{"id":2339,"date":"2020-03-06T09:58:02","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T08:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autopartspro.co.uk\/tips-advice\/?p=2339"},"modified":"2020-03-06T09:59:15","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T08:59:15","slug":"dashboard-repair-maintenance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autopartspro.co.uk\/tips-advice\/dashboard-repair-maintenance-2339","title":{"rendered":"Cracks in the dashboard: car repair and maintenance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not a pretty sight: an instrument panel with cracks, making your car appear “long in the tooth”, in other words: “over the hill”. Yet, this is not necessarily so. A flawless dashboard reinforces the harmonious, neat overall impression that you always want from your car.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A well-maintained car can have hundreds of thousands of miles on the clock and still look good. Therefore:<\/strong> although a cracked dashboard can be a repair challenge, it might turn out to be worth your while<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Why are there cracks in the dashboard?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"WhyThe dashboard panel is situated right beneath the windscreen<\/a><\/strong><\/em> and permanently exposed to the glare of the sun, causing the chloride in the PVC of the vinyl trim<\/em> to gradually evaporate. The paneling becomes brittle, hard and is no longer capable of flexibly expanding or contracting.<\/p>\n

On spots where tensions are strongest, i.e. at oblong gaps or other cavities, the first cracks occur<\/em><\/strong>. If these are not immediately seen, the cracks are likely to expand over the entire instrument panel.<\/p>\n

Also<\/strong>, the underneath foam absorbs the moisture in the air causing it to swell<\/em>. This is what causes the typical cracks with their billowing edges often seen on dashboards of older cars. A completely cracked dashboard can only be salvaged by complete disassembly<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That is:<\/strong> take action at the slightest crack. Otherwise, the repair will be both extensive and expensive<\/em>.\"Order<\/a><\/p>\n

Avoiding small cracks and holes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"howA flourishing industry has evolved around the theme “spot repair<\/strong><\/em><\/a>“, offering a suitable repair kit<\/strong><\/em> for practically every minimal damage in and on the car, including dashboard cracks. These sets consist of<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n– thermoplastic resin<\/em>
\n– hot plate<\/em>
\n– repair filler in several colours<\/em>
\n– structure paper<\/em>
\n– sharp knife<\/em>
\n– putty<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

It might seem contra-productive, yet the first step of repairing a crack on the instrument panel is widening the hole<\/strong><\/em> to make it sufficiently large for applying the repair filler in the appropriate thickness.
\n\"Repair<\/p>\n