How do I stop dashboard cracks?
 

I have a 85 300D. The dash is clean & crack free. Can anyone tell me what to treat these areas with to help keep them looking as they should? Thanks in advance.

keep it out of the sun, other than that, turtlewax, armorall and other brands have some urethane UV protectants, there all pretty much the same stuff related to polyurethane varnishes.

Top of the line sunshade (folding reflective foil kind)- - applied every time the car is exposed to the sun...(front and rear)

-fad

If it was me with crack free dashboard..... i'd probably use vegetable oil to keep the rubber from drying out - ArmorAll doesnt last very long. And who on earth wants to adopt new habbit of covering the dash everytime you park the car?

In addition to the sun shield, if you can prevent the interior form temperature extemes that will help too. Leave the windows open a bit in the summer, keep it inside, or in the shade.

I've thought about investing in one of those carpeted dash mats (about $30). They are sold by the car application. Has anyone purchased one of these for a 123?

used one since 1989
 

on a 1989 Jeep Cherokee's dash but same principle applies....never put up a sunshade device while parked and the dash remained crack-free until I sold the car last year.

dashmat is what I used.

recently bought one for my 1987 420SEL which I purchased a couple of months ago. It's got a couple of tiny cracks in the dash that I hope to keep from spreading.

fwiw

I, for one, am in the habit of covering the dash every time I park the car. It takes very little of my time and energy, and I'm rewarded with a long-lived dash.

However, I have a carpeted dash mat on order as well. I'm hoping that it will lessen the radiated dasboard heat during the summer months here in Texas.

When I bought the 83 it had virtually no cracks, now it looks like crap. :( All of this happened while the vehicle set over winter. A half dozen cracks, one spans vitrually to each side of the dash. :eek:

I used 303 protectant on the 84, those cracks never moved. That car was always parked in the sun (with the owner before me).

Does dash pad also come in shag carpeting to match fuzzy dice attached to rear view mirror...... better yet, can it be matched to dingle balls along rear window / headliner??

Otherwise, here's an idea from somebody who is not emotionally upset about driving car with cracked dashboard - jamb loose change, quarters dimes and nickels, into the crack for quick access at parking meters.

All jokes aside - does anybody actually know if dash cracks occur from heat expansion/contraction of foam rubber under vinyl skin..... or does this problem occur from the surface alone?

I recently acquired a carpet style dash cover from A.Zone ... the price is right and the fit is excellent with no need for attachment of any kind. :cool:

Has anyone had, or heard of successfully installing one of those dash caps that fit over the existing dash. I think these are vinyl or plastic. My 124 is developing cracks and other unsightly heat damage that I'd love to just cover up if I could. I personally prefer my carpet stay on the floor :D

I put those dash carpets on all 3 of my cars (chev., 240d, 300sd) and they all cracked anyway. The 2 MB's are garaged too and even that didn't help.

With that previous post I'm almost wondering if it is inevitable to get these cracks, or more importantly if one were to buy the new vinyl dash cover will it crack eventually too? For $100 I could consider getting one, but I'm not willing to pay much more.

I had a dash mat in the Integra that my sister drives, and the one major advantage would be that it gets rid of glare.