completely cool down from use or heat, then apply these products gently with the super plush microfiber towel.

Looks better than new, clearer than before, and I don't miss the anti glare coating.

This is amazing stuff...I then used it on light scratches on the car and they disappeared!! I'm not kidding!! I'm a convert.

www.adamspolishes.com
866 965 0400

I'm having the same issues. I just wiped the screen with a damp chamois and it smudged up with brown streaks. The only way to get the smudges out was with LCD cleaner wipes. Now the coating is coming off. Audi was not help (same as with the intake fouling). Personally I think the coating is just defective. Anyway, one of the other forums talks about using Maguires plastic cleaner so I'll probably give that a try.