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M2 Technical Topics > Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash/Wax/Detailing/Exterior Restoration & Repairs) > Cleaning BMW's new open instrument clusters

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      05-05-2019, 04:52 PM   #1
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Cleaning BMW's new open instrument clusters

I am not nearly as OCD as I used to be but I cannot decide what's worse - dust sneaking in behind the old style covered instrument clusters or the micro scratches on the new open ones.

Unwisely, I wiped mine once with a microfiber cloth I would not hesitate to use on my sunglasses and it left all kinds of marks.

Not overtly visible but if the light catches it right - ugh.

What are you folks using to clean your open instrument clusters?

I have resorted to these two tools.

*pic of cluster has not been cleaned yet
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      05-08-2019, 05:46 PM   #2
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      05-09-2019, 06:38 AM   #3
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That is pretty much the only way to clean it. Mine also scratched too and my OCD is still killing me on it. Because of the matte finish there is nothing that can be done to correct it other than replacing the display. I now use detailing brushes along with compressed air from my air compressor.
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      05-09-2019, 06:51 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrape View Post
That is pretty much the only way to clean it. Mine also scratched too and my OCD is still killing me on it. Because of the matte finish there is nothing that can be done to correct it other than replacing the display. I now use detailing brushes along with compressed air from my air compressor.
[IMG]http://www.simoniz.ca/en/wp-content/...-brush-set.jpg[/IMG]
I think i've seen similar items in one of my wife's bags. I'm sure she won't recognize when they suddenly disappeard
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      05-09-2019, 07:21 AM   #5
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I use my shop vac switched from suck to blow. Seems to work pretty good and the air is filtered.
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      05-09-2019, 02:41 PM   #6
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All this could have been so easily avoided by BMW. What could they have been thinking?
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      05-09-2019, 03:15 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boostm3 View Post
All this could have been so easily avoided by BMW. What could they have been thinking?
It's a neat concept but not easy to keep clean.
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      05-11-2019, 09:01 AM   #8
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How do you get scratches on a surface that is not touched. All I do is keep a microfiber cloth and wipe down dash areas.
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      05-11-2019, 11:46 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MZWIE View Post
How do you get scratches on a surface that is not touched. All I do is keep a microfiber cloth and wipe down dash areas.
Mine was scratched on delivery so I assume they may even get scratched in the assembly process or when the protective film is removed. Even using a high quality MF cloth is dicey IMO. Gently wiping the dust off with a cloth will likely scratch the LCD film. It's the most delicate instrument cluster I have seen in my entire life when it comes to automobiles.
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      05-14-2019, 08:58 AM   #10
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Cleaned the cluster (and the rest of the interior) today using the Air Force Blaster Sidekick. Went well, looks much cleaner than before.

Holy moly is it strong.... make absolutely sure your nozzle is connected the right way! You can even get the dust out of the perforated leather..
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Last edited by ///M Houbi; 05-14-2019 at 09:04 AM..
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      05-14-2019, 11:45 AM   #11
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That works too and they have a bit of heat as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Houbi View Post
Cleaned the cluster (and the rest of the interior) today using the Air Force Blaster Sidekick. Went well, looks much cleaner than before.

Holy moly is it strong.... make absolutely sure your nozzle is connected the right way! You can even get the dust out of the perforated leather..
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      12-01-2021, 11:04 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Houbi View Post
Cleaned the cluster (and the rest of the interior) today using the Air Force Blaster Sidekick. Went well, looks much cleaner than before.

Holy moly is it strong.... make absolutely sure your nozzle is connected the right way! You can even get the dust out of the perforated leather..
I have one of these too - which nozzle/attachment did you find works best? Going to try using it to "dust" off my cluster for the first time in ~2 years.
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      12-02-2021, 05:54 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ///M Houbi View Post
Cleaned the cluster (and the rest of the interior) today using the Air Force Blaster Sidekick. Went well, looks much cleaner than before.

Holy moly is it strong.... make absolutely sure your nozzle is connected the right way! You can even get the dust out of the perforated leather..
That works really good! That's the only thing I use on the instrument cluster. Great on the car too for getting water out of all the crevices after a wash and just fantastic for drying wheels.
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      12-06-2021, 01:33 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boostm3 View Post
All this could have been so easily avoided by BMW. What could they have been thinking?
All this could have been so easily avoided by not trying to clean things that weren't actually dirty - what were you thinking?
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