2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Dash covers

[JRS]

I see geno's garage has a molded plastic dash cover for my '97 to hide the dash cracks. Has anyone used one of these? How does it look? After it's applied, can you easily tell there's an overlay on the dash? Do I have to use VHT interior plastic paint to get it to match my current grey dash? What keeps it from squeaking? (hard plastic against hard plastic)



I've had dealings with cracked dashes on old Datsun Z cars. Several companies sold plastic dash overlays, but the quality was poor. The minute a passenger got in your car, their first comment was,"What's this piece of plastic on top of your dash?"



I've had the dash out several times for the A/C, so I was thinking about biting the bullet and replacing the top of the dash with a dealer piece.

 

[McLaughlin]

I don't have any experience with the plastic cover but did buy one of the molded cloth ones and have been happy with that (fit pretty good and was 1/2 the price. My dash cracked and while I perfer the plastic dash and was going to buy their plactic cover, I had the same concerns you did so I went with the cloth. Two advantages of the cloth are there is less glare from the dash and things don't slide around as much.

 

[JRS]

thanks. I've about talked myself into replacing the whole top. the first one lasted ten years...

 

[swhalen]

i too have the cracked dash. purchased one of the replacement tops from Gino's. very helpful folks and even hooked me up with the supplier before i purchased. he was also a pleasure to talk to. seems to be a high quality piece of material that is not the same type of plastic as the original. very flexible, so i am sure it will not rattle, in answer to the potential issue you raised. with modest trimming in some areas it fits perfectly except in the depressions where the dash screws to the firewall. came unpainted and i had a heck of a time getting it painted. could not get paint from the dodge dealer anywhere. finally had it taken care of locally by a franchise outfit called dr vinyl. color (slate blue) was an excellent match. i do have this lingering concern, as you raise, that it will not fit flush against the dash near the vent openings (bcz of the slight misalignment mentioned above) and have hesitated to paste it in for that reason, athough i am about $200 into the project now. i keep watching my crack and it has not extended any farther that its current ~1 foot length so have put the install on hold. the dealer quoted me $1050 to replace the dash (10 hours labor), which discouraged me from going that route myself or opening my wallet to them. maybe you can enlighten me as to whether this is indeed a whole weekend job since you have already had your dash out. as a note of interest, the dr vinyl guy said that fit is a case by case situation... . so you roll the dice and see what happens after all of the pecking away here on the keyboard, i am not sure i shed any light on the issue at all! regards, steve whalen

 

[JRS]

I have no complaints with anything I've received from Geno's in the past. it's just that a part six feet long is a bit much to easily return, if I don't like the fit. I was planning on using some VHT interior plastic paint, they say they make some for Dodge/Chrysler vehicles. People have been using this stuff to paint their gauge pods.



a mechanic buddy of mine replaced his wife's dash on her '96. granted, he's a Nissan mechanic by training, he said it was time consuming. I believe he said getting the nuts and bolts apart at the front of the dash were the hardest. I believe it was an access issue.

 

[swhalen]

Hi JRS:

i too have been totally pleased with Gino's. this is undoubtedly a quality dash cover, but i do believe as the dr vinyl guy states, it is case by case. Gino's does have Mopar paint that matches many pod colors, but unfortunately, not mine. I would not be afraid of ordering a dash cover due to difficulty of return. It came in a well-padded box (direct from the manufacturer), and could easily be returned in the same box. i do believe, as the dr vinyl guy claims, fit is case by case. if worse comes to worse, in my case, i will just shave the depressions on the dash cover flush with the bulk material and it will fit like a glove on my dash, assuming i elect to use the cover. the dr vinyl guy gave me a little extra paint for that purpose, if i decideto go that route, as shaving will expose unpainted material. regards, steve whalen

 

[JArgo]

I put a dash cover from Geno's on my 2001 and and I'm very pleased, it needs to be painted to match. no squeaks

 

[JRS]

Is it very thick? Can you easily tell it's a dash cover? Sorry for all the questions, I'm getting cynical in my old age. I'm finding this dash cover thing a little too good to be true.

 

[DonTX]

This is also a quick, easy and cheap way to beautify yur dash.

 

[JRS]

well, I've given up and have decided to purchase the dash cover from Geno's. got into some cold weather last weekend and the dash cracked again. A co-worker of mine found a guy who says he will replace the dash top for $175, including the new top from Dodge. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is... .

 

[PSInt]

Cracked Dash

I can't believe Chrysler hasn't offered something at a reasonable price to replace the dash because of the obviously low quality of the original part. I would venture to say that more of the dashes crack than do not. I called their customer service line and tried to discuss their defective fuel tank sender, steering wheels that crumble after a few years and the dashes that nearly always crack. :-{} They said that they didn't have a problem with any of those. Imagine that !

I work with a girl that has a 2003, and when she bought her truck she bought one of the sunshades from Dodge. She uses the sunshade religiously. A piece of plastic about 6" in diameter cracked out and fell down into the dash. I told her to ask to see the District Service Manager after the dealer blew her off. Rather than making an appointment with the DSM they bought the parts and she paid the labor. They should have paid everything.

Chrysler's Customer Service has gotten pretty poor.

 

[JRS]

I own several different makes of vehicles (including Japanese) and they all have their achilles heel. I have a 1990 Nissan 300ZX that I spent over $3k to fix the warping front rotors. The original brake system had been designed on a Cray 1 super computer, and almost all the owners had the same problem. Nissan was not willing to help me at all. Finally had to install rotors and calipers from their sports sedan made only in Japan. (hence the $3k)

 

[kglenn]

I have the molded plastic cover from Genos on our 01 and had no problems at all with the fit or finish. The interior on ours is the dark color (looks black) so I didn't even paint it. You have to look pretty hard to tell it is on there. I have never had anyone ask if I had a cover on the dash. The texture even blends in the same. It comes with a silicone type glue. Had it about two years, no squeaks or rattles. Very easy to put on. My experience with any dash is any time you take one apart, it will rattle from then on. Hope this helps.

 

[JRS]

Yes, thanks. Again, my experience is with dash covers for old Datsun 240Z's. There are a few different manufacturers, but each one's quality is not something to be desired.



I'm ordering one tomorrow.

 

[JRS]

Dash cover showed up, looks great. also ordered two cans of plastic MOPAR paint from Geno's. wow, I was reallly impressed with this stuff. I've only put on the first light coat, but coverage was great and it dried quickly. so far, so good.