HOW TO PREVENT OR FIX A CRACKED DASHBOARD

Keeping your car looking great without sweating... that's my motto!

Your dashboard gets a tremendous amount of sun, solar heat and solar radiation. The natural tendency of the vinyl is to break down or deteriorate resulting in cracks and peeling. If you think about it, most of us park our cars in the sun... here in the tropics it's almost impossible not to. But, did you know that the interior of your car is literally baking in that heat? It can get to over 60 degrees Celsius inside. THAT's HOT!

But... don't worry.. IT CAN BE PREVENTED... and that prevention doesnt cost you more than $30!

Here's how... excerpted from a blog called: datingsite.blog...

Weather change is here and the cracked padded dashes are rolling in. With every weather change I get the phone calls. “My dash is cracked and what can be done to fix it.”

Due to the exposer to old mother nature, these materials become dried out and crack over time leaving you with a crack in your dash. Left unattended this small crack can and will get larger.

There are measures that can be taken to prevent the dash from getting cracked in the first place. Now I know your dash is already cracked and your wanting to know how to fix it, but this will prevent further cracks and keep your car cooler and looking nicer, and well…. for further reference.

One way to prevent this is to use a sunshade. This will not only protect your automotive dash from the sun but also keep your vehicle cooler keeping the plastic pieces cooler and less likely to warp and then crack.

Another way to prevent the materials from drying on your dash is to condition them with a good vinyl conditioner-protectant. Now I know I’ve always said to not put the slimy stuff on your interior pieces and parts … But if your vehicle is exposed to the sun on a constant basis, then I would recommend you use a vinyl conditioner. Now I’m not going to say that any old vinyl conditioner will work, because it won’t. Tire shine is not vinyl conditioner! This is probably one of the biggest mistakes made, and I do a lot of repair because of it. Tire shine contains solvents, which as you know from previous articles, it doesn’t mix well with the water based dyes being used on todays cars. What it does is lifts the dye from the surface, causing it to peel.

So no tire shine…What I recommend to my customers is a product made from a leather conditioning producer that I feel from some of the research I’ve done is safe and should work very well, it’s made by Lexol and it’s called Vinylex. Designed by the guys that really know their stuff when it comes to interior conditioning and protecting.

The last and final tip to keeping your automotive interior, including your dash, looking it’s best and lasting longer is window tint. Now in some states you need to be careful with the tinting laws to make sure you don’t get it too dark, plus you need to think of your safety too. I have tint on our family Tahoe and I kinda wish I would have gone a little lighter, at night it’s really hard to see, my Tahoe stays nice and cool, but it’s a pain in the butt at night. I have to roll the window down sometimes just to see. So keep it light and you will be impressed with the results, plus it looks cool.

Now on with the fix for that crack in your dash.

Depending on where the crack is and how big it is will depend on how to fix it and how expensive the repair will be. If the crack is bigger then 2″-3″ and curled up on the edges, the repair will probably not look that great. There is a limit to the size of crack that can be repaired, too big and it probably won’t hold and will look like crap. If the crack is too big, replace the dash pad, don’t try to fix it. Another thing is location, if the crack is up close to the windshield then it’s almost impossible to do a repair without removing the windshield, which can be costly. So with that said you be the judge.

The first thing I do before I start any repair is to mix my color, this insures that at least the color will be right.

Next I inspect the crack in the dash, if the edges are curled up then you will need to trim that off with a razor blade or Xacto knife. The goal here is to get the area as level as you can. Now when doing so cut at a 45 degree angle and don’t bring the ends to a point, what I mean by this is trim all the way around the crack rounding off the ends of the crack, this will insure that the crack will stop and not crack further after your repair.

Of course your next step is prepping the repair area, use your prep solution with a scotch brite pad and clean the area thoroughly. You might need to clean the entire dash depending on where and how large the crack is.
Now it’s time to determine what fix you going to use.

If the crack is smaller then an 1/2″ I usually grab the super glue and do a super glue repair. I do this by spreading the glue in the crack then sanding it smooth with a 240 grit sandpaper, texture with your water based spray grain, then dye.
But there are times when your vinyl repair compound will need to be used, after all this is vinyl. The low cure usually works best because high heat tends to warp the repair area. This is where your patience comes in when doing your repairs. Thin layers of compound work best, curing and dying between coats until the area is level and smooth. You can texture while layering your compound with your grain pads. One little trick I use to help level the repair when using a grain pad is a little rubber squeegee about 3″x5″, it’s what body shops use to squeegee the water off the painted surface when they wet sand. This little thing works great, when you use your hand to imprint your grain into your repair, your hand kinda molds around the area and doesn’t leave a level area but with the rubber squeegee it gives you a little more backing when you go to imprint. Now graining your repair can be tricky, the low cure compound doesn’t grain that well, but if all else fails make sure the repair is level, this is your best hide. If that is achieved then texture with your spray grain.

One last trick up my sleeve is the use of a great product from Urethane Supply Co. This is a two part epoxy like substance that is specifically designed for padded dashes and the name says it all, Padded Dash Filler.This stuff is the bomb, when it comes to dash repair. Mixes like Bondo and is even applied like bondo, but its flexible. It’s just what the doctor ordered when it comes to dash repair. If the crack is larger then 1″ this is the stuff to use.

Now this product will require you to trim the area and then sand around the area about 1″ to 2″ out with a heavier grit sandpaper like a 180 grit, this gives it something to bite too. Trim down into the foam a little to, so that you make like a little groove for the compound to lay in.

Mix your compound on a small piece of tile, I like using small tile pieces, they clean up easily and are easier to hold when mixing and applying. Now when you get the product they send you the red catalyst, try the blue, it seems to set up a little quicker. The blue you can get at any automotive parts shop. But the red works just as good just takes it a little longer, time is money in my business.
Apply your compound liberally over the repair area, don’t worry about getting your first coat really smooth, all you need is to get it covered, you’ll be sanding it smooth later. Let it set up for a while, depending on the weather will depend on how long this stuff takes. You can speed it up a little with a heat gun but don’t melt it just give it a little boost.

Once hardened start sanding, I usually start with a 180 grit to knock off the big chunks then progressively move my way up to a finer grit like 240 and then to 400.

One coat won’t be sufficient, I promise, this is another layer thing. Sanding between coats. Each coat you apply you will need to make smoother. Again what your trying to achieve is a smooth level repair.

After all is smooth and level, grain with a spray grain then dye.

As far as texture goes, I use two types of spray grain. One is a water based spray grain and the other is Sems Texture Coat. In fact the Sems Texture Coat almost matches the some of the Pontiac dashes to a tee. Now the Sems Texture coat is a solvent based, but I haven’t had a problem with it peeling up against the water based dyes on the dash, so kudos to Sems.

One other trick I have found with the the Sems Texture Coat is after sprayed if you let it flash out a little but not dry completely, you can take your grain pad and imprint your grain into the texture coat, pretty cool huh.

Dash repair is an art and a craft, just like all automotive interior repairs. If the steps are followed right and patience is used in your repairs you success will be good.

Hope this helps in your dash repair adventure. One thing to always keep in mind is to keep your repair as level as possible, this is your best hide.

About the author: Mike Warrenhttp://theinteriorguyllc.comThe Interior Guy, LLC., Automotive Interior RepairI’ve been in the business for a long time and know a lot of the ends and outs of repairing interiors, from leather and vinyl repair to plastic repair and dyeing of all interior trim parts including carpet and cloth. Need some advice or a tip to fix your automotive interior, I’ve put together some really helpful material with some great products I recommend and use in my repairs. Visit theinteriorguyllc.com for more articles just like this one.

VINYLEX TESTIMONIALS

I've used Vinylex for quite some time now and it's something that I recommend all my friends use regularly to keep their car in first class condition. In the hot sun and humidity here, it is critical that your dashboard and interior be conditioned and protected against the effects of solar heat and radiation. It only takes 3-4 minutes to do, and it will pay huge dividends in the lifespan and appearance of your car.

Here are a couple of testimonials from others that have bought Vinylex recently:

Great cleaner and protector (2008-08-12)
I used this product on my BMW leatherette interior and rubber surfaces on the exterior. Also works with plastic under the hood too! You get superior results for just a little money. I also used it detailing my wife's woefully neglected SAAB right before a trade-in estimate and made the car look worth much more than a previous estimate. This stuff is a must own if you want your car looking great. And one more good thing is that I keep it in my car's trunk all summer and the heat doesn't appear to spoil the Vinylex's effectiveness.

Great Stuff (2007-11-18)
I keep cars for a long time. My current vehicle is 10 years old, and I've always used Vinylex on it. The vinyl dashboard really looks as good as new.

I used a popular silicon based product on the car I had before this one, and the vinyl on the dashboard cracked after five or six years. Like the other reviewer said - Vinylex does not contain silicon.

Works great on the dash and bumpers (2007-10-31)
I bought Lexol Vinylex because I saw it mentioned on a Subaru owners chat room. I found that it did put my dash back to the way it looked and felt when I drove it away from the showroom. I did the black bumpers on my Subaru Forester and my neighbor, who has a classic car, came over and asked me what I used. It is supposed to keep the plastic/vinyl from cracking. I am very impressed with Vinylex and I will keep using it. I give this product five stars.

Great Product - hard to find (2007-02-19)I've used this product for years. I stay with it because it offers non-silicone protection (I understand silicone can promote dash cracking with age), non-greasy touch (nice for not slipping off the steering wheel), and a non-glossy look to the dash. Non-glossy means it won't collect dust the way most shiny products will. It has UV protection. Just try it.

Well, I could not have said it better! Try Vinylex, and for leather, try Lexol products. Again... they are value for money!

INTERIOR LEATHER MAINTENANCE WITH LEXOL and VINYLEX

Our cars are HUGE investments these days, and many of us are planning to keep them for a few years. Proper care of the leather and vinyl interior is critical to prevent your seats and dashboard from cracking, fading and deteriorating.

I have used Lexol and Vinylex for many years, and have found them to be outstanding products. They are highly concentrated, so using just a little bit goes a long way! DON'T OVER DO IT!!! A few light coats are better than one heavy coat!

What I always liked about them is that they NEVER made my seats feel or look slippery, greasy or sticky. They just left the laethaer and vinyl feeling clean and natural and beautifully conditioned.

Go to: www.lexolasia.com for more detailed information about Lexol and Vinylex.

I found this website that evidently is for professional Auto Rental companies and offers a lot of advice on how to keep the rental cars in good shape. I guess they use Lexol... here is an excerpt from a recent post:

"Avtorentacar.com presents you “Secrets in Auto Detailing Products for Mobile Car Washing”, an article written by Lance Winslow. We hope you’ll find a lot useful information in here.

Avtorentacar.com will present you every article we find interesting and educating, and which has no copyright protection. If available we’ll link the source.

All the professional auto detailers and mobile car wash operators realize that every dollar they save on auto detailing products is a dollar earned. Most professional auto detailing products are not over costly, but the costs do add up. Efficiency in the use of these products will definitely help your bottom line.

Wash & wax soap is the most commonly abused product by your auto detailing crews as they end up wasting it. The secret is to use only one cap full per five gallon bucket, it depends on how dirty the cars are however if you are soaping the whole car figure two or three cars per cap full, so it can last a month in a mobile detail operation.

Degreaser and cleaner; well you will want to use it fairly strong for whitewall figure a pint will last about 10 cars. You can cut it for rims and other uses but not more than 3/4. Heavy-duty degreaser; This works better for rims etc, I would use this instead and the other for more mild issues. Otherwise you will use too much and not get the desired results

Glass cleaner; You can buy distilled water and mix it with RTU or ready to use glass cleaner 50% / 50%. If you use window cleaner concentrate then mix it 75% distilled and 25% product.

Leather cleaner & conditioner; I recommend using Lexol and I would say you will spend about $15.00 per month cost on products. It will last a long time with a gallon, so unless you waste it and use too much further you should have a gallon for a couple of months anyway.

Clay bars; they last a long time, but you have to keep them moist and not allow them to dry out. If you are doing a lot of fall-out type removal then you need two Clay Bars, use AutoMagic products if they are available. Always keep them in a small container with moisture inside.

New car scent; A gallon of new car scent will last a few months, never spray on dashboard plastic always two squirts under each seat to conserve product, as any more is a waste." FROM Secrets in Auto Detailing Products for Mobile Car Washing at http://avtorentacar.com/en/2008-10-04/secrets-in-auto-detailing-products-for-mobile-car-washing/

I would not recommend saddle soap... it's alkaline and will damage your leather. Lexol is pH balanced to the exact pH of leather and will never damage your leather.

Lexol will leave your leather feeling soft and supple, but never leave it feeling greasy or sticky like some other products out there. Believe me, I have tried a lot of them, and I prefer Lexol! (You can also use it on all other leather products from shoes to briefcases to furniture... it works very well! Just don't use it on suede.)