How I fixed my scuffed Nav display anti-glare coating

Surly73 · 02-22-2019, 10:21 AM

Hi all:

I'm adding this reference to the community since it worked so well for me. I didn't realize it early enough to hold the dealer accountable, but I believe they inadvertently swapped CIC screens in my vehicle when my CIC needed repair. Lighting angles did not present themselves to allow me to see that there was damage to the anti-glare coating on the screen that was very obviously not from me. It went in flawless and came back with a rubbed off area at the bottom (from someone dusting or detailing the lower plastic shelf) and a "grid" scuffed in by a foreign object over where the map displays. Months after the repairs when I first opened the sunroof these flaws lit up bright pink in that angle of lighting. I wasn't happy.

I have a 2011 535xi with Nav Professional which is CIC based and has a 247 x 95 mm visible screen.

I did some research and ended up choosing to pursue a film from NuShield. After consulting with them, it was determined that DayVue film would be best for an automotive display.

They have a pre-cut product "5-series Navigation Professional 2009-17 is 243 x 89 mm" which I ordered initially. After receiving it I noticed that there was a 1mm or so gap all the way around the screen which I felt would be visually distracting and look poor in the vehicle. I began to research options to disassemble the display unit and apply larger film which would extend under the plastic bezel edges.

I removed and disassembled the display unit, made some measurements, and again consulted with NuShield. Based on what we found they pointed out their pre-cut product "BMW 6 Series E24,E63,E64-2011-15 is 247 x 95 mm". I ordered this product, again with DayVue finish.

The installation went very well and the end results are great. The original coating, when perfect, is matte. It scatters reflections and you pretty much never get an image of any reflections. On the other hand you can still get scattering and washing out of the display. The factory coating is also very fragile. "Glossy vs matte" is an ongoing TV/computer display debate or preference for years now. Same with this.

The Dayvue film is glossy, but very anti-glare. If the sun is positioned to reflect directly off the screen I can see an image of the ball of the sun, but the brightness is so subdued that all it does is make it difficult to read text behind. In any other lighting conditions the screen is crisper, higher contrast, and easier to read than the original coating. Any reflections are in a very deep blue hue and not very visible.

If your nav screen coating is damaged - NuShield DayVue is an excellent option. NuShield says that as long as the original coating is not "flaking" off (e.g. comes off with a wet cloth) you don't need to remove the original coating but I did.

My steps:

Remove CIC display from car
Remove plastic bezel
Polish original coating off with Novus #2 and a clean microfiber cloth
Quick polish with Novus #1 for perfect clarity
Wipe down with CarPro Eraser on clean MF towel (isopropyl alcohol would probably work)
As dust-free as possible, apply DayVue film according to directions. Just like installing a screen protector on a phone.
Re-attach plastic bezel
Re-Install CIC display
Enjoy

I did not heavily document my individual process, since I found everything I needed to online already and just assembled the pieces of the process.

Uninstall CIC Pro screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KK1oEwJ-Q

Not my exact screen model but -- remove the bezel, polish the screen (I did not use a drill and pad - just by hand), install film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcuq_c26NjA

Lexerd film is an option - the NuShield stuff is nicer and higher performing IMO. This video reviews DayVue film performance on laptops in direct sun and gives you some idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwLbnNCpjP0

You'll need a variety of small Torx drivers to remove the CIC screen and remove its bezel.

I'll wait until some bright lighting and add some photos of the finished product. I don't think a few cellphone pictures will convey anything that you can't find online though.

marmit2017 · 03-04-2019, 11:54 AM

Do you have pictures of the finished product?

Luky · 05-04-2019, 09:37 AM

How "sticky" is the new film? I would do the pre-cut just to protect my current display that is not scratched up like a lens protect on your phone (certainly dont want to remove/polish it off). Do you think there would be issues layering on top of the stock screen coating?

Surly73 · 05-05-2019, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luky

How "sticky" is the new film? I would do the pre-cut just to protect my current display that is not scratched up like a lens protect on your phone (certainly dont want to remove/polish it off). Do you think there would be issues layering on top of the stock screen coating?

Nushield told me that even with a failed coating it will adhere and look fine, as long as the original coating is not flaking off.

So, I'm not sure if your concern is that the film adhesive will ruin the original coating when you peel it off? Or whether the film will stick to intact original coating?

If the former - no idea. If the latter - I expect it will work perfectly fine.

In my case, I did not want the appearance of my damaged area to be visible through the new film so I made the original display "uniform" by polishing off the original coating entirely.

Both of the film options are "pre-cut". The one that comes up as the proper one for the car, however, sticks on with no disassembly. The larger one that goes underneath the plastic bezel (i.e. invisible) requires some disassembly that isn't very hard, honestly.

Luky · 05-05-2019, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surly73

Nushield told me that even with a failed coating it will adhere and look fine, as long as the original coating is not flaking off.

So, I'm not sure if your concern is that the film adhesive will ruin the original coating when you peel it off? Or whether the film will stick to intact original coating?

If the former - no idea. If the latter - I expect it will work perfectly fine.

In my case, I did not want the appearance of my damaged area to be visible through the new film so I made the original display "uniform" by polishing off the original coating entirely.

Both of the film options are "pre-cut". The one that comes up as the proper one for the car, however, sticks on with no disassembly. The larger one that goes underneath the plastic bezel (i.e. invisible) requires some disassembly that isn't very hard, honestly.

My main concern is if the adhesive would effect the original coating when I removed it. I dont want to take the dash apart so the precut would be ideal for me... I probably have some sample sheets of lens protect films in my garage that vendors used to give me back in the day when i made cell phones for Kyocera Wireless (previously Qualcomm). I would use them for stuff like this or on tablets, etc. But hand cut never looks as nice as a laser or die cut sheet.

Thanks for your feedback. I will probably give it a try as I am always worried about the car wash people scratching my display when they wipe it off.

Crewza · 05-10-2019, 07:51 AM

Excellent read, my screen has little dirt or scratches in the corners I think it's time to freshen it up if possible.

Thanks!

Creeky B · 05-12-2019, 12:54 PM

I have just bought a professional screen from eBay. When I received it, it was a right mess. The anti glare coating was scratched very bad.

So removed the coating completely with lens cleaner now looks great (no scratches) and have ordered an Nushield anti glare screen protector from the US.

Thanks to the posts on this forum.

marmit2017 · 05-16-2019, 04:54 AM

Do you have pictures of the finished product?

Hervin · 05-16-2019, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Creeky B

I have just bought a professional screen from eBay. When I received it, it was a right mess. The anti glare coating was scratched very bad.

So removed the coating completely with lens cleaner now looks great (no scratches) and have ordered an Nushield anti glare screen protector from the US.

Thanks to the posts on this forum.

Guess I'll need to do the same

As I need a Pro screen as well.

Creeky B · 05-16-2019, 10:55 AM

See pictures. Before and after. I have not put the screen protector on yet as the sun light doesn't seem to effect the screen.

AZ535i · 08-25-2020, 08:56 PM

Surly73, thank you for this thorough write up!

The scratched anti glare on my NBT screen is no more! I took your advice and purchased the 6 series precut, as opposed to my 2013 535i precut option. I took the entire screen out and positioned the DayVue film over the screen with very little gaps on all sides. After putting everything back together, no visible gaps at all!

02-22-2019, 10:21 AM	#1
Surly73 Lieutenant Colonel 534 Rep 1,873 Posts Drives: '11 535xi 8AT KWv3 MPE MHD xHP Join Date: May 2012 Location: Oakville, Ontario iTrader: (1)	How I fixed my scuffed Nav display anti-glare coating Hi all: I'm adding this reference to the community since it worked so well for me. I didn't realize it early enough to hold the dealer accountable, but I believe they inadvertently swapped CIC screens in my vehicle when my CIC needed repair. Lighting angles did not present themselves to allow me to see that there was damage to the anti-glare coating on the screen that was very obviously not from me. It went in flawless and came back with a rubbed off area at the bottom (from someone dusting or detailing the lower plastic shelf) and a "grid" scuffed in by a foreign object over where the map displays. Months after the repairs when I first opened the sunroof these flaws lit up bright pink in that angle of lighting. I wasn't happy. I have a 2011 535xi with Nav Professional which is CIC based and has a 247 x 95 mm visible screen. I did some research and ended up choosing to pursue a film from NuShield. After consulting with them, it was determined that DayVue film would be best for an automotive display. They have a pre-cut product "5-series Navigation Professional 2009-17 is 243 x 89 mm" which I ordered initially. After receiving it I noticed that there was a 1mm or so gap all the way around the screen which I felt would be visually distracting and look poor in the vehicle. I began to research options to disassemble the display unit and apply larger film which would extend under the plastic bezel edges. I removed and disassembled the display unit, made some measurements, and again consulted with NuShield. Based on what we found they pointed out their pre-cut product "BMW 6 Series E24,E63,E64-2011-15 is 247 x 95 mm". I ordered this product, again with DayVue finish. The installation went very well and the end results are great. The original coating, when perfect, is matte. It scatters reflections and you pretty much never get an image of any reflections. On the other hand you can still get scattering and washing out of the display. The factory coating is also very fragile. "Glossy vs matte" is an ongoing TV/computer display debate or preference for years now. Same with this. The Dayvue film is glossy, but very anti-glare. If the sun is positioned to reflect directly off the screen I can see an image of the ball of the sun, but the brightness is so subdued that all it does is make it difficult to read text behind. In any other lighting conditions the screen is crisper, higher contrast, and easier to read than the original coating. Any reflections are in a very deep blue hue and not very visible. If your nav screen coating is damaged - NuShield DayVue is an excellent option. NuShield says that as long as the original coating is not "flaking" off (e.g. comes off with a wet cloth) you don't need to remove the original coating but I did. My steps: Remove CIC display from car Remove plastic bezel Polish original coating off with Novus #2 and a clean microfiber cloth Quick polish with Novus #1 for perfect clarity Wipe down with CarPro Eraser on clean MF towel (isopropyl alcohol would probably work) As dust-free as possible, apply DayVue film according to directions. Just like installing a screen protector on a phone. Re-attach plastic bezel Re-Install CIC display Enjoy I did not heavily document my individual process, since I found everything I needed to online already and just assembled the pieces of the process. Uninstall CIC Pro screen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KK1oEwJ-Q Not my exact screen model but -- remove the bezel, polish the screen (I did not use a drill and pad - just by hand), install film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcuq_c26NjA Lexerd film is an option - the NuShield stuff is nicer and higher performing IMO. This video reviews DayVue film performance on laptops in direct sun and gives you some idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwLbnNCpjP0 You'll need a variety of small Torx drivers to remove the CIC screen and remove its bezel. I'll wait until some bright lighting and add some photos of the finished product. I don't think a few cellphone pictures will convey anything that you can't find online though.
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05-04-2019, 09:37 AM	#3
Luky First Lieutenant 78 Rep 342 Posts Drives: 2016 550i M Sport Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: San Diego iTrader: (2)	How "sticky" is the new film? I would do the pre-cut just to protect my current display that is not scratched up like a lens protect on your phone (certainly dont want to remove/polish it off). Do you think there would be issues layering on top of the stock screen coating?
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05-10-2019, 07:51 AM	#6
Crewza Registered 0 Rep 2 Posts Drives: BMW 5 series Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Excellent read, my screen has little dirt or scratches in the corners I think it's time to freshen it up if possible. Thanks!
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05-12-2019, 12:54 PM	#7
Creeky B New Member 12 Rep 27 Posts Drives: 435dX Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	I have just bought a professional screen from eBay. When I received it, it was a right mess. The anti glare coating was scratched very bad. So removed the coating completely with lens cleaner now looks great (no scratches) and have ordered an Nushield anti glare screen protector from the US. Thanks to the posts on this forum.
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05-16-2019, 04:54 AM	#8
marmit2017 Captain 106 Rep 808 Posts Drives: 11 535i 13 328i xDrive Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: TN iTrader: (0)	Do you have pictures of the finished product?
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03-04-2019, 11:54 AM	#2
marmit2017 Captain 106 Rep 808 Posts Drives: 11 535i 13 328i xDrive Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: TN iTrader: (0)	Do you have pictures of the finished product?
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05-16-2019, 10:55 AM	#10
Creeky B New Member 12 Rep 27 Posts Drives: 435dX Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	See pictures. Before and after. I have not put the screen protector on yet as the sun light doesn't seem to effect the screen. Attached Images Last edited by Creeky B; 05-17-2019 at 10:13 AM..
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08-25-2020, 08:56 PM	#11
AZ535i Private First Class 162 Rep 187 Posts Drives: F10 535i Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: Arizona iTrader: (1) Garage List 2013 BMW 535i [0.00]	Surly73, thank you for this thorough write up! The scratched anti glare on my NBT screen is no more! I took your advice and purchased the 6 series precut, as opposed to my 2013 535i precut option. I took the entire screen out and positioned the DayVue film over the screen with very little gaps on all sides. After putting everything back together, no visible gaps at all!
	Appreciate 1 Surly73533.50 Quote