You don't see new dashes all day for $70, you see dash covers for $70, HUGE difference.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Performance Products has overlays for 123s that do look great but cost $120. Quick, easy installation.


Cheers,

Bill

Get a tube of Silicone Rubber, at your local hardware store, that matches the color of your dash as closely as possible. Put a little in the crack and smooth it out with a wet finger. If the color is close enough, the crack will become invisible. Silicone rubber remains flexible and will expand and contract with the dash.

If the crack does expand, than drilling a small hole at the leading edge of the crack is the only solution. If you do drill a hole, than fill the drilled hole with the same silicone rubber, and your dash, at least the repaired section, will be fine for a long long time.

Phil

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'95 E300 Diesel, 264,000 Miles. [Sold it]

Phil, great tip, wish I had seen it a few weeks ago. This is how I fixed a small crack on mine.

Drilled small hole on leading edge of crack.
Filled in hole and crack with clear super glue (use toothpick to apply)
After it dried, smooth with 1000 grit sandpaper, blends it in to dashs finish and removes the shinny look of the glue.

But didnt think about the expansion and contraction, think your silicone will work better.

Andy

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83 300D 169K (Mine)
86 F250 4X4 6.9 (Mine)
05 VW Passat TDI (Wife's)

Phil,

Sounds like something I would try. Did you do any special prep, such as alcohol, in order for the silicone rubber to adhere better?

The single solitary crack on my dash is barely 1" long.

I agree with what was stated earlier: the best conditioner I have found, by far, is Meguiar's. Nice satin finish and no yellowing. It also doesn't make steering wheels slicker than snot.

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I goint to repair the dash on the '61.

I sourced a product at an autobody supply house that is semi-ridged 2 part epoxy. I have some small holes too.

My plan is as follows:

Clean and level and widen the cracks
Fill with the epoxy using a flexible artist's pallet knife
Wet sand smooth
Mask dash off
Spray entire dash with vinyl auto paint (used for vinyl upholstery)

This will save me the huge job of removing the entire dash

I think the job will take just a couple of hours -

Anyone tried this approach?

Soon...

Dash Crack FAQ

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I did use a bit of rubbing alcohol to clean the area prior to applying the Silicone Rubber.

Once the Silicone Rubber cured, I applied, Turtle Wax's "2001 Super Protectant", available at Wall-Mart. Its a great product, lasts a long time, is relatively inexpensive, and claims a high UV blocking factor. It smells a bit like leather. I like it even better than the Mercedes/Meguire products, but that's just my personal preference.

Phil

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'95 E300 Diesel, 264,000 Miles. [Sold it]

For those who have pulled a dash from a late 70's - early 90's MB, they know why the dashboards crack the way they do, it's the inevitable result due to the design of the dash. The dash in those cars is stamped from a thin shell of aluminum, covered with a thin layer of padding/vinyl cover that is molded onto the shell. Two different materials with two different expansion rates. Over time, the shell will expand and contract with heat and cooling, primarily in the direction between the driver's and passenger side. If the vinyl skin gets brittle, due to UV exposure and/or outgassing of the vinyl, it will split in the hood to tail direction when the dash shell expands and contracts. Unlike leather hides, you can't replace the petrochemical elements of the vinyl, you can only protect the material from UV exposure with a fitted windshield cover, a dash cover, or some other UV block.

My father in law has just had his 76' Laguna's dash rebuild (recovered) and it cost him aprox $600. Not cheap but how extensive do you want to go..

I bought my dash covers from JC Whitney--it was 30 some dollars and fit very well.

I have a '97 E300D and my dash started to crack around the speaker also. Also cracking around the indention for the passenger side airbag.

PepBoys offered two vinyl repair kits. One that allowed for mixing of colors and one that was clear. I chose the clear kit because it was cheaper.

I also stopped using Armour All and started using Vinylex. I also purchased a sunscreen.

I have not noticed the cracks getting any larger, but it's only been about six months since the application. I'd check now, but it's raining hard. My only pointer is don't apply too heavily. The clear liquid adhesive is fairly invisible if you don't lay it on too thick. It leaves a white film if applied thickly. Also, the texture forming piece of cardboard they supply with the kit is not very useful.

Dashboards start to crack because the plastisizers slowly evaporate from the dash. I was told by a Phd Chemical Engineer who makes these chemicals, that the clear film buildup you'll see on the inside of windshields is evaporated plastisizers (can be easily wiped off). Plastisizers are an anti-oxidant additive to inhibit UV oxidation. Similar anitoxidant molecules are added to engine oils and body paints to make them last longer. I chose Vinylex because it claims to restore plastisizers. Other products have been mentioned in this thread. They may be better products but I'm not sure. Anyone have an opinion on Vinylex compared to say Meguires products etc?

NOTE: I'll report my dash condition as soon as it stops raining.

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Neil
1997 E300D - naturally aspirated
280,000 miles (as of November 2015)

I closely inspected the small cracks I tried to repair a few months ago. Either the adhesive shrank when cured (most likely) or the cracks have widened slightly. So, I would not recommend the clear-type repair.

I may use the colored-type in the future. It may not keep the cracks from getting bigger, but it should camoflage well enough. I think this, in combination with preventive measures, will keep the dash looking good for years. I just wish I would have had the chance to start the prevention program earlier (bought the car used so I didn't have the chance).

For prevention, as previously stated, I'm using Vinylex and a sunscreen.

That's my two-cents.

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Neil
1997 E300D - naturally aspirated
280,000 miles (as of November 2015)

I've been using good ole baby oil since Ive had the car, and I have not seen any cracks on my 85 300SD. Is that a good thing to be using I was told by an old-time friend who used it on his 83 240D every since he got it, and it really looks like it works.

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Robert Ayala

1985 300SD (W126) 300K miles

Good ole JC. I'll check on that. And the price is right!!

Thanks.

Cheers,

Bill