2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Review of Genos dash replacement for a 99

[DavidC]

Genos sells a lot of quality products, sorry to say this is not one of them. I guess if you do not have much of a dash left this may be a good alternative. My dash had 2 cracks one on the Drivers side into the first defrost register and the other at the far right top dash bolt to the A pillar. I have 9 hrs invested not counting painting and still have a few hours left to finish. Now the comparison between factory and after market.

The Factory has gussets on each side of each defrost vent for the registers to bolt to.

The aftermarket does not have these so there is a little bit of an air gap between the vents and the dash.

The factory dash has a bolt on pass and drivers side at the split between the upper and lower section where the driver or passenger enter.

Aftermarket has these bolt holes but are not drilled in the right place.

Factory air bag faceplate has oblong holes with sturdy gussets to retain this faceplate.

Aftermarket has some rough looking oblong holes and no gussets. Thus when you try to snap the retainers for the air bag faceplate in it falls back out.

This part by far is my biggest complaint and luckily the dash cover hides most of it but it still s*cks.

Needless to say with the money this thing costs and the labor involved I am very disappointed with the end result. There is a fiberglass replacement out there but I have not heard of the quality or issues with replacement. Hopefully this is like the early days of muscle car reproduction parts, they were pretty bad when they started but are excellent quality now.



Dave

 

[Missouri Mule]

I take it you bought the whole dash top replacement and not just the one that covers it. I was thinking about getting the full dash replacement mite wait for improvements to come.

 

[DavidC]

Yes, it is the full replacement. I could have used the overlay but I wanted the quality of replacement not a patch. Maybe after it sits in the Arizona sun for a while it will lay down on the defrost vents like it should (not much hope there). The pass. side air bag bothers me the most as I can see the gap at anytime I am in the truck.



Dave

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

That's too bad when a lot of effort and expense comes out with subpar results. One thing I'm wondering is how does the thickness of the plastic on the top of the dash compare to factory, is it thicker to help prevent future cracking?

 

[DavidC]

I did not measure either thickness but the Drivers defrost vent register that aims on the window snapped right in with no slop. The pass. defrost vent on the top right that aims to the pass. window required a little filing around the edge and then snapped in also with no play. This pretty much tells me they are the same thickness. One difference is the 4 main defrost vents originally had 2 9/32 screws into barrel/gussets from the windshield side that I had to remove by feel. The replacement has no provision for these which may give the plastic more flexibility to move and not crack. I have 15 of these screws left over. Finally finished the job, about 21 hours total but 4 to 5 was me trying to get everything looking the best I could. I removed the air bag again trying to fix that and did not succeed. Some of that time was spent on after market things like alarm system, trailer brake controller etc. If you do this pick up some contact cement for the felt things where the instrument bezel snaps in ( They do not give replacements, reuse the old ones). Also you will need some 3m double sided tape 1/2" or less to reinstall the dash rubber pieces at the A pillars. Overall the job went okay, I did not stop for breaks at all and worked continuously. 3 hrs. first day, 9 hrs second and 8-9 hrs third day. Don't forget the 1/8" rivets for the VIN tag. You have to drill the holes for that. If you did not know what the dash looked like when new you would not even notice the defrosters a little lower and the air bag would be blamed on Chrysler's cheap interiors:-laf. One thing for sure if this one cracks it will be a lot easier to remove being there are 15 less screws, and I am experienced:-laf. Geno's also claims this replacement has more UV protection than the original. I guess I will find out although it took 11 years before the original cracked. Took the truck for a drive and everything went well, no rattles, squeaks etc. I also put the dash cover back on as it hides most of the air bag defects. . By the way, just for info but I found a tag on the dash Stating "Textron Automotive Company" Mexico. Apparently the original manufacturer.

Dave

 

[Regcabguy]

Rug 'em up.

Sorry it did not come out as well as it should have.



Another reason to "rug up" these dashes from new. No problems with my '98. 5 with one and the '07's had one from birth.

 

[DavidC]

Have had a dash rug since it left the dealers lot in 99. When I bought it it was on the back lot still wrapped in plastic. Scratch the 15 screws left over. While cleaning the truck this morning I found that I missed 3 behind the glove box.

So now the count is 12 screws left over.



Dave

 

[VolsFan]

That is a shame you had a bad experience. I ordered the dash cover from Genos about a year ago and I love it. I have gotten a lot of compliments on it as well. Any time I order something from Genos I feel pretty confident that it will work in my truck well, everything I have ordered from them has. Just thought it was odd yours didnt turn out so well. I tried to post some pics of the dash on here, first time I've ever done such a thing, might have to try again

 

[Bernie]

What does your warning label say?

 

[DavidC]

VolsFan,

Yours looks good, it is the cover over the Factory right?. I used the replacement because I am a perfectionist when it comes to these things. That all started with the car shows I use to go to with the roadrunner. I probably will never be satisfied with mine but until some one makes a definite quality reproduction in every aspect I will live with it.



Dave

 

[Regcabguy]

Have had a dash rug since it left the dealers lot in 99. When I bought it it was on the back lot still wrapped in plastic. Scratch the 15 screws left over. While cleaning the truck this morning I found that I missed 3 behind the glove box.

So now the count is 12 screws left over.



Dave

Well,so much for the rug theory. My 53 cracked too. Luckily under warranty. Replaced with of course,another 53.

 

[VolsFan]

Yes, I just got the cover over the factory, I did not do the full replacement, so I guess we dont have the same products. Bernie, the warning label on the airbag says "This truck is powered with a cummins turbo diesel. Due to possible breathing problems under rapid acceleration, all females are advised to remove any tight fitting or constrictive clothing for their safety" the picture being crossed out is a bra.

 

[DavidC]

Well,so much for the rug theory. My 53 cracked too. Luckily under warranty. Replaced with of course,another 53.

Yeah, I know about this cracking thing, my 53 went out at 5 years 3 months 35k miles 3 months out of warranty. Luckily it is now a 56. I feel your pain. The problem with these newer vehicles is just about everything is plastic and plastic doesn't bend it breaks.



Dave

 

[DavidC]

just went out to check the truck. It has been sitting in the AZ. sun for 2 days and the dash appears to be laying down on the defrost registers except one. It has been in the mid 80's here. Air bag still looks the same tho. Maybe I am premature with my thinking and the AZ. sun and heat will make this thing conform to the truck and components. I may have to eat my previous observations which I will gladly do if this thing comes together.



Dave

 

[Regcabguy]

A record?

My 53 died @ 18,500 miles. I think that's the record.

 

[mroidt]

VolsFan

My dash on my 99 went last summer sometime, I was considering the replacement until now. How is your fit and finish on defroster vents

and maybe you could send some pics of those too. Thanks if you can.



Thanks this place is great , did sport headlights last month, luv 'em

 

[VolsFan]

mroidt, here are some more detailed pictures of the dash cover around the vents. I think it turned out fairly well considering the price and the ease of the installation.

 

[SHobbs]

Chrylser replaced my dash top two years ago, all I paid for was the top itself. The new dash top cost me $420 and I think the labor was over $500. When you consider some of the costs for the patches and fixes out there $420 is not bad for a factory dash top. Give Chrysler Customer care and talk to them about it, they may help out like they did on mine.

 

[mroidt]

VolsFan

I agree it does not look bad, are these paintable?

thanks for pics

 

[gb789]

I just bought a replacement dash from Truck Parts and Truck Accessories for Chevy, GMC, Ford and Dodge Trucks from LMCTruck.com and installed it this weekend. The price was 200. 00 and it had all the gussets and holes just like the OEM dash. It was a perfect fit for my truck. Note, if you have the Agate interior the dark gray they sell is a shade lighter than stock.