theiceman

Got into a bit of a .. er... discusion with someone over leather vs no leather dash's . My feeling is basically Leather dashs would shrink and peel over many years where is vinyl coverings will not . I am not saying I am right .. he was driving a 996 with leather covered and said this was BS and all in the care .. fair enough as there aren't many 30 year old 996s around to prove his point.

Just wonedering does anyone here have leather dash and how has it lasted ? My Vinyl is like brand new still and just thought i would ask as we have some guys on here with cars in hars climates ..

PS saw a 964 the othe day ( cab ) .. and the leather dash was pulled up all around the windshield area so it got me thinking

ricster

Leather will definetly expand and contract over the years and will look unsightly after many years. I work at a dealer and I have seen this quite a few times. If the car spends most if its time in doors then it might not happen, but if its exposed over the years to sun, well I can tell you its going to happen.

raspberryroadster

...not sure what's more durable....but my (92) 964 cab's leather dash is just fine. it sees lots of sun (but not stored outside).
i believe porsche uses dyed/coated leathers which (providing water does not get under the leather) should make them pretty rugged - waterproof.

rusnak

My leather dash is definitely shrunken. The leather did not pull away from the dash, so the top looks warped and cupped at the edges.

srf506

+1

Edgy01

In the early years of the 911 (through 1989) Porsche learned a lot about leather dashes. Although they did hold up well when properly spoiled (garaged or covered all the time) they just didn't handle the normal treatment of being in the sun. Even if you treat them often they are somewhat problematic. However, one big plus of a leather dash is that they won't out-gas like the vinyl ones so, fogging up the inside of the windshield. Previous 911s always did that to me so I was happy for a leather one.

Keep it out of the heat as much as you can, and treat it often, or deal with the consequences.

The newer dashes seem to be much better.

Ed Hughes

Same here, but the leather still looks pretty good.

GTgears

A properly recovered leather dash on an early car is truly a thing of beauty...

Peter Zimmermann

Leather dashboards, generally speaking, will never outlast a non-leather dash. Leather shrinks (I've seen this hundreds of times on cars built in the '80s) until the outboard tips start to pull up, and toward the middle of the car. They will pull away from around the center air nozzle, until the fastening staples show, and eventually pull loose. Also, it's common to see a leather dash pull away from the defroster vents near the windshield.

I've had the dash top replaced on at least three of my cars, and I put the non-leather version in every time. I've also had an uncountable number of customers do the same, mostly on cars that otherwise were pretty close to spectacular.

Jay H

I've done my share of concours judging and have seen pristine 911's with low miles and pampered lives have their leather dash boards curl up and look warped.

My '84 has a full leather interior and the dashboard is acting exactly as Pete describes above.

Jay
84 911
90 964
08 987

aron in toronto

The leather dash on my 97 Boxster still looks new, although it spends most of its time inside. I have never treated it with anything other than dusting it with a damp cloth. It might not have held up as well in a harsher climate, but here in Ontario it's fine. On a related side note, I drove an non-restored '69 Jaguar 340 last week in a show and the all original leather and wood interior was in excellent condition.

With that said I'm sure the non leather dashes are more durable and require less attention.

Aron

Ed Hughes

I'd say most all 911's with leather dashes looked new when they were only 13 years old too. I'm not sure what we can learn from your input, as the newest car here is now 21 years old.

rusnak

To get ultra picky for a quick second, the leather on my dash looks pretty much new. It's very high quality hide. But since it shrank, the dash is all wavy and puckered.

raspberryroadster

so ed, are you saying that mine (now 18-19yrs old) will within next 2 yrs or so pucker/wrinkle/shrink?? i still prefer leather!

Ed Hughes

Mine still has a good shine to it. Someone asked me recently if it was redone, but the waves at the edges bug me. I do have one seam that is pulling a bit now too.