Clowd

So the car I just bought has a flawless dash.. no cracks, looks brand new... how do I keep it that way?

Peckster

Just keep the sun and the vinyl protectant off it.

Renn 951

The PO of my car got one of those carpet type dash covers. The dash on the car was flawless, but he just used it to set on top of the dash when the car was parked to keep the UV light off. I still use it, plus I got a sun shade from Paragon that I'll use in the summer or when I'm parked in the paddock at the track. At home I have a California Car Cover plus I leave the carpet piece on the dash in case any UV leaks thru. You can get the dash carpet from Performance Products.

When you're driving, just roll up the carpet piece and toss it in the back. Plus, I wouldn't say to avoid ALL vinyl protectants. Avoid something like AmourAll like the plague. But I use a bit of Vinylex protectant from time to time to clean and lube the vinyl. The dash is still pristine

Congrats on your new purchase!

hosrom_951

I used Armor All cleaner/polisher for years and did the job fine. Many people (here on rennlist) advised to stay away from it since it contain acetone(sp?).

Whatever the case may be, the thing is to use a windscreen cover when parking the car in the sun. I tried several products but i found the armor all to give the best results.

Again, people may suggest otherwise.....but i can't complain here (especially in 140+F summers and extremely strong sunlights).

Tom M'Guinn

I have always assumed that interior heat and strong sunlight are the primary killers of interiors, along with excessive humidity perhaps.

Renn 951

The problem with Armor All, IIRC, is that it contains silicone. Here's a link to some info/recommendations on auto vinyl care:
car care link

SamGrant951

303 Protectant or Vinylex, and keep out of sunlight has worked for me.

Z-man

Vinylex. Works great.

Stay away from Amorall for your dash, as stated above.

-Z.

hosrom_951

Tom: Nearly all the 944's here in Dubai have cracked dashboard/worn out interiors due to the sun, humidity and so on and an exceptinally high UV index (if that matters).

Like i said, i have been using Armor All for the past 4 years on that dash of mine (I took it off my 88 NA which i owned for 3 years).

No problems, and i really don't worry about the dash as long as i have that windshield cover which i use on sunny days (which is 99% everyday )

We are fortunate to have a cold, cloudy and rainy winter, which i never used the cover since December

Flight_951

Keep the defroster turned off when not in use. Definitely don't keep it on warm or hot air unless you need to.

One of the reasons I believe my car's dash survived 12 years in Sarasota, FL is that the defroster was almost never used. This is even though the paint and carpet show some sun fade.