Trying to repair dash crack for cheap

[slowmoe30]

So I decided to try my hand at fixing dash cracks for cheap...

My dash had too many cracks to even bother, so I started by buying a dash with only one crack.
I then took the old dash out, and decided to use it as practice for the cleaner dash.
I was only looking to fill in the crack, so I would look for a material that adheres to everything, isn't brittle when cured, and blends reasonably well with the dash afterwards.
I figured black silicone would meet all these requirements.

The items on the table area are all I used:
- Razor, to turn the crack into a larger notch to get the silicone in, and to cut away the edges of the cracks that curled up.
- Drill, to practice drilling "stress-relief" notches at the end of the crack to prevent future growth
- Masking tape
- Silicone (Home Depot)
- Silicone application tool (Home Depot)

[slowmoe30]

Before/After of drilling out ends of "practice crack", and razor between ends.

[slowmoe30]

Masked and filled.
Not too happy about the (lack of) color-match:
- The dash is grey, matte, and textured
- The silicone is darker and clear, and I was sloppy.

[slowmoe30]

Looking down the silicone, it comes right up to the surface, but it is still sloppy.

I'll see if I can fix this on the next attempt..

[slowmoe30]

Second attempt:

I didn't bother drilling or using the razor. I was curious if the silicone could fill the crack at its original width to save me time.

This time it was a lot smoother - last image shows 1st try vs 2nd.

Still not too happy with the color match.

Anybody got better materials to recommend to fill cracks?
I feel like every post I've seen people just end up flocking or wrapping it.

[AndrewBird]

You won't find anything that matches and hides the crack. Only way is to fill it and then sand and paint the entire dash. Others have flocked their dashes to varying results.

[PDXPeter]

Anyone ever try this cover?

https://www.autopartswarehouse.com/sku/Coverlay/Dash_Cover/CVL21325LLBLK.html