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...

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1989 250TD Wagon 5-speed, 160,000mi ::: Dark gray metallic / black cloth
1984 190D-2.2 5-speed, 287,000mi ::: Silver-blue metallic / black MB-tex ::: SOLD