How rare is an uncracked dash these days

[ZeKahr]

I brought a used crack free dash to replace my grand canyon crack one in 2020 for around $350. The car sits in a parking lot exposed to all the harsh environment everyday and I use a sunshade In the summer - dash is still crack free. I drive the car on a regular basis too. We get very strong sunlight with 95-100F peaks here during Jun-Aug and freezing temps below 20F during Jan-Feb

[Replicam3cabrio]

I've own so many E30, bought my first one in 1990 and have had several since, till this day I have not have no one dash cracked on me, and I had a project cars sitting for over 3 years and still no problem, I have 3 spare dashes in my basement and I don't think I would ever use any of them as my 2 cars are garaged and under car covers.

[20w506cyl]

I live nearby and I went to check out the work and it looks top notch it is pricey but I don’t see any other real good alternatives . I did leave my dash as I had a spare one . It’s a 5-6 month wait so I have a bit to decide if I change my mind or not . They don’t charge you until they actually get to your dash .

Thanks, would be great if you would post pictures when you get it back. The videos on their website looks like it's quality work and your right there isn't any good alternatives.

[prisonerofdoom83]

Since this a dash thread has anybody seen a dash recovered by Just Dashes? I got a quote from them for $1600 to recover my dash but I'm not at that point where I want to spend that much on an unknown product. Thanks.

I live nearby and I went to check out the work and it looks top notch it is pricey but I don’t see any other real good alternatives . I did leave my dash as I had a spare one . It’s a 5-6 month wait so I have a bit to decide if I change my mind or not . They don’t charge you until they actually get to your dash .

[20w506cyl]

Since this a dash thread has anybody seen a dash recovered by Just Dashes? I got a quote from them for $1600 to recover my dash but I'm not at that point where I want to spend that much on an unknown product. Thanks.

[Tom Galloway]

I thought they were factory cracks. Even early cars, and they all leak in the rain. But do they run.

[Northern]

i have heard the same thing locally in sask about 303 in particular on all kinds of dashes.

I don't know what other benefit Aerospace 303 is supposed to have, but the UV protection claim seems to be false - At least based on that Project Farm trim restoration video. One of the tests was UV protection and Aerospace 303 didn't do anything when tested with a UV Meter.

[twright]

I have owned three E30's that came from Northern Europe. They are all crack free. There is some combination of sun and temperature in that end of the world that makes the dashboards last longer.

[82eye]

Hey guys, I have been applying sun screen lotion on the dash for more than ten years every time I do a cleaning. There is not a single crack anywhere on the dash.

i might try this.

[digger]

I have an uncracked used one so they can last 30years

[e30davie]

How rare is an uncracked dash on any car from the 1980s? probably very very rare..

[e30austin]

Armor All contains silicone, which is terrible for vinyl. it makes it look shiny, sure, but it dries it out and promotes shrinkage, which is why the dash cracks (it shrunk). not that your dashboard wouldn't crack on its own, anyway (it's moulded foam with a vinyl overlay, it was destined to crack), but it surely speeds things up.

[82eye]

mine is still good but not for long. extreme heat / extreme cold. there's no way it can stay ahead of it. there was a couple of not bad restoration threads a few years ago, but i haven't seen any in a while. the process was mind bogging long and involved for the result.

Even here in canada, mine has started to crack on my 1990 as of a year or two ago. Ironically it started to crack the year after I started regularly applying Aerospace 303 instead of shiny armorall.

Way she goes.

i have heard the same thing locally in sask about 303 in particular on all kinds of dashes.. i'm not a big believer in either 303 or amororall i sometimes use a little armorall but it is always applied with a wet cloth, never armorall direct, then dried immediately. it doesn't not come back shiny, but seems to protect. my dad taught me that, it might not be doing anything, but it has seemed to help. best thing is keep it out of the sun if you can.

[roguetoaster]

I have a new dash to go in. What is the hotness for protecting it ?

Keeping it in a closet to eventually trade for a B- type of E30.

[varg]

Mine was crack free until this year, I moved it from the garage to the driveway one day to work on another car, forgot to put the sunshade in, and the next day I noticed a crack. Did it happen that day or sitting in my garage? I don't know, but it cracked, right in front of the cluster hump.