Well, I finally got a 5th gen and as I was driving home I noticed what looked like leftover spray from Armorall or something that was on my instrument cluster lens. Tonight I tried to wipe it off to no avail. It looks like it's on the inside of the lens, but I'm not 100% sure. Does anyone know what causes this? Is there any way to prevent this in the future if I go ahead and replace the lens?

Almost always 100% previous owners either being rough when they clean it, not knowing what they are doing or just being lazy. If you are spraying armorall everywhere and it is splattering on the lens then you 100% should not be cleaning a car period. Light scratches will happen over time but some of the lenses I have seen are a complete disaster in short order. You can get a replacement 83852-35P70 or you can remove it and try to buff it out with some type of cleaner.

That's the cluster lens part number for your 2016 and fits 2014-19
He has a 2010 TE (from his sig.) and the lens part number for it is ( Toyota 83852-35J40 ) and a little cheaper at only around $22 or so. https://www.google.com/search?q=Toyo...hrome&ie=UTF-8

I looked it up online and there are two different part numbers. One ends in 40, the other in 60. What's the difference between them? I heard something about a smoke lens being used on the Trail models.

Ah right, good catch!

Called my local Toyota and per vin, my Trail uses 40 option. Thanks for the help, guys. It feels good to be in a 5th gen!

Yep, definitely the previous owner or dealership using some armor all product that stained the plastic. Annoying

Some people use original Windex with ammonia to clean their IPs. Never use any product containing ammonia on any clear plastic. It eats into the plastic and makes it hazy. That sounds exactly like what happened to your IP. Replacement is the only cure for the problem.

Our '99 has quite a few scratches on the lens, from years of not cleaning the dust off before wiping it down with a damp towel.
When doing my research for our new ORP, I ran across a YouTube video review of a Tacoma. The guy had one of those Swiffer Dusters in his glove box for dusting off the gauge lens before he cleans it. Brilliant!

Off topic a bit, but maybe useful info. A decade ago I spent about a year working in the detail shop of a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership, getting new and used vehicles ready for the lot. There was a lot of pressure to get all vehicles onto the lot quickly. Though I had plenty of tools at my disposal to property clean and detail used vehicles, I seldom was allowed the time to use them.

It is amazing at what some people allow to happen to their vehicles. The worst I recall was a local trade-in mid 2000s Chevrolet Tahoe. The previous owner must have used it as a dog kennel. The truck was filled with dog feces and reeked of urine. Within a couple hours of my beginning to work on this truck, the manager was on my backside pressuring me to get that truck out on the lot within minutes. So I quickly vacuumed it, wiped the dash, applied the company sticker, license plate frames and windshield vehicle information and drove it over. The undersides of the seats still had countless dried feces and the truck still reeked of urine. That was on a Friday afternoon. Someone bought it that weekend. I was amazed.

I worked in a detail shop at a dealership in college as well. Man, some of those vehicles were used and abused! I remember prying a melted McDonald's cheeseburger out of the carpet of a Chevy Equinox once. Smelled like death in that vehicle. When we quick cleaned, our equivalent of Armor-All became a universal cleaner. They didn't care as long as it made it look shiny.

I'm 100% certain it was the dealership quick cleaning it to get it ready for me. I actually got a call from the previous dealership (Adventure Motors) who sold it to their friend and they told me to jump on it. I'm glad I did, but the dealership didn't even have time to get the pictures up on their website, so I'm sure they did a quick clean and sent it on its way. I did a deep clean of the carpet and DAMN. Lots of dog hair and spills. It's a good thing the carpet is black! I'm going to try using McGuire's Plast-X to remove it, but if it doesn't work then I have a new lens on order from the closest dealership.

I went out and scrubbed for about 30 minutes (mainly because I'm very particular about my vehicles) and the cluster lens looks like new! I'll update with some photos after a couple of weeks to see if they stay clear.

Been looking at these to prevent this exact situation...

Screen Protector | Screen ProTech Automotive Screen Protection

Ceramic coated mine. No issues so far.