Right, got a MY94 STI with a problem on the dashboard. Several years ago it started to go "white", so I changed it for another from a breakers yard...


Well, it's started again. I've tried all sorts of available cleaners, and nothings removing it. It appears to be some kind of covering over the dash, you can scrape it off with your fingers but obviosuly I'm looking for a better solution.

Anybody know of some kind of industrial-strength cleaner ? Tar cleaners got the closest to removing it, but nothing I can get seems strong enough.

 

Tcha! What were you told about bonking in the car, eh? eh?

Seriously, have you tried Autoglym bumper cleaner?

Alcazar

 

Yeah, but you didn't want to wait until we got home, did you ?

Can't say I have, my experience of the bumper cleaners hasn't been a great one, so hadn't considered them. I've tried the Autoglym tar remover, which came close to removing it, but didn't really seem to "dissolve" the covering, merely changed it's colour for awhile.

 

Give the Bumper cleaner a try: it took my mate's wife's Fezzy bumpers back to black from grey in one application. Dead easy to use too.

Alcazar

 

Mine's the same though not quite as bad as the pic.

It does impvove with a trim cleaner, but it's never "as good as new"

I think it was caused by a window cleaning fluid I used a couple of years ago. It alows the plastic to dry out in the sun. It's slowly getting worse
I know of a few cars this has happened to. Thje only solution is to recover the dash!

Do you still have the old dash?

 

I've got a replacement dash, although it's the later black-style one rather than my grey one - I was contemplating either getting it flocked (not sure about this) or covering it myself in something like alcantara (expensive!)to prevent the problem happening again.

It is odd, I've been careful to never clean the replacement dashboard with anything other than plain old water, and rarely at that. It shocked me when I took the original one out and compared it against a clean one, I hadn't realised how bad it had got.

 

I'm going to get mine flocked (when I get round to it) Do you still have the original faded dash?

 

Dyney - sorry, it got thrown away when the ball-and-chain complained about the space it was taking in the shed.

 

Would this be the same as when the external plastic bits on cars go white / grey? Try a little engine oil on a cloth ! works brilliantly on external plastic / rubber bits once the colours back up use the normal dash stuff to keep it how you like.