Dash Melt Down

[BoozeRS05]

Upon further examination just now my dash has many cracks around the glove box, womp womp.

 

I doubt them taking the dash out twice for new airbags helped, but they've been there for me before too. I'm gonna ask my dealership anyway.

[Ajerezcl]

I am from Chile and here in the coastal areas there are temperatures >86°F and over 60-70% RH. No has reported this problem in the Subaru owners communities. In Chile the legacy 4G that arrived are mainly for the European market (2.0R / 3.0R / 2.5i), the problem may be only for vehicles from the American market, I am sorry .

[amm203]

So for those of you who have replaced your dash (either the warranty or bought one) - some of you have mentioned the texture is a little different, little greyer than original.

 

How does this contrast with the doors and rest of the dash? Does it look out of place at all or does it match well?

 

Pics would be best

 

Cheers.

 

Got my dash replaced back in 2018. I also thought it looked slightly lighter gray at first but the difference in shade is not noticeable at all between the dash and the doors. I can post some pictures tonight or tomorrow. I'm in the camp that humidity and chemicals are the biggest factors. I've been using nothing but microfiber cloths and occasionally a light mix of Dawn and water to wipe it down and it still looks brand new. Time will tell if they used a more robust material this time around.

[socalsleeper]

I really think there is a direct correlation between humidity levels and this dash mess.

 

I had my car in storage for a long time in a garage under a car cover in California, and when I took it out the dash was chalky white. Totally freaked me out.

Now I have the car in Virginia where there is much more humidity (still in a garage while I rebuild it but the chaulkiness has all but gone away. I did gently scrub it with dawn and warm water a while ago, don't know if that helped in anyway, but it is better now.

 

I might get relocated to somewhere very humid for work, so we'll see how that affects the dash.

[xt2005bonbon]

Thanks for posting Ajerezcl.

[xt2005bonbon]

I had my car in storage for a long time in a garage under a car cover in California, and when I took it out the dash was chalky white. Totally freaked me out.

Now I have the car in Virginia where there is much more humidity (still in a garage while I rebuild it but the chaulkiness has all but gone away. I did gently scrub it with dawn and warm water a while ago, don't know if that helped in anyway, but it is better now.

 

I might get relocated to somewhere very humid for work, so we'll see how that affects the dash.

 

 

Crazy thing for me is that in Maryland, both of my cars were always garaged! And I always used sun shades outside. BUT, I did use Armor All products on a regular basis until I began noticing the stickiness. Then I stopped.

[samuel082799]

I had my car in storage for a long time in a garage under a car cover in California, and when I took it out the dash was chalky white. Totally freaked me out.

Now I have the car in Virginia where there is much more humidity (still in a garage while I rebuild it but the chaulkiness has all but gone away. I did gently scrub it with dawn and warm water a while ago, don't know if that helped in anyway, but it is better now.

 

I might get relocated to somewhere very humid for work, so we'll see how that affects the dash.

 

That's exactly what happened to me, My engine blew sat for a couple of months in the shade in California and it got all chalky. I took it as an opportunity to install a wrx gauge pod and flock the dash, looks much better than stock dash

[xt2005bonbon]

I just googled this. I've never heard of this before. Can you post some pictures?

[BoozeRS05]

Yeah, that looks like a decent solution. I'd give it a go possibly.

 

How hard is it to remove the dash by yourself?

[samuel082799]

the only hard part about removing the dash is keeping track of all the hardware, but the FSM has pretty decent instructions on dash removal.

Here are the pictures.

I cut the plastic dash for room to put the gauge pod in then trimmed the foam so the pod sits as flush as possible. then I used fiberglass Bondo to fill in the gaps and glue the pod down. sanded it smoothed primed and painted the pod section. then flocked it.

 

if i had to do it again i would use a spray gun to apply the glue instead of a paint roller because you only have 15 minutes to get the glue and flock on

 

Ill post a picture tomorrow of what it looks like in the car.

[shralp]

Nicely done! You sir are definitely more brave than I am

[amm203]

Photos seem to show a big difference. However, I think part of that was the lighting. In person it is hardly noticeable. Passengers can't tell either

[BoozeRS05]

I have a second dash I'll be picking up from a friend's Subaru graveyard. Gonna give this a go and have it ready to eventually swap out.

[samuel082799]

Here is what it looks like from the inside of the car with all the gauges in it. ignore the dog hair, I haven't cleaned it in a while lol. It is definitely one of my favorite things I have done to the car.

[RustyShackleford]

Anyone tried the StickyDashFix product ?

 

https://stickydashfix.com/products/sticky-dash-fix-kit-to-suit-subaru-legacy-liberty-outback-2003-2009?variant=31456772128811

 

At least it can be brushed on, so dashboard removal not required if you're careful (maybe pop out the various HVAC ducts a little to make it easier to "paint" around them); hopefully it's self-leveling enough to look uniform without spraying.

 

I can find ZERO un-biased info about this product on the web though.

[gimpydingo]

I was just talking to someone about sticky dash fix. They bought some to try. I'll see what they say about results.

[RustyShackleford]

I was just talking to someone about sticky dash fix. They bought some to try. I'll see what they say about results.

Yeah, I just got some too. Guy offered to throw in an extra bottle of the sealant, so you might ask for that. Also, came much quicker (to NC) than I'd been led to expect (even by the seller, who said to allow 21 days); it actually came in 16 days. Nice kit - included a big microfiber cloth and two foam brushes, although not the miniature microfiber roller that they say to use for best results with no streaking.

[NoOne1223]

Can't wait to hear about the results of your testing. Something I'll have to keep an eye on as my dash isn't doing the sticky thing yet.

 

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk

[bdcvg]

I used the Australian sticky dash fix and it worked pretty good. I used 2 coats needs 3-4 . I ended up with some sponge marks but I used cheap sponge brushes, good quality ones may help. It does peel off the non-dash parts easily but I suggest using the exacto around air vents etc and peel very slow or it will leave a jagged line.

[RustyShackleford]

I used the Australian sticky dash fix and it worked pretty good. I used 2 coats needs 3-4 . I ended up with some sponge marks but I used cheap sponge brushes, good quality ones may help.

My kit included foam brushes (and the aforementioned extra bottle of coating). I bought a mohair mini-roller to use.

It does peel off the non-dash parts easily but I suggest using the exacto around air vents etc and peel very slow or it will leave a jagged line.

I popped out my various air vents. Maybe not the best idea though - even though I used those plastic tools they make for this sort of stuff, it still mangled the dash material around the vents some; worse, I guess the plastic got brittle after 15 years, and one of them broke (guess it's time to see how strong my superglue kungfu is).

 

I'm gonna do it tomorrow if it's not sunny - wish me luck.

[RustyShackleford]

Ok, did the StickyDashFix yesterday - managed to get a rare cool summer day, cloudy but no rain - and so far it looks great.

 

A few notes:

 

1. You definitely need the extra bottle of coating, if you plan more than two coats, which you probably do (I did four).

 

2. There will definitely be brush marks wherever you do not use a roller. Definitely buy a miniature roller. And err on the side of getting the roller too close to the windshield; it's easy to clean the stuff off the windshield, and it'll make the job look better (less brush marks).

 

3. Get painters tape, especially for the pillars; they are a fabric, and any coating you get on them is probably there to stay.

 

4. Consider getting a pro to do the job for you. I think some skill would've made my result look better. But I don't care that much. It's a 15 year-old car, not exactly pristine. If this prevents the dash from getting sticky again, and prevents outgassing which gunks up the inside of the windshield, I am happy.

[xt2005bonbon]

Any pics?

[bdcvg]

Rubbing alcohol takes any mistakes off pretty quick. I used a microfibre towel damp with R A and it took seconds to clean off the pillar smear I artfully created. Edited June 14, 2021 by bdcvg

[RecklessWOT]

Also, it's really easy to take the pillar trim off without damaging it...

Fabric or not, who cares about smearing it on there, it will look better regardless if you simply take them off first. Then you can paint right up to or even over the edge to make sure you have even coverage. It literally takes about 8 seconds to remove the trim, I just did last night to fix my boost gauge.

 

And depending on what year/model you have, they weren't all fabric. I know the 2008 OBW my wife used to have had hard plastic pillar covers

 

Also I don't think a pro shop is gonna do a better job. I can't even imagine showing up at a bodyshop and saying "here, my dash is getting all old and sticky, please smear this cheap shit I bought online all over it and make it look factory". Save yourself the money and do the halfass repair yourself...

Either you really care about making the car perfect and buy a new dash, or you just want the sticky gone and decide to use this stuff. If you choose the later route, why the hell would you pay for a pro to do it? No offense, but it's janky. I wouldn't pay a shop to spear bondo in rust and spray bedliner over it, so why would you pay them for this? There's a right and wrong way to repair a car. If you want perfection, buy a new dash. If you want a cheap fix, deal with the brush marks and carry on with your life...

 

I hate to be real, I know it's gonna offend some station wagon owner's sensitive feelings sooner or later (trust me I've been around this forum long enough I know how the general population is), but it is what it is. Truth freaking hurts. Try crying about it. Or just get over it and realize what you're working with...

Edited June 16, 2021 by RecklessWOT

[RustyShackleford]

Also, it's really easy to take the pillar trim off without damaging it...

Fabric or not, who cares about smearing it on there, it will look better regardless if you simply take them off first. Then you can paint right up to or even over the edge to make sure you have even coverage. It literally takes about 8 seconds to remove the trim, I just did last night to fix my boost gauge.

 

And depending on what year/model you have, they weren't all fabric. I know the 2008 OBW my wife used to have had hard plastic pillar covers

 

Also I don't think a pro shop is gonna do a better job. I can't even imagine showing up at a bodyshop and saying "here, my dash is getting all old and sticky, please smear this cheap shit I bought online all over it and make it look factory". Save yourself the money and do the halfass repair yourself...

Either you really care about making the car perfect and buy a new dash, or you just want the sticky gone and decide to use this stuff. If you choose the later route, why the hell would you pay for a pro to do it? No offense, but it's janky. I wouldn't pay a shop to spear bondo in rust and spray bedliner over it, so why would you pay them for this? There's a right and wrong way to repair a car. If you want perfection, buy a new dash. If you want a cheap fix, deal with the brush marks and carry on with your life...

 

I hate to be real, I know it's gonna offend some station wagon owner's sensitive feelings sooner or later (trust me I've been around this forum long enough I know how the general population is), but it is what it is. Truth freaking hurts. Try crying about it. Or just get over it and realize what you're working with...

Get some rest.