Avidyne once had a glass and bezel refurbishment add-on for its AeroPlan extended warranty, but it says that glass and bezel restoration coverage is now excluded from all Avidyne warranty plans. In fact, even if you do send a unit in for warranty repair, Avidyne will likely charge an additional fee to replace the bezel glass.
According to the terms of AeroPlan, additional charges may apply for products that have been subject to excessive wear and tear. When it comes to bezel glass, this applies to just about every imperfection—scratches, discoloration and worn lens coating that might be the result of improper cleaning. That’s enough incentive for us to be extra careful while cleaning the displays. The repair bill will be real money.
For example, glass and bezel restoration for Avidyne’s new IFD540 touchscreen navigator will cost an additional $1300—even if the unit is still covered under the new product warranty. The same pricing schedule applies to the EX600 aftermarket MFD, first generation 5000-series Entegra PFD and MFD. Glass and bezel restoration for the later Entegra R9 displays is $1500.
Some Avidyne owners have been performing their own display mods to remedy damaged lenses. The drill is to remove the original antiglare coating entirely (it’s rumored that folks are hitting the lens with Armor All) and then installing plastic screen covers. While this might improve the appearance of the unit, Avidyne told us it is not an approved modification. This means if you send the unit back for repair, Avidyne won’t return it to service with this unapproved field mod. In addition to the flat-rate repair cost, you’ll have to pay full price for bezel restoration.
While on the topic of Avidyne’s controversial AeroPlan warranty, which requires the buyers to sign an indemnity agreement stating they won’t sue Avidyne after an accident (and agrees to pay all of the legal costs for Avidyne to defend the lawsuit and any settlement it has to pay), Avidyne now offers an out. It added an opt-out clause allowing any customer who has signed up for AeroPlan a 30-day grace period to cancel the agreement, as long as they haven’t used any benefits of the warranty. We’ll revisit extended warranty plans in a future issue.
Bottom line? Trash an Avidyne display by improperly cleaning or modifying it and you’ll have to eat the hefty cost of a replacement—warranty or not.
