safulop

OK, I read a lot about the leather-wrapped dashboard on 928s, and I have seen ones like this, but the dash on my S4 appears to be plastic. And the center console forward of the armrest is plastic as well, it seems.

Was the leather dash optional? How common are these plastic dashboard examples? I don't mind so much, it is somewhat more practical to have a plastic dashboard--no leather curling. Mine has a few cracks so the PO stuck a nice-looking felt dash cap on it. He told me he had the instrument pod redone by some clod but it cracked all over again. It appears to be plastic too.

-Sean

Nicole

Up to the mid-80ies, leather dashes were available. However, at the time they did not have the glues they have today. Many of the cars in sunny climate experienced drying leather that shrunk and pulled away from the defroster vents. I assume there was a lot of warranty cost involved for Porsche.

So, they decided to stop offering the leather dashes in the US market (don't know about Canada). Some custom ordered cars still came-in that way, but very, very few.

The non-leather dashes are some sort of vinyl over a foam core over a metal structure. Like the leather, the vinyl is not particularly fond of extreme sun, and tends to develop cracks. Most often, they start at the defroster vents and at the top center of the pod. Then it spreads from there.

The leather dashes had the same vinyl cores; typically those with cosmetic issues. In some areas the vinyl and foam had to be cut a bit to make room for the leather seams.

If you want to fix the cracks in your vinyl dash, you can either replace the dash with an un-cracked one, or have it leather covered (using the modern type of glue that is stronger and less sensitive to heat). However, when you do this, you also have to do the console and door arm rests, as they are designed to look as one unit.

gbgastowers

Here is a great option I was directed to http://qualitycarinterior.com/1978-1...piece-set.html A guy in Florida bought one and loves it.

Griffinroydonald

This is just an opinion but the leather option has not held up well in the 928's. I have torn down many cars and have found the leather 1/4 panels shrink and warp as the leather shrinks. The thread rots and leather tears along the seams.
The leather door panels are the same way as years of sun and heat take their toll. The dash cracks are just ugly and do not reflect well on the Porsche quality standards. I have repaired and replaced the interior in one of my cars and it was a real pain. I have been lucky to work in a shop that generates parts so it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. I have a great deal of respect for the people who repair and produce new interior pieces as they look and hold up much better than the factory parts.

Nicole

The question with these is always: How long will he love it?

It has been reported that these kinds of overlays tend to warp rather quickly, particularly in hot climates.

safulop

Ah so it is like my 944 dash, which was much derided for its cheapness and is prone to cracking also. It's surprising it is vinyl-covered foam core, it is so hard it feels almost like plastic. I'm happy enough with my felt dash cap for the time being. I would consider having it done up in leather one day, but that would have to involve the whole interior as Nicole mentioned.

dr bob

Sean, it isn'tthe "full interior", just the pieces that touch the dash and the dash itself. So Dash and pod, console in the middle plus the armrests on the doors. You can cheat and skip the armrests if you don't mind repainting them to match the new leather bits.

That said, regular exposure to Frezburg summer sun will make short work of even the nicest leather work.

Nicole

Isn't it amazing that something that doesn't last 20+ years under extreme condition is automatically considered "cheap"?

Cheap is single layer hard plastic like you find it in a Toyota. Hard as a rock, it's not nearly as nice to the touch. Granted, it might last longer, but I would not be too keen to hit it during an accident.

Leather isn't cheap, either, and won't last forever under extreme temperature conditions.

The door arm rests are a hard plastic material; the dash and console are not. Since yours is cracking, it likely hardened from new.

Mine is in perfect condition, but not as soft as in the Saab. Still a lot softer than the dash in the Camry I sat recently.

That will never look good. Never.

The texture and seams of real leather can never be made to match to the plastic arm rests, no matter how much paint you throw on them.

Jim M.

Doesn't Rob Bud do a vinyl dash recover for our cars? From the pictures I've seen they look great!

jsherid1

Jim--you have seen a vinyl dash from Bob, mine!

I went with Vinyl because I thought it would be more durable than the leather. It looks great and most people think it is leather.

tlsmith1999

I have seen Bob's vinyl dash (in cork) in Rogoer's Cashmere, it looked perfect. Another option if your dash is not cork, is to use Bondo to repair, and SEM textured paint. There is an old posting about it on here. This is the route I would like to go someday on my blue interior in the S4.