stuart69427

I just picked up a perfect dash pad from the bone yard today. What are some steps I can take to keep it from cracking. I have a good layer of armerall on there and I have a sun shield to keep the sun off during the day. What els could I do?

JAY4SPEED

If i'm not mistaken, I though I've read on the boards that Armorall actually is bad for it and dries it out.

stuart69427

ooooh didn't know that, let me do some research, I was to d@mn tired last night to search, but I have time now...

1982chevycamaroz28

dont use Armorall. thats what helps to the craking (spellin) of the dash pad. ive heard if u use it u need to keep on using it or it will just dry the dash and lead to craking. use like miguries rubber and vyinal protectent, its in a red bottle and it works good.

stuart69427

had some time to do some searching, and deciding I'm not using armorall anymore. What are some good steps to get the stuff off. I will try my Eagle One Tire Cleaner on there next.

Tom Keliher

I wouldn't use tire cleaner on your interior pieces...............

As for protection, there is nothing better than Aerospace Treatment, period.

http://www.303products.com/protectant.htm

stuart69427

is it the sunlight or the heat that is cuasing the pads to crack?

What are the products you all use?

Black Magic
Mequires
NU VINYL
Eagle One

Any more?

About for tires, cuase i saw that is not good for the tires either?????

Tom Keliher

"UV", or ultraviolet light, is what causes all the damage. Blocking UV exposure, is what prevents cracking; fading; etc.

GKK

Best stuff I've ever used is called Vinylex by Lexol. It has a very good UV Protectant in it and it does not contain any water like most other products. I remember seeing it endorsed by some car show awhile back. I've been using it for years now on my dash pad with great results. Cost about $7.99, here's a picture of it.

Sitting Bull

Cold will crack the dash, too. Just ask me ...

Jza

Will cold crack a dash SB?

You can remove the Armorall with warm water and dishsoap. As for protection, I usually use Meguires , but I'm still looking for something I really like that will do a good job protecting it without a glaring shine. I sure don't want mine to crack either!

Jim85IROC

iTrader: (2)

I bought some protectant today. Everything I looked at was all from the same company. Wesley's makes one, Eagle 1 makes a couple, and there's a couple more. Every one of them is a Slick-50 company. The pisser is, almost every commercial product I know of uses silicone, which I don't think is real good for vinal. I chose the Eagle 1 stuff just because I like the smell.

86z/92rs

I read somewhere way back that using Vasoline (NO JOKES PLS!!!!) is good for your dash. I've used it and it does give it a shine.

2vmodular

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=100066

stuart69427

2vmodular, I already read that post, thanx anyways, but it doesn't give a good product that helps

Everybody suggests something different, how do i pick? So I need to find something that has no silicones?

3gc

I've heard of people actually using motor oil. I replaced my dash pad last december and it cracked a few months later. I have one of those windshield covers to keep the heat and uv out now. No other cracks developed but I still need a new dash pad .

FatOne

What Saddle Soap and other type of conditioners? I just rub whats left of my dash with KEWI Saddle Soap and it seems to do quit well. I mainly use leather type protecting products. Seem that the oils or whatever in it works well to get off old dust, oil, and grease. Use on vinyl and all plastic parts.

85wilrocu

I second that! Awesome product, not to shining,( where can't see out the front windsheild) but just enough to show that it's clean and protected!

Jim

Been using wesleys black magic for ten years now. my 17 year old dash still looks brand new even though i only put the stuff on about once or twice a year. maybe I'm just lucky.

Shibbyfbird

use black magic interior cleaner. works awesome

redraif

I have been using Black Magic since I got the car in 1989. It still has its original dash pad, w/o any cracks or fading.

stuart69427

I guess BLack MAgic it is... What can I use to remove all the Armorall from the Interior?????

85SportCoupeto89RS

Use soap and water, that will take the armoral off.

stuart69427

thanx 85SportCoupeto89RS!!! I just love seeing your car "smiling" at me!!!

Belker

I use Meguires products and am happy with the results.

Yes, very cold temperatures can make the dash pad very brittle. I know for a fact it is easy to damage in this state. I assume that quicky raising the temp could cause a crack.

lonsal

iTrader: (2)

So many suggestions, yet none that protects the dash from the UV. A dash cover is the answer. My first dash cover lasted 10 years and finally died from the sun. It was the velour style and the foam backing disintegrated. My new one is the carpet style. Oh, my dash itself is still in perfect condition after 12 years. Lon

Sitting Bull

YES it will

I have used Meguires, too, but it seems to let off some aweful amount of film that gets on the inside of the windshield in a day or so. That's what I hate about all these products

2vmodular

you're correct about the UV issue causing the plastic to become brittle & crack. putting a dashcover over the dashpad also protects against heat, another big enemy of soft plastic.

original poster is getting vague and inconclusive answers because there is no miracle spray or other liquid substance to protect the dash from cracking & becoming brittle. best protection is not to park the car in the full sun and not to park the car in locations where the interior temperature of the car will become hot.

keeping the car in a climate controlled garage and only driving it at night would greatly extend the life of the dashpad. never driving the car during the daylight is far from practical though.

redraif

I'm not sure if Black Magic has UV blocker in it. There is a product I've seen, but no nothing about Finish 2000 had UV blockers I think thats the name??? Florescent green bottle.

I would still go with the Black magic and worst case get a car cover or windshield sun shade for the times you park it in the sun.
Or if you don't mind the looks of a dash cover, do that.

WaynesRS

You are so correct . I have ruined my Dad's dash in his 96 grandprix and mine has a spot on it to . This summer Dad and I are going to paint his dash again .

Garett92Z

it's called Zaino my friends

take off your whole dash pad... clean it with some simple green, follow up with Zaino leather conditioner (with UV protectants). do all this in the shade put a good coat on let it dry thoroughly then buff off any excess with a cotton cloth. put the dash pad back on.
do this once a year and it will stay looking mint for a loooong time.

Garett

Blue502

I've used EagleOne tire protectant on all the interior plastic of my '86 Camaro since the day it was new, and nothing has dried out or cracked, even though the car was parked outside every day until early '99 (a couple of those years in Tucson). I also like that it doesn't leave a residue on your windshield, and isn't oily to the touch after you apply it. Other products probably work fine too, but I know the EagleOne does for sure.

squirrelybird

wow...i must be lucky... my 91 SUNNY FLORIDA car has the original dash pad in peeeerfect condition and i put a damn thing on it. i just crack the windows on sunny days. lucky.... KNOCK ON WOOD

blibby69

dont use Vasoline or motor oil. Petroleium distillants break down rubber and plastic. Try a silicon lubricant.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

I'm going to bump and ancient thread to get other's opinions on the same subject...

I just got a newish dash pad, and I'd like to know how you all recommend keeping it looking nice.

I know to stay away from armor all, and I have a carpet pad that will stay on it most of the time...

anything else I can do? I hear black magic is nice...

ROCFATHER

The best protectant is a dash mat/pad period! Most products are just for shine and nothing else. Eventually the penetrating sunlight will eat away at your dash and its over. Ordered mine for around 25$ custom made. All the vehicles I've owned had one.

End up saving yourself some money too since your using less protectant stuff on the dash!

Dante93GTZ

iTrader: (5)

The other thing is keeping the dash as cool as possible. If possible, keep it in the shade. The heat is a real killer with these foam-based dash pads.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

its nice to know the carpet pad I bought to hide my ratty old pad can will be used to protect my new pad

Come to think of it, I think I thought about that possibility when I bought it months ago

I do keep the car garaged most of the time and every night, but this is texas, and there will be times it will have to be outside

Dartht33bagger

Just get a carpeted dash pad. That's what my car came with. Looks good, dash has no cracks, and a carpet pad is easy to replace.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

helloooo! that's exactly what I said I had, but thanks for the input anyway

'87IROCZOWNER69

iTrader: (1)

Realisticaly the best way to keep your dash from cracking is by taking it off of your car. Just keep the cracked and broken one on your car. It might look bad but in 10-20 years when you sell your car for big bucks you will have a perfect dash stored away and be one of the few people who still has an origional unrefurbished dash pad. There was this dash pad at Upull it I might pick up just to use in my car and store mine away in my closet or something because it has a small crack in the corner but it is hidden by the door.. The one I saw is padded and doesnt have any cracks so it will look nice and in case of an accident my passenger wont be smashing their head into the hard plastic but a more cushioned material instead.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

lol, my car is a V6 RS... it wont ever be worth big bucks...

you do raise an interesting point... Keep your best dash in the closet, and put it on for car shows only

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to go against the conventional wisdom here, and say that Armor-All is key.

I see a LOT of threads knocking it, to the point where I almost think I should change, but I've been using Armor-All on my dashpad--and all interior plastics--for 12 years, and they are all flawless, not faded, not cracked, just as they came on day one.

So is Armor-All bad? Maybe, probably. But I've got twelve years of experience using it weekly all summer long telling me it's kept my dash flawless.

The dash pad has a perfect light satin shine that looks great under street lights. Not too shiny, just cleeeean looking.

FTR, the car is garaged year round, which is probably the best way to protect your dash.

I too worry about the day it cracks, because I'm sure it will someday, but it doesn't seem like Armor-All will be the culprit; after twelve years it's plenty saturated with it so if it was going to crack from the Armor-All, it would've done so long ago.

FTR it's all I've used on my tires that were last replaced in 1999, and there's not a dry-rot crack in them anywhere to be seen.

Armor-All is a UV protectant, or so the bottle says.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

your car is amazing.... can't argue with that logic...

I did see that armor all has several different products, all supposedly for different applications. News to me... I'm old enough to think of armor all as being only one product

'87IROCZOWNER69

iTrader: (1)

Well you never know. A V6 could be worth a good amount of cash in the future because alot of people keep swapping them out for 350s and then use them as anchors on their fishing boats. So a nice well maintained V6 could be worth something but not as much as an origional 350 and possibly a 305. But yeah that's what I am planning to do because I hardly ever go into my closet anyway so it would be safe there. Now the only part of the plan left to fulfill is to make sure that Camaro that had the cushioned dash in it is still there. Actually that Camaro had a pretty imaculate interior. Cant say much for the dented up yellow body, missing trans, and the questionably running V8 under the hood (it does have some nice chrome valve covers on it though).

micktroup2

I have had two dashes crack on me. The second was an immaculate one I pulled from the yard that was on the car for about a month!! I think sudden temperature changes, or large temperature swings, along with UV radiation are the principle culprits. I have heard horror stories for years about Armorall and had the dash in my old BMW crack almost as soon as I started using it, but haven't seen any scientific studies. Maybe a Third Gen club could get together and pull say 4 or 5 pads the same age from a yard and do a study: one with no treatment, one with Armorall, one with Meguires, one with a cover etc and track their condition over time. Might be a nice service to the 3rd Gen community?
I just hate the idea of driving around with a hairy cover on the dash, only to peek under it once or twice a year by the light of a full moon to confirm that my dash pad is still pristine... kind of like buying a Picasso and keeping it in a bank vault... what's the point? We bought these things to drive them, didn't we?

Gumby

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...32-post17.html

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

I just found the NOS one for $2000, lol.

58mark

iTrader: (3)

wow! but that's not the craziest thing I've ever seen, not by a long shot

'87IROCZOWNER69

iTrader: (1)

I dont like the dash pad covers either because I want to see my dash and all those do is hide it. I am going to be buying a sun shade soon so that I can have that in the window whenever I am not driving it to protect it from the sun. I think that the only time those dash covers should be used is when your dash is already cracked pretty bad just so you can hide it and keep your car looking better than it would with those long fractures down the middle of the dash. Like I said I plan on going back to the yard and picking up this dash pad that has been recovered in a padded plack foam that looks really nice and store the one I have in my closet just so I have it in great shape if I ever need to sell it. Just use that cushioned one on my car for the next 10-20+ years!