Coverlay dash cover before & after photos - 190D W201
 

My 190D had 2 major and 3 minor cracks in its dash, and I wanted to fix them. I read about the Coverlay dash cover, but I really didn't know if it would look good, or if it would look like a horrible quick-fix. I couldn't find a single photo anywhere showing what it looked like after installation.

I decided to give it a try anyway, so I ordered one from Performance Products. I finally got around to installing it yesterday, so I thought I'd post the photos so that other people can see what it looks like...

My general experience was that it looks really good when it is finished. Unless you know what to look for, you'd never suspect that it was there. Of course, I've only had it for 24 hours, so I'll have to see how it lasts long-term.

Unfortunately, the installation process was more difficult than I had expected. For some reason, the dash cover (or my dash) was just slightly bowed in such a way that if you got the drivers side of the coverlay pressed in nicely, the passenger side poked out horizontally (towards the back of the car) about 1/2" and vice versa. If you got both sides pressed in, then the center of the dash cover (by the windshield) would bulge up. The instructions mentioned trimming the edges, however none of the edges were tight - the problem was more that the cover was very slightly distorted relative to the dash. Applying pressure everywhere would still get it to fit, so that's what I ended up doing. I was able to get it fully wedged into place everywhere while the glue dried, and once I removed the bricks, wedges, tape and phone books I had on it overnight, it seems to be fixed in place nicely. They recommend only using 7 or 8 small spots of glue, but I had to use 10 so that it was tight and wasn't bulging anywhere. The front of the cover (right by the windshield) kept popping up, so to get it to stay in place, I wedged small towels between the windshield and the dash - that worked well (but don't push too hard or the windshield could break).

On the 190 (W201), the coverlay permanently covers the front speakers (it just has a bunch of holes drilled in it over top of where the speakers are located), so before installing it, I also replaced the front speakers. I thought this would be a good idea, since I'll never be able to access them again. I left the original speaker grilles out, since they aren't necessary and would just block the sound.

So far, there are no rattles or squeaks as a result of installing the dash cover. Hopefully it lasts through the summer heat...

:)

'Before' photo #1
 

Here's a crack before...

'After' photo #1
 

and here is the same area after...

'Before' photo #2
 

The center of the dash before...

'After' photo #2
 

and after...

Thanks for posting those pics. I've been thinking about a dash cover for my 240 but was afraid it'd end up looking like cheap contact paper. Your's looks really nice. Was there much disassembly of the dash required?

Cheers,
Peter

Good before and after - I never think to do anything like that. Coverlay is a good product, and only the discrinating eye can catch;) The cap I put on the 123 was a snap - the 126 cap needed a lot of trimming and fitting before a good fit was made. It's very important to get that dry fit perfect for good results.

No disassembly at all - it just gets glued over top of what's there. The installation procedure is:
1) Take a razor knife and cut off the raised edges of the existing cracks
2) Sand the dash with sandpaper.
3) Clean the dash and the bottom of the dash cover with ammonia-based window cleaner
4) Remove the speaker grilles if necessary
5) Test the cover to make sure it fits. Plan out where you'll need glue and how you'll hold the cover in place while the glue dries
6) Apply 6 or 7 dime-size drops of glue around the edges of the dash (clear silicone is supplied with the coverlay).
7) Put the dash cover on, wedge it in place somehow (phone books, tape, bricks, towels - careful not to scratch it) and wait for the glue to dry

That's it. As I mentioned earlier, step 5 was the hardest for me for some reason. Overall, it's not that hard - it took about 90 minutes from start to finish.

Excellent tips/writeup/pictures! I've been contemplating this also, but have been worried about the speakers. I really don't like losing access to the speakers, and I was wondering if they are removable on the other models (W116 mainly)

John
'79 300SD (2)

came out nice.
so you were able to glue the area that had the buldge?
i have a 190e also. how much was the cover?
and was that mail order?
thanks for the picture
rich

Thanks for this- I have been contemplating a coverlay for the blue dash in my 84 300TD (the blue is notorious for cracking for some reason, maybe the dye or something)- it now looks like the surface of the moon, one of these will really make a big difference, now that I see how good yours looks.

-JAS

Could you post pics of the front speaker areaa? I want to see if it's mod-able so that you can still have access to the speakers.

Sounds like there are a whole lotta cracked dash owners out there, but corn is the only guy willing to fix his....:p

I've been contemplating a cover as well, and noticed the holes where the speaker grills should be. I've already put in new speakers, so that's not a problem. Did you notice that the sound was diminished? Even with new speakers, a 116 SD needs all the volume it can get. Also, is there a ACC sensor on your dash? If so, was the fit decent?

Thanks for the pictures!

Check around with different vendors. The one I purchased from JC Whitney some years back had cutouts at the speakers. You could remove the speaker and the cover install the coverlay and put the speaker and cover back. This helped to hold the ends down. If the car has a dash sensor, a cutout for it is normally provided. In any case, the dry fit is critical to a good result.

coverlay are amazing
 

I discovered just the other day my new to me 300D has a dash cap. Took me several months to realize this. When I bought the car for $550, I thought I was real lucky and got an EXCELLENT dash. Recently I saw some Hot glue near the instrament cluster. Closer inspection revealed it was from where the dashcap was cemented on.

123 coverlay doesn't cover the speakers...
 

I have gotten the coverlay for my 1982 300D but haven't glued it down yet as I still may have to remove my dash to do some climate control repairs and don't wish to mar it.

The one I got from Performance Products appears to fit well but will need a little trimming. The first one I recieved I had to send back because it had a flaw over the instrument cluster area. They replaced it immediately including shipping to send the old one back.

The speakers are not covered and will still be accesable for future upgrades. The texture of the finish is very slightly different but not noticeable unless you really look closely.

This will be a much more common fix as I understand from an earlier post here that the factory has destroyed the molds to make these.

Thank you for the pictures...

See attached photo. It shows the passenger side speaker area as seen from outside the car (sorry about the dirty windshield!) and the speaker itself as seen from the inside. The red dot shows where the speaker is centered.

I don't think it would be easy to make the speakers accessible. The coverlay material is very hard, and it would be tough to get a professional finish. I think the permanent covering of the speakers doesn't apply to all models (although it does to the W201 / 190 series), so it might not be a problem at all depending on what car you have.

If you really need access, remember that the cover is only glued with tiny dots of silicone at 7 spots, so you can probably just pull it off and glue it back on when you're done...

There wasn't a ton of difference, but I think the high frequencies get reduced just a tiny bit. The coverlay's speaker hole cutouts only expose about 1/2 of the speaker (on the W201 190, your model may be different; see red dot in attached photo - that's the center of the speaker). I don't think the difference in sound level is noticeable.

If I remember correctly, the dash covers for some other MB models make use of the original speaker grilles.

There isn't a sensor on the dash. In general, the fit was definitely adequate but not perfect. It's unquestionably an improvement over having cracks.

Would have been nice if they gave you the option (with cut lines on the backside) to trim out the speaker opening and reuse the grills.

Found one by Palco over at JC Whitneys. Doesn't give you access to the speakers but looks like there are more drilled holes than Coverlay's to let more sound out.

The molds/dies for Coverlay products apparently vary in quality from one model to the other. The W107 model Coverlay product just about falls into place, and fits so well that many don't even bother gluing it down (which IMO is a BIG mistake).