What's Wrong With My Dash? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

raymr · #1 06-25-2005, 07:44 PM

The black plastic surrounding the gauges is sticky and gunky. I used different cleaners on it and a lot of black comes off on the cloth. I can gouge lines in it with a fingernail, and it never really gets clean. Is it just a big accumulation of dried goop, or is the plastic material dissolving? Can anything fix this?

jonw440 · #2 06-25-2005, 07:47 PM

WOW, what have you used on it?
It does sound like it is reacting to a harsh chemical...

raymr · #3 06-25-2005, 08:02 PM

The car was my dad's. I guess I can ask him if anything got on there. He's not into high-tech cleaners, and its not like that area needs more than a dust rag anyway.

ptoro01 · #4 06-25-2005, 08:40 PM

ive seen dash covers being tacked into place with a sticky gooo and once you remove the dash cover good luck getting rid of that goooo

Peter

jonw440 · #5 06-26-2005, 05:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptoro01

ive seen dash covers being tacked into place with a sticky gooo and once you remove the dash cover good luck getting rid of that goooo

Peter

Good point!! Find out if it had a cover on it and get back to us.

raymr · #6 06-26-2005, 10:28 AM

Theres no dash cover, and the only affected area is the black plastic that surrounds the clear cover for the gauges. And its not just one section of it, its the whole thing that seems to be disintegrating. Nothing else on the car is doing this.

lady luxe w124 · #7 06-27-2005, 01:36 PM

are you able to post any pics of the damage?

Luke · #8 06-27-2005, 03:15 PM

Try removing a portion of the goo with a terry cloth dabbed in some olive oil, or vegitable oil, and see if you reach clean plastic surface. The oil will prevent loose goo from re-adhering to the plastic since the goo blobs become coated and "neutralized". I have used this method to remove very sticky labels from plastics before.

raymr · #9 07-05-2005, 09:29 PM

I tried the oil, and it did nothing to remove the tar-like coating. I can't believe nobody else has this?

I'd take a picture but it doesn't really look like anything is wrong. Its just when you touch it that you notice something strange.

Walrus · #10 07-10-2005, 02:10 PM

I may be off base here, but I believe some p-chem (read petroleum distillate)has been used on it (during cleaning?) which has dissolved it (partially). Products that contain benzene, and some alcohols are especially nasty on plastic parts. At this point in its life, there is not much you can do to repair the harm done. I'd be looking for a replacement (and find out what dear ole' dad used and ban it from your household).

Good luck... Post back and let us know how you come out!

raymr · #11 07-10-2005, 10:19 PM

I tried a few different cleaners today, and the only thing that worked was carb cleaner! It took a while, and I had to keep using new towels because they were turning completely black. But there is actually hard clean plastic underneath. Could it be 20 years worth of neglect? The car isn't spotless, but there certainly wasn't this level of buildup elsewhere.

raymr · #12 07-11-2005, 05:53 PM

In my cleaning frenzy, it seems what I removed was actually some kind of anti-glare treatment, since now there are all kinds of reflections and shadows on the gauge cluster that weren't there before. Oh well.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Coverlay dash cover before & after photos - 190D W201	cornblatt	Detailing and Interior	19	11-07-2012 10:59 PM
Does anyone have a dash cap on their W123?	lietuviai	Diesel Discussion	11	08-31-2004 06:05 PM
For those who know the dash in a W201 - screw location	Greg in Oz	Tech Help	2	07-26-2004 07:40 PM
Dash board Squeaks a little	Eric Eliel	Diesel Discussion	4	02-02-2004 05:45 PM
Adhesive for a w123 dash	JHZR2	Diesel Discussion	5	01-15-2004 03:16 PM