DesertRat911

I have a leather dashboard that is cracked/separating along the seam between the instrument pod and the main dash. Has anyone dealt with this problem and found a practical repair solution?

I have a 2007 911 C4S Cabrio.

kkswow12

interested in this, has it been outside a lot?

DesertRat911

I don't know. I purchased this car 6 months ago with 51k miles on it.

Marine Blue

Can you post some pictures?

Leather dashes are high maintenance, if you have one and use the car regularly it's recommended to do the following:
- Lightly condition every few months (avoid too much product as the leather is glued down and the glue can get soaked/weakened.
- Use a sunshade for the windsheild

Is the car originally from Arizona also or did it come from another state?

CosmosC4S

Wow...that seems kinda premature. I bet it was neglected by the previous owner. I had a 2002 with a leather dash and it was in excellent condition when I sold it last year. I did apply leather conditioner on it about 4 or 5 times in the 8 years of ownership. Garaged, and always has a sunshade in the sun.

Wayne Smith

From what I've read, Porsche tans the leather differently for the dash. I have heard that it is ill advised to treat this leather with anything for fear of compromising the material. Simply keep it clean, and I would assume, minimize the sun during prolonged periods of parking.

This sounds all wrong to me, at first, but looking at tanning methods, it is not implausible.

kkswow12

the leather on the dash and other places in these cars is thinner than, well, twiggy... seems there would not be much there to 'crack', and being just about superglued to the underlying surface, it would likely have been extensively exposed to sun ...this is the first i have heard of this...

user 72902

I don't have a leather dash but I still tinted my front windshield to block UV Rays. The tint on my other windows is 36% but on the front it is difficult to notice the tint. It helps protect my eyes and as an added benefit reduces harmful effects to my interior.

Wayne Smith

Opted to look through 6 Speed Online. There was more discussion over there that you should not use any treatments on the dash. Could be the damage was due to love? On the 36%, was this legal (UV protection without tint)? Does such an option exist?

GSIRM3

The glass itself blocks most of the UV rays. The damage is caused more from the heat.

user 72902

I'm not sure what the tint percentage is on the front windshield but it is not easy to tell it has been treated so it must be fairly low, however, it is much easier on my eyes. The desert sun was not kind to me. My side and rear glass is 36% and the limit is 50% so its legal.

My Cayenne is treated with the 36% all around but the windshield has nothing. The difference in summer is stunning on the reduction of heat getting into the car with all that glass.

Wayne Smith

Thanks. I think, as pointed out, heat is our real enemy here. I lived in Phoenix for some years. It could be brutal if you didn't remember to crack the windows when you parked!

KNS

I remember seeing one of those factory programs on building the Porsche 997. They showed a worker upholstering the dash and I recall thinking that that's not going to hold up long term in the sun and heat.

In the late seventies and eighties when 911 sales really grew and tons were being sold in Southern California, Porsche had a lot of warranty replacements on leather dashes. I believe at the time Porsche would replace it with the vinyl (vacu-formed) dashes.

Marine Blue

Can someone post a link to the 6Speed discussions about leaving leather dashes untreated? This would be news to me. If the advice was coming from the manufacturer (Porsche) or an expert that installs this aftermarket I would agree, otherwise I would question it to understand why.

Wayne Smith

Refer to

http://www.6speedonline.com/forums/9...rior-care.html

Post #6. I have read this elsewhere, but cannot say if it has spread from from a single source or not, and if from a single source, whether that source is accurate. The local dealer did not confirm or deny. Looking at different tanning methods, there is a possibility that any conditioner might adversely affect the dash in the long run. But when I started talking tanning methods with the dealer his eyes glazed over!!! I can't say that I blame him.