MFD damaged by clay....

Cool! A creative problem was rectified by a creative solution.....it's a win-win.
Grandma should be happy!

 

To play Devil's Advocate, there is also oil on your skin that can end up on the MFD screen. If oils could potentially damage the screen, shouldn't that fail some sort of engineering/design testing?

 

Absolutely. Oil, dirt, and skin buildup on touch screens is a problem. The screens are designed for human oils, but are not necessarily resistant to other oils and solvents. That's why they come with a warning about cleaning methods and solutions.

Tom

 

I'm still using the ice pick for my laptop.

 

OK, off topic but YOU started it!

One of my favorite punch card stories is from Hughes Electronics in the early days of communication satellites. Weight was a critical factor in those early satellites, so the weights engineer pulled considerable weight on the program (pun intended). One day he showed up in the software department and wanted to know how much the software on the satellite weighed. A programmer told him it didn't weigh anything. Angrily he picked up a deck of punch cards. "This is software," he said. "What does it weigh?" The quick thinking programmer said, "Oh, you think the software is the cards, right?" "That's right!" the weights guy said. "Well, you're wrong," the programmer said. "The software is the holes in the cards. Those holes don't weigh a thing!" "Oh....OK then!" the weights guy said and left, never to be seen again in the software department.

 

Silly story. Probably true, knowing some engineers.

You know what I miss about punch cards and paper tape? The chad. Especially paper tape chad. It had a nasty oiliness to it. Chad was indispensable for office jokes: filling brief cases, umbrellas, etc.

Tom

 

If you're using Vista, then it's recommended.

 

Too bad....icepick is not part of the bundles when buying a Vista laptop....only junk wares are included.

 

The same reason I don't stick stuff to the LCD monitor I'm using now. It'll damage the screen.

 

While I understand the potential for office humor in the chad, some of us living in Florida (and probably the rest of the nation) don't remember chads with such fondness....

 

I can tell you with certainty, when my office mate opened his umbrella, there was very little hanging chad, except that hanging in his hair.

tom

 

You mean I'm not supposed to use gasoline to clean the MFD ?? Right ... next thing you'll say is that I can't use brake fluid to shine up the paint (now watch & see how many folks go out & try it)

 

Did you by any chance snap a picture and could scan it and post here?

 

Alas, no photo.

Tom

 

MFD failure due to objects placed in front

In today's (May 9th) Seattle Times, Tom and Ray Magliozzi (Click and Clack) discuss a complaint from a grandma whose MFD (2006) failed after she placed some clay figurines made by her grand kids, on the ledge in front of the screen. Tom and Ray surmised that clay, having some moisture content, may have oozed enough moisture into the screen box to cause a failure. They also thought it possible that the figurines may have been placing a constant pressure on one or more of the touch buttons, causing the switch to be continually "on", and perhaps overheating.

Her dealer said it could cost anywhere from 800 to 4000 bucks. T&R thought that the price range depended on how much of the system was damaged. The MFD screen is an interface between driver and assorted computers, and if only the screen was damaged, the cost would be towards the 800 buck level, but if the damage extended to the computer circuitry, it could be pretty expensive.

Bob

 

Re: MFD failure due to objects placed in front

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/60969-mfd-damaged-clay.html

 

Re: MFD failure due to objects placed in front

The net conclusion, if you do not want to destroy your MFD,
DON'T FRAK WITH IT!!!

NO STICKERS, OBJECT DE'ART, SUCTION CUPS FOR DEVICES, CONDUIT IN THE BACK HATCH RESTING ON THE DASH, NOTHING!!!

Does that clear up any confusion???

 

Re: MFD failure due to objects placed in front

Dealer would replace the whole MFD, for which the MSRP is $6,741.13. Champion ToyotaWorld will sell it to you for $5,123.26.

A salvage part may well be cheaper, but don't expect a dealer to do a Hobbit and just replace the screen itself.

 

Re: MFD failure due to objects placed in front

Its probably a bad idea to try to clean the screen using clay. :madgrin: