Dashboards

There are many different types of dashboards and each can have their own problems. Some we can repair or re-cover and others we cannot. cars often have

Early pre-70’s cars

These were often hand covered in vinyl or leather, normally a hard dashboard and sometimes in separate sections. We can normally remove and re-cover these as required.

Pre 90’s cars

A time when padded dashboards were used for safety but before airbags where introduced. These were mainly vacuum formed vinyl and often crack after many years in the sun. We do not do any vacuum forming here but we do use and recommend the Dashboard doctor in Victoria for these. If we are doing an interior here we can remove the dash and send off for you, if it is only the dash you need done we suggest having an auto electrician or you can remove the dash and deal with Dash Doctor direct. Some cars still had hand covered dashes and for these we may be able to cover them but will need to see it to determine what we can do.

Post 90’s

After the introduction of airbags most dashes were vacuum formed and incorporated a section where the airbag would deploy through ripping open the dash, we are unable to repair or recover these at all in anyway. If the airbag deploys from a separate removable flap there may be a chance but again we would need to see it. Hand covered leather dashboards with break away seams for airbags are the same, we cannot do them, if it has a separate section like on the Z3 BMW then we may be able too.

Leather Dashboards

Many leather dashboards start to shrink around the front near the windscreens, we are unable to stretch or repair these in anyway. We cannot glue them, patch them or tidy them up for re-sale. They would need a new dash if the vehicle is fitted with airbags or re-covered if not fitted with airbags or have removable airbag covers.

Sticky Dashboards and Soft Feel Coatings

Around 2000 we saw an introduction of dashboards that have now started to become sticky and bubble up in some cases, these are un-repairable and the only solution is to replace the dashboard with a new one from the manufacturer. around the same time many interiors parts like consoles and dash parts had a soft rubber like coating on them which over time also becomes soft, sticky and comes off, this cannot be repaired and also needs to be replaced with factory parts.