aminewyork

Hi guys.. I looked at all the previous posts on dash fixes, but the majority cover cracks and not dents or dimples.

As you can see from the photos below I have a little dimple on my dash that seemed to be made from something hitting it. My car was recently at mechanics and then taken to get detailed at a high end place down the street. I picked it up at night and didn't notice it till today. Not sure who to blame and don't have any proof anyway.

It's not that noticeable and kinda minor but I am a little irked as my dash was in perfect condition when I got the car a few weeks ago.

Short of contacting the guys at 928leather.com to do a custom job, or getting a new dash..... I was wondering if anyone knows of another DIY fix?

thx. in advance.

tonyarcur

Hi Aminewyork:
Try this web site. www.leatherique.com. Never used them and have no affiliation.
Good luck
Tony

Amfab

You can cover it up with some simple fabrication.
You can have God on your side AND customize it too!
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deleonl1

Was the dash punctured?

Maybe letting it sit in the sun for a little bit to heat it up will make the impression pop out. You could also try pressing around the impression once heated up by the sun.

2Many Cars

If it's not punctured you may be able to get it to pop back by heating it with a hair dryer. A collision guy tought me that trick after some #%@*# broke into one of my other cars and ripped out the radio. They folded the center console back on itself and I was able to get 99% of the creases out just by heating it with a hairdryer. It took some patience but it worked so it's worth a try.

aminewyork

Dash wasn't punctured, more like it was hit with something and left a dent. The vinyl isn't cracked, just indented.

Mechanics were working on my car last week tightening the windows and working inside it. If I were to guess, someone had a wrench or something in their shirt pocket or pants and leaned up against it and left a mark. Again that is just a guess. I really have no idea and I guess it really doesn't matter now.

Hair dryer just might do it. I'll give it a try tonight. How hot do you allow the dash to get?

thx

Bearclaw

Detailers, don't I know... Mine just went to one of the "best in town" after a visit to the shop. I normally do all this myself, but I thought I'd splurge. I was rewarded by having them bury my seat belt receivers under the seats when they put them back in, and reefing the seat around until it broke a wire in the seat belt sensor. Great.

I would try mildly heating it and massaging it around a little. It's pretty small, it may help and it may not. Careful, if it's too hot to touch, it's too hot.

2Many Cars

I had the hairdryer heat on high and started about 4-5" away and gradually got closer. You'll need to get it hot to the touch but not so hot it hurts. I used it on an old MBZ and the creases were pretty deep so I had to get it pretty warm and keep it that way for about a minute. I also moved the dryer around a bit to avoid a real hot spot and felt the area periodically to be sure it wasn't getting too hot. Start out slow and gradually get it hotter and you should be safe. A hot day in direct sunlight gives you a clue how hot the dash can get without any real damage - which might just work by itself - but my feeling is the sooner you try to get it spring back the better. Let us know how it works.

aminewyork

I used the hair dryer for about 15 mins and it seems to have only improved the dent a little. I might try again this weekend when I have more time.

Kigiin

Syringe, with a little something to puff it up.

993inNC

^^^^^^^ my thoughts exactly

2Many Cars

It may take more than 15 min and you may need to get it hotter. Keep in mind these dash tops can get pretty hot when they'll in direct sunlight so it should be able to take a fair amount of heat. I also found that the little bit of the creases left after I heated my console tended to go away over time (or maybe I notice it less now).

mrbill_fl

the TRICK I heard about (you tube), is hair dryer THEN compressed gas.

the compressed gas is sold at office depot or staples as computer dust off.

this stuff is like freon, really cold, so the idea is the hot expands and then the cold contracts...

-works on the video's for metal dimples.... might be worth trying on the dash....

(ymmv)

aminewyork

Put the hair dryer on it for another 15 mins today.. seems to have improve just a bit again. Guys at a classic car restoration place down the road from me also said I am probably not getting the area hot enough. They said NOT to massage or touch the area, but to just to keep the dryer on it and get it good & hot and it the dent should just pop out. I am going to work on it again this weekend.

Thx for the advice so far.

aminewyork

I wanted to give this post one last update as it might help others in the future.

Per may last post I had taken a hair dryer to the dent 2 different times, but that didn't improve the situation at all.

Had to take my car to the auto upholstery shop down the street to get my headliner fixed on Monday so I asked the owner to do what he could to the dash.

Well he fixed it!!!!! Dent is 98% out and you can't even see it now.

As others have suggested, he used a heat gun to heat up the area almost to the point of melting and dipped his hand into ice cold water and then placed it on the dent area to cool it right down.

He did this 3x and it worked like a charm. The dent popped right out.

Bonus was that he didn't even charge me! Very happy. They did a great job of hand sewing my headliner as well.

For all the fellow Fairfield County Connecticut residents - Greg Franzino, Fairfield Auto Upholstery.... right across from Porsche of Fairfield - great guy, def recommend.