Dashboard "Overlay"

[surfdog4]

Over on the 928 international website they sell something called a "dashboard overlay"..i assume it's a glue-on covering for the dash? Does anyone have any experience with these?

[Rixter]

crap.... in a few months it'll wrinkle up and look worse
get a recovered unit from 928leatheshop.com or one of the leather overlays from Jageng.com

[Mule]

Is that International's piece that has those problems? I've never seen a dash cap wrinkle up. Fresh leather would be nice but the cost is what? About the same as a nice paint job?

[Rixter]

the plastic overlays will wrinkle/shrivel very quick once the sun starts to hit it... the carpet overlays will wrinkle over time
best bet is one of the 2 options I stated above

[Danglerb]

When the time comes I think I will have a pod and dash done by Rob, http://928leathershop.com/Dashboard,_Console_and_Panel_Covers.html

The carpets are cheap, $50 or so? Plastic overlays maybe $100, and Rob rebuilds and guarantees his for a year for $469. I haven't heard any longer term complaints either. There is always a new dash, 928 552 023 06 05T
Unit Price: $1,572.00.

Some links. I seem to remember one of these places recasts the vinyl.

http://www.leatherique.com/products.htm
http://www.coverlaymfg.com
http://www.justdashes.com/
http://www.dashboardrestorations.com/
http://www.autorestorer.com/articles/art119.html

[gorfllub]

Hmmmm.....

I have seen several coverlay skins that are many, many years old without wrinkling or whatnot.

Mind you they are all on Chevy trucks.

Depending on your wants and needs, if the plastic overlay fits the bill, I would not hesitate one instant to do it.

Looks good, goes on easy, and inexpensive!

[surfdog4]

so the cheapie overlays are hard plastic ...and i suppose you glue them on? I was looking at the websites recommended and it looks like the sell leather do-it-yourself kits so i'm guessing there you strip off the existing covering and glue on the new? I have never seen either (my 944 dash has a couple of cracks but overall it's not bad...but my 928 dash is shot)

[Danglerb]

The Mercedes forum I looked at talked about proper application of the adhesive as critical to good results and not warping. I've never seen as overlay that didn't look like an overlay though.

[rhjames]

in the two cars worth of parts that I just bought, there is a dash that has one of these overlays as they are called.

My opinion is "it's not leather", but if can't afford the leather route, or don't want your ride down for weeks on end while your dash is being re-leathered, the caps may be the way to go......

At any rate, I have one that is done in light brown color if that's what you're interested in----

PM me if your interested in buying, as everything is for sale (except for the Euro engine) at this point.

see my post for a rough list of what I have:

"parts, parts, and more parts"

------------------

[surfdog4]

thanks, but i need black....after looking at some of the other pieces (like the cover for the sunroof motor)..it seems like it wouldnt be too hard if someone sold the replacement (vinyl in this case) you could glue it on yourself

[Nicole]

Whatever you do - don't go the justdashes route. A friend did just that, and the dash looked nothing like the old one. Edges were softened, and the whole thing looked like someone had inflated it. It was larger in places and no longer fit properly; the pod scratched on the dash and squeaked. Aside from that the color (greygreen) was way off. My friend ended up buying a new dash from Porsche to avoid having to convert his interior to leather.

One thing you have to remember when going the leather route: Once you do the dash, you also have to do the console and arm rests - otherwise it will look really odd. Having seams on the dash and nowhere else, along with the difference in color between the new leather and old vinyl of console/armrest looks like a job half done.

But if you do the whole package, it looks totally awesome! I've met both Rob Budd and Paul Champagne, and have seen their work. I can recommend them both. Another great place to inquire with is Motorsport in Salt Lake City.

Nicole
www.hookedoncars.com

[surfdog4]

wow i was just looking at the "just dashes" web site.

...anyone ever bought "the 928 leather shop" DIY kit ( leather or vinyl)??

[porschefool]

My '79 wasn't worth a whole new dash, and I've always hated the carpet route...so I did the $99 plastic overlay, and it looked great. I should have used more adhesive around the defrost vents, though... I wouldn't hesitate if your shark needs some sprucing up (and isn't worth a ton otherwise)...

Just my .02


/Man I miss that acceleration!

[surfdog4]

looking at it this evening the dash had apparently been recovered once already..i noticed the stitches and underneath there was the old dash..cracked, of course..it will have to be removed before i can do anything else with it. must not have lasted too long to be cracked and peeling a second time!

[hughett]

I was skeptical of the hard plastic pod covering (two piece glue on with silicone) but I needed a radiator worse than a leather pod cover (that will come later) so I bought a cheapie off eBay from a 928er who bought it a year or so ago. I can't vouch for the ones being sold now.

BUT...I figured with a really cracked pod, what could I lose as I couldn't stand looking at the cracks so I installed the plastic temporarily.

Frankly, it looks so good and has held up to hot sun all summer so far and still looks so good I'm not sure that I'll spring for leather anytime soon since the S4 is my daily driver, utilitarian vehicle.

My '85S is pristine in every way...and I'm hoping I never get cracks while I own it. It's always been garaged.

It's surprising though just how hot the plastic gets. I can't leave my hand on it so it's impressed me. But it's certainly not leather. I'm thinking, however, that it may match the stock plasic dash better than paint though.

As Rixter says though, leather is wonderful stuff. But you can't abuse it.

Harvey

[Rixter]

Originally Posted by surfdog4

looking at it this evening the dash had apparently been recovered once already..i noticed the stitches and underneath there was the old dash..cracked, of course..it will have to be removed before i can do anything else with it. must not have lasted too long to be cracked and peeling a second time!

the factory leather dashes are just vinyl ones overlayed with leather so it's bound to be cracked if the leather is peeling

[surfdog4]

ah..so maybe it was a factory leather dash...unfortunately the build stickers in the back and the owners manual are both gone, so I can't tell exactly

[Danglerb]

I was thinking maybe Alcantara instead of leather, its about $700 I think from Rob.

My guess on the cracking is that the sandwich of the dash has a bad mix, vinyl over foam, with the foam acting as insulation so heat has no place to go.

[Rob M B]

Originally Posted by Danglerb

I was thinking maybe Alcantara instead of leather, its about $700 I think from Rob.

My guess on the cracking is that the sandwich of the dash has a bad mix, vinyl over foam, with the foam acting as insulation so heat has no place to go.

That seems to be correct. The factory dashes had leather adhered directly over vinyl then over latex or polyurethane foam over a steel substrate
I think the various materials expanded and contracted at different rates leading to cracks.
On the new models Porsche puts a layer of engineered polyethylene foam under the leather or vinyl and uses adhesive only along the underside and edges.
I'd like to think they got this idea from me because that's the same material and process I use when I recover dashboards, but I'm sure we both developed it from seeing the past mistakes.
The new foam does not expand and contract as much as the older formula foams and the leather or vinyl rides on top as the substrate expands and contracts.