COMAND NTG1 Screen Swap DIY

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TheEnd

Member
Joined
May 20, 2018
Messages
44
Location
Birmingham
Car
BMW 850ci, E55 AMG W211
I had a black "ink dot" on my NTG1 display, so I bought another unit, swapped it, and all was working OK, apart from it seeming to be an older version that wasn't able to have the AMG start-up splash screen.

Since my old unit was out and nothing to lose, I had a look into swapping the screens and it's surprisingly easy.

This guide is probably applicable to many other NTG1's, the ones I were working on were Beckers.

First stage is getting the unit out, there are videos on youtube, but it is fairly simple.
Key in the ignition, and shift into D to get the shifter out of the way. Pull up on the front edge of the trim and it'll unclip and you can lift it back and out of the way.
The ashtray / cubby hole comes out next, just pull up from the front edge with the lid open and it'll pop out.
The CD changer comes out next with two torx screws under the unit, and it'll slide forward. Don't yank it to hard, there is a plastic clip with 3 connectors mounted on it, you'll see the orange MOST fibre optic cables under the middle of the unit which is the connectors. You can guide this up and out to give you more slack.

With those out of the way, the Comand head unit can come out, once you loosen two torx screws that go directly up into the unit. They are captive so they won't fall out, and you need to keep unscrewing them for ages even though is seems like nothing is happening. Once unscrewed, the head unit will slide out easily. I had 3 plugs on the back of mine, yours may vary depending on options.


Onto the fun bit....


With the unit out, you need to undo two small torx screws on the top.
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The top part of the unit with the DVD drive will swing up with a little persuasion, you might need to lever it a little to unclip, but be careful not to crack the plastic bezel.
There is a ribbon cable inside, so make sure it doesn't swing back and damage the cable.

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The two front panel connectors can be removed, the red one is for the buttons, and will pull straight up, the ribbon is for the screen, and needs the plastic locking tab of the connector pulled up first to release the ribbon. You can pull these up with a fingernail, they'll only flick up 1mm or so, and then you'll be able to pull the ribbon straight up and out.
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The front panel can be levered off now, it'll hinge on the bottom edge. A slight twist with a screwdriver in this spot will unlatch it.
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Once the front panel is off, there are 8 torx screws to remove on the heatsink, and also 4 plastic tabs that clip the bezel onto the heatsink. This will them come off and reveal the screen, remember to gently feed the cables through the heatsink!
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Part number is visible here if you have a similar Becker unit, LQ065T5AR03 which is used on by a few different manufacturers, most likely dues to its all-in-one package.

The screen will push out to the rear, and there are 3 spring tabs to hold it tight, one of mine escaped, so if you see anything new and shiny on the floor, it might be one of those!
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Now you can push a new screen into place, and put everything back together.
There is one important trap though that caught me out, so you will want to be looking for it. Once all back together, sound was there, buttons worked, but no screen.
If you need to check the unit, remember to press Audio, then the top left soft key to switch to radio, and you can listen out and hear if there is any sound even if the screen doesn't show anything.
If the On/Off button doesn't do anything, it's likely to be the red connector, and the screen is on the ribbon, so check they are seated correctly. Make sure the ribbon locking surround is up before you push the ribbon in, and then clip it down to lock it once home.


My issue came from different ribbon cables and ribbon connectors on the main unit.
One had the ribbon contacts on the inboard side of the main unit, the other had the contacts on the outer side of the unit. If you get a mismatch like this, you'll get no response from the screen.
The ribbon connectors on the back of the screen are all the same, so you might need to use your old ribbon if you have a screen with a new ribbon that is flipped for the main board contacts
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and as they say, refitting is the reverse of removal!
 
Excellent stuff, this is a thread like in the old days when people actually modded their cars...!
 

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