How do you keep your dash from cracking?
 

Hi. I know there has been a lot of debate on this topic, but I'd like some recommendations from those who know the secret. My 86.5 has 45k miles on it, and the dash is perfect. I really want to keep it that way, but I'm not sure how. I keep the car garaged, but there are probably about 50 days per year when it might be parked out in the hot sun for several hours at a time.

Some rennlisters have recommended chemicals like ArmorAll, and some state that it causes more problems than it helps. If you have a secret you've used for preserving your dash - would you share it?

TIA!

Get a leather one!

If you don't like that option, I had a '90 S4 with a flawless dash. I had the side and back windows tinted and always put the pep boys sun visor in the front window when outside.

Keep it garaged when at home and covered at work/play. That's the only way I know of to really stop all of the UV damage and drying.

Steve,
a good cover is useful.. also, a windshield screen designed for the 928 really helps
call 928Specialists, they have one that is made specifically for the 928

Don't put any crap on the dash ie Armourall and similar products.

Mine is perfect also, which I attribute to limited sun exposure.....I use to use various "treatments" but stopped doing that several years ago when I heard all the noise about armourall not being good for long term life.......There may be something to that. A kid near my office puts it on his tires in the summer, seems about once every couple of weeks.....it stains the pavement and the stain remains through the summer and fall.....half moon crecents marking the location where each tire met the pavement. Anyone know what is in that stuff? I suspect nothing works, because vinyl, not being organic, can't be rehydrated...... Chemists?? what say you......

As Gretch said you cannot rehydrate anything vinyl.......so you have to keep it out of the sun as much as possible. I do use a bit of Vinylex on the dash now and then......it does have some sunscreen in it....just like you would put on your body......and repels UV rays, that is a good thing.

My dash was perfect when i bought the car @76K miles and Still perfect at 115K miles five years later. The first thing i did was put a velour dashmat over the dash and pod that i bought from someone on Ebay. The Dashmat fits very well and has tailored outlets for the defrost vents and overall doesn't look too bad. If i am showing the car or something i usually take it out for that. I agree with the comments about using Armor All and other stuff (Don't). The only thing i do is wipe it down with a leather cleaner/conditioner maybe twice a year.

Ben Burris

86.5 Indischrot AT. #1459

Oh, and always use a windshield sunvisor!

I agree. it is IMHO the only way for long time "treatment". although I own a leather one.

STL

I say LEATHER, that'll protect the dash... but then you have to protect / hydrate the leather regularily... or it too will just shrivel up / trear / crack / etc... then the dash under it will likely follow soon after...

d
'83 S 5-speed US - Chiffonwieb / Brown
'96 Cherokee Country - Arctic / tan
'04 9-5 Aero (SAAB) - Coffee Black met / tan

I'm so pleased to see ALL you guys recommend the right thing :thumbup:

Never put any chemicals onto your dash, because
a) if it has lasted this long, it will continue to last without your help thank you very much, and
b) I have owned 7 928's, and have experienced several uncracked dashes at high mileages (80+, 150+ and 160+) and the only cracked ones were the ones with clear residue from armorall.

I still am undecided about leather. Leather needs food, but the underlying glue on hard vinyl absolutely cannot handle it.

You can also live in a place without sun and high temp' , as I am

STL

I'll come visit... might be hard to bring the 928 over with me though ;)

d
'83 S 5-speed US - Chiffonwieb / Brown
'96 Cherokee Country - Arctic / tan
'04 9-5 Aero (SAAB) - Coffee Black met / tan

Please don't put ArmorAll on ANYTHING. It will dry things out and you'll really be upset over time.

I like to apply liberal amounts of Armorall to my ex-wife ..... keeps her nice and crusty ....

Ouch H! I couldn't do that to my ex wife, it would cost too much. Can you get Armorall in 55 gallon drums?

My ex seems to soak it up immediately. Not the cheap stuff though, that rolls off like a duck ....

Thanks for all of the responses - it's pretty much what I figured. I will get one of those windshield sunvisors ASAP.

I always get asked how I keep my interior so nice. Well, it's not magic, really. I just don't drive the car much. It sits in a dark garage most of its life, and if it gets parked in the sun, I put a sun visor on.

No chemicals on my dashboard - I use a damp cloth to wipe it off. And I confess that a few times I cleaned it with glass cleaner, to get some fingerprints or other sticky stuff off. It has robbed me some sleep worrying, but has not negatively affected the condition of my dash...

Smart move, during Summer it stays in my car and gets used when not in the garage.

That and the recent window tint really help keep the interior temps down.

Chris

This is my first 928 but I use Armorall on all my motorcycles, my 3 Mazda RX-7 and on my BMW 740 without any problems. I did use a sunvisor on my Mazda's but they were never garaged.

The shark is the first car that I put in the garage.

The leather dash in my '79 is still looking great. The only thing i do to it is Leatherique it twice a year. I also keep the car covered and i try to park in the shade as much as possible.

Was a leather dash a factory option, or are those of you who recommended a leather dash referring to an aftermarket leather covering?

Leather dash was a factory option. Lots of them out there. Heck, I've got a leather headliner and leather sun visors!

To keep my interior nice, I purchased a walk-in cigar humidor. The interior is removed from the car and kept in an environment of 52F and 81% relative humidity. My staff then installs the interior when I choose to drive my 928. During daylight hours, they go along with me in a large truck and constantly shield the car from the sun.

Expensive but worth it!

Yup, you really need to see Nicole's dash and interior to believe it. It appears to be about 6 months of age. I was driving her shark yesterday and the devil kept wispering in my ear: " Just drive it off somewhere and hide it. She'll never find it". Luckily I didn't listen to that voice, or I'd be back in jail again. ;)

Nicole's is beautiful, but remember she says she hardly ever drives it and keeps it garaged. What's the fun in that. I mean if you hardly ever drive it. Might as well sell it.

I thought "vinylex" was a good product...heard it from 928ers.

Vinylex is outstanding, and it's good for the vinyl, not harmful in any way. It's the silicone-based ones that are bad, like Armor All.

I don't know why everybody is so down on Armorall. I have a 83 Celica GTS that I'm the original owner of and have literally soaked its dash with the stuff probably a 100 times in the 22 years I've owned it. Not a crack anywhere. I must admit though that I've never used it on any of the 928's I've owned, but I have used Turtlewax Formula 2001 on them, no cracks on them either. I keep the 928 garaged and use a windshield visor when I take it out.

We are down on it because we have seen its devastation first-hand.

Umm, that was Bill :evilgrin:

in regards to the leather dash, I have one in the euro 81 and it is still perfect, I was considering using meguirs leathurique on it, would it cause it to start to shrink and pull?

Lizard, Leatherique == GOOD. Meguiars == BAD.

Lexol and Leatherique are the best products out there for leather.

Move to UK. Car will rot to bits, but dash will be like new.

dash protectants
 

In my opinion, everything needs food, vinyl needs food, leather needs food, etc.

My advice:
1)..Get a windshield shade (see previous posts for details).

2)..Tint your windows.

3)..Consider a spray protectant. My opinions about spray products:
Lexol - 'Vinylex' is a good product and includes some UV protection as well.

Meguiars - I try to use Meguiars products whenever possible. They have good leather-care products that I like.

Turtle Wax - 'Clear Guard' is a product that I have used for years to protect interiors of my cars and have no complaints. Turtle Wax may have replaced this product with a new line since Wal-Mart is no longer carrying Clear Guard.

Armor All - don't use it. I used to use it in the 80's. During that time I used it liberally and my dash still cracked! At that time, Armor All was water-based, which it actually caused premature cracking due to evaporation. They have since regrouped and tried to rebuild a customer base. I'm not going to risk them again.

If you use a spray, be sure it has some form of UV protectant and is not too glossy. If it's too glossy/shiny, it will show every piece of lint from 200 yards away. :)

Just my $.02.
:)

Personally, it's because it dries out leather and since so much leather meets the areas people use Armorall it's too difficult. Also, I don't like the shiny look inside. I like the ones that clean and have a UV protection, but don't look greasy.
I guess I can see the fun being you don't have to spend so much time to keep it in pristine condition. Personally I like driving mine all the time. Though I don't understand it in my little pea brain, I bet it's more enjoyable to Nicole because she doesn't have to worry about it as much. I'll bet her house looks amazing! One of those traits I wish I had, but know I never will. ;)
:roflmao:

Leatherique conditions and actually softens the leather by putting the natural oils that are taken out over time back in. It doesn't stretch the leather, it keeps it from shrinking, pulling and turning hard.

Compared to Meguiars, think of it this way. You take your 928 to a mechanic or buy products from someone who specializes only in 928s, like the "big 3". You don't want a dealership who works on or sells parts for an array of all Porsches because you want the work/advice you get to be done right. Leatherique specializes only in leather while Meguiars has an array of products across all kinds of surfaces. I see Leatherique as the 928 specialist and Meguiars as the dealership.

Yeah John I forgot to add the last line, I don't know what I was thinking but here is the rest of what I was going to say, She could sell it to me :thumbup: :D

Glad you resistted. Apart from being in jail, you would have missed a nice, vegan dinner... and I would have your 914/6 parts as collateral. ;)


You are totally missing the point.

This car is there for me to enjoy when I CAN enjoy it - when the weather is nice and the roads are not overcrowded.

Why waste a such beautiful car in daily stop and go, or to go to the Supermarket? My Saab does that much more comfortably and practically. I will always find a decent car for the daily grind - but once the 928 is worn out, it would be very hard to find a replacement.

I rather enjoy it little at a time over a long period, than wear it down quickly. I find that I appreciate it much more by NOT driving it all the time.

Nicole - I agree. I don't want to drive mine daily due to horrendous traffic and poor parking conditions, so when I do get a chance to drive it, I admire it so much more. Although, I must admit, if I had the $$$, I would certainly consider purchasing another 928 as a daily driver. :thumbup: ....like several multi-shark owners here on Rennlist. :bowdown:

no amorall, no covers (they dry it out even worse) no seat leather lube. what you use is the silicon shoe polish with mink oil! i had my dash for over 175000 miles, since 1987 and it was perfect (well, when i got the car, i stopped the aging in its tracks! for 10 years)

I tried everything and this stuff keeps the shrinking and cracking down to a min (providing we are talking leather dash)
MK

I agree with this in principle. However, unless you drive it on a regular basis, the car will deteriorate mechanically much faster than it would by driving it. Seals, gaskets, hoses, weatherstripping and other rubber items dry out, shrink, and become brittle unless flexed and lubricated regularly. Engine internals corrode due to buildup of moisture and acids that need to be burned off regularly by running the engine at operating temperature for sustained periods.

Your dash and leather may look perfect, but you are not doing your car a favor by letting it sit. Ask any wrench and they'll tell you. In order to keep a car in top shape you MUST drive it.

It is driven about at least once every week on average, sometimes more, sometimes less. When I drive it, it's not just to the store around the corner, but usually far enough to warm it all up.

I think your car is beautiful and like I said if you ever want to sell it and "up grade?" just let me know.

Oh, good. I thought it was sitting much more than that. :)

Nicole
I agree with you...more simple mudane tasks like going to work or grocery's I use the little commuter...it gets much better mileage & blends in better than the 928.... When I "want" to drive, not "have" to drive....then its all about the 928! I always drive it at least once a week to keep the juices flowing....otherwise the 928 is safe in the garage....I learned long ago that you cannot keep a daily driver car "nice", been there done that....just too many idiots out there to crash into you or key your car because they are jealous....not counting daily wear and tear! If I could afford it I would consider another 928 as a daily driver, but knowing how I am I would just start fixing that one up too, and would end up with two 928's in the garage! Maybe one day!
Brian