Neptune.
Member
- Messages
- 173
Another small project, this time trying to repair the DVD player.
Took off the whole rear console:
There were a few broken plastics, as usual:
The screw tabs that hold the climate controls were all cracked (this is very typical of polycarbonate plastic, its is a great plastic overall but it tends to be prone to stress cracking when under pressure for a long time).
The air vents were damaged
Fun fact: the rear air vents seem to be the exact same as the front ones, they are just welded with a little plastic strip on the top and bottom. Interesting way to lower costs .
Anyway, I repaired the tabs with my soldering iron, as usual:
Unfortunately the buttons are damaged, as you can see the black paint has already peeled off the air conditioning button. I will have to redo all of these using my little laser, but I won't do it right now, I'll need to make some kind of jig and it will be a relatively complex task so I'll do it later.
I cleaned the wood then I cleaned and repainted the bottom button's cover. I tried something different this time. Originally this cover was mate black, but I had this nice metallic paint and I thought it might be a good fit.
I think it looks a little bit better than the simple mate black, at least for the rear. So I'll keep it for now.
Then I took everything apart, gave a good cleaning to every part. Removed all the remaining sticky material and repaired a few cracked plastics.
I also repaired the damaged air vents:
I also painted the air vent cover with the same metallized paint. I'll only do this at the rear, but I think it works pretty well. It's just a very subtle change but it somehow looks more expensive
:
I will also try to repair the damaged leather (or whatever this thing is). I've ordered some repair putty and will have to learn how to use it. There are many spots where the leather is damaged, especially on the dashboard.
Anyway, I temporarily reinstalled the console back into the car, but didn't put the screen and DVD player back.
I tried to fix the DVD player, but couldn't find the cause of the problem.
Basically, the screen works, I can turn it off by pressing the button, but the DVD player doesn't turn on. It does get power because its LED turns on, but it is completely unresponsive no matter what button I press. I can't even eject the CD that's currenly in the unit.
So Right now I've got two plans:
-keep investigating and see if I can fix it (unlikely).
-start working on an improved DIY screen project.
First plan is pretty self explanatory. It would keep these things in original condition, but then the DVD is kinda useless anyway, no one uses this in real life so it seems a little bit pointless.
Second plan would be to fit some kind of touchscreen + a small computer, so I could have access to the internet, do searches, watch movies or even be able to do some basic work. It could be a small tablet, a microPC or some kind of smartphone, I don't know yet it's just a vague idea at this point.
Won't be doing this anytime soon, but maybe in a few months.
Any idea or suggestion is welcome.
Took off the whole rear console:
There were a few broken plastics, as usual:
The screw tabs that hold the climate controls were all cracked (this is very typical of polycarbonate plastic, its is a great plastic overall but it tends to be prone to stress cracking when under pressure for a long time).
The air vents were damaged
Fun fact: the rear air vents seem to be the exact same as the front ones, they are just welded with a little plastic strip on the top and bottom. Interesting way to lower costs .
Anyway, I repaired the tabs with my soldering iron, as usual:
Unfortunately the buttons are damaged, as you can see the black paint has already peeled off the air conditioning button. I will have to redo all of these using my little laser, but I won't do it right now, I'll need to make some kind of jig and it will be a relatively complex task so I'll do it later.
I cleaned the wood then I cleaned and repainted the bottom button's cover. I tried something different this time. Originally this cover was mate black, but I had this nice metallic paint and I thought it might be a good fit.
I think it looks a little bit better than the simple mate black, at least for the rear. So I'll keep it for now.
Then I took everything apart, gave a good cleaning to every part. Removed all the remaining sticky material and repaired a few cracked plastics.
I also repaired the damaged air vents:
I also painted the air vent cover with the same metallized paint. I'll only do this at the rear, but I think it works pretty well. It's just a very subtle change but it somehow looks more expensive
:I will also try to repair the damaged leather (or whatever this thing is). I've ordered some repair putty and will have to learn how to use it. There are many spots where the leather is damaged, especially on the dashboard.
Anyway, I temporarily reinstalled the console back into the car, but didn't put the screen and DVD player back.
I tried to fix the DVD player, but couldn't find the cause of the problem.
Basically, the screen works, I can turn it off by pressing the button, but the DVD player doesn't turn on. It does get power because its LED turns on, but it is completely unresponsive no matter what button I press. I can't even eject the CD that's currenly in the unit.
So Right now I've got two plans:
-keep investigating and see if I can fix it (unlikely).
-start working on an improved DIY screen project.
First plan is pretty self explanatory. It would keep these things in original condition, but then the DVD is kinda useless anyway, no one uses this in real life so it seems a little bit pointless.
Second plan would be to fit some kind of touchscreen + a small computer, so I could have access to the internet, do searches, watch movies or even be able to do some basic work. It could be a small tablet, a microPC or some kind of smartphone, I don't know yet it's just a vague idea at this point.
Won't be doing this anytime soon, but maybe in a few months.
Any idea or suggestion is welcome.
