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Mine has been cracked for years and honestly I've totally been ignoring it and I don't even notice it anymore. No fucking way I'm paying more than $100 for anything to fix it, car is already 12 years old. The time will come when the car will need to be replaced but right now it runs fine and other than the dash crack and a little rip on the seat bottom, it looks fine so no need to spend more money on it.
Any thoughts how to repair/ mask it? Any DIY?
When the crack appeared I drilled the ends to stop it. I tried liquid leather but due to temperatures spread the crack came back.
I am wondering about flocking but it needs removing the dash from car.
This just happened to my '04 TL after 12 years of ownership. The crack in my dash clearly outlines the location of the passenger side airbag, and I imagine it could affect proper airbag deployment since one area of the dash is now significantly weaker than the other. If you also think this could be a safety issue, you can add your voice to a list of concerned drivers here: Acura TL Air Bags - 2004 ACURA TL Problems With Air Bags
A summary of the linked site is below. Please repost in any appropriate forum if you want to get Acura's attention:
Car problem(s) with the 2004 ACURA TL. This database includes information received by NHTSA from consumers either directly or as recorded by the Vehicle Safety Hotline. This information may be used by NHTSA during the investigation process. You may file your own complaint by calling the NHTSA Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153. You can also file your complaint online.
Joined the club last week. 2005 and the dash cracked at 187k
Nice christmas present. Little crack on the top left of the speaker and looks like it's spreading towards the windshield. Happened when it snowed and it was below 30 degrees. Never applied anything on the dash. I would always just use a dry towel to dust it off and never touched it.
Don't really feel like reading 37 pages but has anyone ever tried wrapping the dash?
my 04 TL finally cracked at about 170k. both driver and passenger sides. the car was garaged about 75% of the time during it's life. Now it has starting problem I need to fix.
My dash has been cracked for 3+ years. I never even bothered to cover it up. Some people think I did that to the car myself because the rest of the car looks clean/nice. I have learned to live with my car's stretch marks lol. It adds some personality.
Whoever came up with the idea for that material for the dash should be flogged and beaten by all unsatisfied drivers of this otherwise wonderful car...
I'm back in a 2006 TL and it hasn't cracked yet but it is bound to happen. My 04 had several cracks and I bought the Overlay which looked good. I will go that route again if this 2nd TL cracks.
We just got my wife a '06 and the dash was cracked. However, the sell provided us with a brand new dash.
My question is, how hard is it to do a DIY install? My brother and I are pretty handy, but I don't feel real confident messing with airbags. Or should be leave it a professional?
The same reason that you are asking that question is probably the same reason you received a dash that wasn't installed in your car. Can you replace it? Sure. I assume you could based on that I know I could... It would take awhile, but I've already looked into it. I think YouTube has a video of the process that I would recommend watching? I was going to mess with mine at the same time that I run new speakers and wires in the dash to replace the awful stock stereo with something more along the lines of what that car should have been made with.
We just got my wife a '06 and the dash was cracked. However, the sell provided us with a brand new dash.
My question is, how hard is it to do a DIY install? My brother and I are pretty handy, but I don't feel real confident messing with airbags. Or should be leave it a professional?
My '04 with ~71k on it, started cracking 6mnths ago. It's kinda crazy there is no recall, like Toyota has or Lexus.
Another member had had a good idea, that Acura should have done from the factory. Putting rubber washers in between dash and metal brackets that the dash is secured to, to help with the "flexing".
I just called Acura (Corporate Service) to see if they had any recalls on this, they said no and they didn't even entertain any goodwill when I asked to fix it.
My car has about 117k miles and is an '05 so doubt I will be shelling out anything over a $100 to fix (even though I hope to drive it for the next few years). I did run across this cheap "dashboard fixer" - prob give this a go
Anyone have any good detailed pictures of what this Coverlay looks like once installed? Doubt it's worth the trouble, but would be curious to see.
I've seen these on older Porsche 944's and such and never was a fan, but would be interested if people could post pics. My car is really just a daily beater.
Anyone have any good detailed pictures of what this Coverlay looks like once installed? Doubt it's worth the trouble, but would be curious to see.
I've seen these on older Porsche 944's and such and never was a fan, but would be interested if people could post pics. My car is really just a daily beater.
I'm pretty sure I saw some pictures earlier in this thread. I was reasonably impressed with the look and fitment; not as good as a factory new dash, but way better than a cracked dash.
Mine is cracked because the car came from Florida and was exposed to high temps and sun, but it hasn't really gotten worse since it's been up here in Wisconsin. I just use this really good German SONAX dashboard emulsion stuff on it, and seems to keep it decent. Definitely don't use anything petroleum based or that has silicone in it or it will kill your dash.
I personally am not that impressed with the look of the Coverlay. I'd spring the $1,000 for a new dash if my car were nicer, but mine's not worth it. I heard of people getting new dashes installed for under $1,000, and really, that's not bad IMHO.
This stuff is pretty great and it's got a matte finish, which I really like.
Just took a shot in the dark and thought I would try to see if Acura would do something about my dashboard.
I got this response (sounded like a canned response) "If you would like us to review this further the first step is having it inspected by a local Acura dealership. After inspection we will review, but, given there are no campaigns open for this vehicle and the life stage, assistance is unlikely. If the repair is not covered, then the diagnostic fee will have to be assumed by yourself as well."
Just took a shot in the dark and thought I would try to see if Acura would do something about my dashboard.
I got this response (sounded like a canned response) "If you would like us to review this further the first step is having it inspected by a local Acura dealership. After inspection we will review, but, given there are no campaigns open for this vehicle and the life stage, assistance is unlikely. If the repair is not covered, then the diagnostic fee will have to be assumed by yourself as well."
Not very helpful.
All things considered, now that your car is effectively 13 model years old, you really cannot expect much more.
I might be crazy but thought I'd just throw it out there since I read a comment on this forum somewhere, that this dash crack is more common if you garage your car.
At first I thought "???hmmm, that doesn't sound right???" But I saw some funny thing happen yesterday.
The cracks get very very narrow when parked facing the sun, to the point where average person wouldn't notice.
(~2/32nd to hairline)
I have 3 cracks, one around instrument cluster bulge branching toward headlight sensor, and a pair around passenger side airbag like everyone else.
Here's a brief history of my car's parking situation and cracks.
2006 fall - 2011 fall = garaged at home, parked outside at work, used to travel for work. (not really "garaged" if it's sitting all day outside in the sunbelt, but it got plenty of love.)
2011 fall - 2015 = parked outside mostly.
2015 - 2016 = used sunshade extensively, while parked outside (typical sunbelt weather) - airbag crack started
2016 - present = parked outside, gets tree shade 2-3 hrs a day, inst. cluster crack started, both cracks gets worse little by little,
In science terms... should I say the dash has lower coefficient of thermal expansion than dash material? Idk so here's long version.
My hypothesis is the (hard) dashboard skin, which is firmly bonded to the (soft) core dashboard material, needs more heat to expand than dash (and accordingly shrinks less when cold, and I say this because even in -20F weather it didn't crack)
From anecdotal evidences I gather...
- Hot sun provides the skin enough heat to expand with the dash material, or more than inside + warm skin is more flexible.
- When left in garage, heat from engine creeps up through the firewall(bulkhead), expanding the dash but skin needs more heat to expand with the dash + it heats from UNDER -> skin crack -> being bonded, cracks (softer) dash material with it
- Similar when sunshade is used, dashboard (dash + skin) gets same amount of heat from hot air inside (130+F from what I feel) , skin fails to expand with the dash -> crack
Proposed solution : leave it facing the sun.....?
Seems counterintuitive but since so many garaged TLs developed horrible dash cracks and I know mine, which was technically not really garaged, had been good until few years ago......
Am I crazy to think like this? Flame suit on.....
I might be crazy but thought I'd just throw it out there since I read a comment on this forum somewhere, that this dash crack is more common if you garage your car.
At first I thought "???hmmm, that doesn't sound right???" But I saw some funny thing happen yesterday.
.
I don't think that's true, but a decent thought. I don't think enough heat creeps into the interior from the firewall to make a big difference, but I could be wrong.
I can tell you the disappointing things in this car are the crappy materials used. Looked nice when brand new but did not hold up well. Typical Honda garbage unfortunately.
The dash should be made from a softer material that allows for expansion and contraction in different weather. Cars have to endure all sorts of terrible environmental factors and wide array of temperatures. If you think about the heat of the dashboard in the summer sun, it's probably 200 deg F. That's really like cooking it in the oven for a sustained period of time! In winter, it can see temps well below zero. More modern materials like found on a BMW, for instance, are very soft to the touch and hold up quite well against the elements.
The other silent killer of TL dashboards I think is UV. If exposed to UV, it breaks down the flimsy material they used and gets weakened and that;s when the cracking really starts. I can tell on mine, the UV has really done damage to the dash material surface as when I wipe it down with Vinylex or some other UV protectant, it doesn't soak into the dash at all. Just sits on the surface like rubbing it on hard ABS plastic. Mine even looks "blotchy", where some areas appear more well absorbed than others.
Again... This really came down to crappy materials used by Acura / Honda Motor Co. to save a few bucks.
I'd strongly suggest that you DON'T park it in the hot sun... I always used sun shades or park in the shade when I can. My last Acura was a total beater and I noticed new cracks after a very hot day with no shade. My new TL dash has none, and hope to keep it that way for as long as possible.
I honestly think over time, all of them will crack (given enough time and element exposure).
Good to hear that the really cold doesn't seem to crack them!!! We have very cold here in Wisconsin.
I just noticed about 2 weeks ago that my dash was cracked. Its about a 5 inch crack by the outline of the passenger side airbag. I have 155,000 miles.
Does anyone know if that Acura dealership in Tampa still charge $200 for a new dash?
Dash isn't crazy expensive. It's got like a $900 list price, but it's a bunch of labor to replace it.
At $2,000, I'd just replace windshield (I think the dash replacement would be much easier with windshield removed) and do it myself.
Just installed the coverlay, I kind of messed up on the first go and had to rip off the glue and redo (hugeeeeee pain in the butt).
It looks ok, I don't think anyone will be able to tell unless they are looking super closely. It's not going to be a perfect fit but gets the job done (for another 50-75k mi).
Although been trying to get the silicon glue smell out for a few days now.
For the Coverlay owners with a gray/silver TL interior, what color did you get? I see they have several grays. Also, I called Coverlay today and asked about airbag safety and they said it's not a problem with their product.
well.. from what I understand. Drop the glove, drop the steering column (6 bolts), remove the center console trim, remove the center speaker (PITA) and the seats are optional but the work is easier if you remove both driver & passenger seats. The rest is pretty intuitive, be careful with the rear air vent, reuse the upper dash support on the new dash.. it'll take you a day in the garage if you go easy and take your time. I'm thinking of doing mine but I'm so broke right now I'm going to do the fix and see how it works out first. I can post the real step-by-step from the service manual if you're interested.
It's been awhile since I provided an update to my dealer/goodwill repair vs Coverlay install. It took forever to hear from the dealer and the district office on what they would do for a goodwill repair (part of it due to the service advisor who either takes forever to get back to you or just blows off your emails or phone messages). Luckily the service manager has been perfectly responsive. The dealer said they will cover $600 and that the total repair was over $2500. I confirmed that if I did that, the part they would install would only have a 1 year warranty. And since what they would put it would likely be an new, old-stock part, it'll crack too before too long. So I decided to just table the goodwill repair until I sell the car down the road. I have yet to install the Coverlay due to weather but will before too long. I'll post again at that point so you can see the results. FYI for those new to this thread, I have cleaned and used Aerospace 303 religiously on my dash and keep it clean...to the point passengers often state the car looks new. But that won't matter...YOUR 3RD GEN DASH WILL EVENTUALLY CRACK. I can tell mine is expanding now that the weather is warmer...the crack has extended towards the airbag on the passenger side.
Has anyone found out if there was ever a class action lawsuit or recall issued for the crappy TL dashboards? Mine is so cracked that the air bag lights go on, indicating that its been deactivated, according to my mechanic. I am really worried about safety because of this crappy dash!
12-01-2016, 04:43 PM
