Hi all, I am trying to fing more people with 04-06 Tl's with chalky/film dash condition. My local dealer basically gave me some honda cleaner and leather treatment chemical that worked a little bit for a short time. Acura corportate has told me there is nothing more I can do...

I live in Texas and got the car in Florida so I know warm weather has more of a affect on these dashes.

I have contacted a lawyer about a class action lawsuit....So anyone with feedback, experiences good and bad, dash replacement ? please feel fee to let me know...

Thanks so much.....

 

This is a common problem that has been addressed by almost all 3G TL owners. It seems that most are content with the results obtained by using 303 products to alleviate the faded dash problem. Here is a link to a more recent thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...ight=dashboard

It seems to work better than the stuff Acura uses to clean and protect the dash. Try it out to see if the results are more satisfactory than Acura's products.

 

Thanks so much for the info. ...For me the ive tried two diff products three times now and for the money ive paid for this car I should not have to deal with it. I was told by several dealers the issue will resurface even with new dash. I just cant believe other people in warm weather states have not had frustration and or class action lawsuit with this issue......

 

You can also get some vinyl protectant at REI. I've used one for the last year from them. I use it on everything inside the car. I even used it on the bumpers of my wife's CR-V, shined them up nicely. I picked it up at the store. I can't remember the name, it's in my trunk and my car isn't here. But it's used for camping equipment and such. It's in a little black bottle.

 

Yeah, good luck with that.
Say you get a new dash. Then it'll rattle, and in a year or two more, it'll look the same as the one you have now.
Just follow the directions in the link.
That, and don't sue me if it doesn't work.

 

well i have and it still does not work.....and im only going to sue the manufacturer that sold me this 35k car....lol

 

Choose your battles. Most of us have decided that there are more pressing issues. How does your car run? I would be more upset if my bumpers didn't match the car. But that's just me. Hope you find a solution you can live with before you pop a gasket.

 

choose your battles...LOL....well i guess some of you folks are not use to owning luxury cars, or you are ok with defective vehicles or you let dealers tell YOU what to do.... yes its cosmetic and the car runs perfect and i love it. but everytime i get in the car and see this film on the dash and the dealer tells me i have to live with it i cant believe it. the car is always garaged and only has 12k miles on it......

the solution will be new dash and or turn it in at the end of the lease.......

 

Mine was chalky from day one (naive me thought it was just some left over coating from the manufacturer...stupid, I was too excited about the car). Anyway, I put some 303 on several months ago after reading about it on this board and it I haven't had to touch it up once since. Still looks fantastic...better than the day I brought the car home .

 

Many recmmend the 303 stuff, I didnt; like it, I use the Acura provided cleaner and conditioner. It works well and has a low lustre. The dash is one of the few really annoying thins with my 07 TL. What shocks me more about Honda is they knew of this problem and have not done anything about it in the 06 or 07, you would think they could have redesigned the materials by now. I have owned a bunch of cars and never seen anything liek this dash issue before. You would have to think it woudl have shown up during the prototype stages of dev. I mean my 07 is doing it within 5 months and I use a sun shade when the car is parked and I only got it in Decmeber 06.

 

I believe there is a picture of before application and after application of the 303 products somewhere on the forum (if not in the link I posted earlier). I will try to look for it when I get home. I am not too concerned about the dash for the time being simply because after an application of the protectant (I use meguiars) it looks good as new. If there were cracking and such then I would be more concerned

 

yes exactly is my point about how honda has known about this prob and it still is going on...i know i can keep putting a soulution on the dash even though my car is garaged all the time except when im driving it and its not the end of the world....but acura should be compensating folks or buying these cars that for some reason cant get fixed with the various products.....

 

At least I'm not the only one having this problem. I love my 06 TL, but the dash has always made me crazy. I asked for help on the autopia.org site, and they recommended both seeing an Acura dealer and also cleaning the dash with Griot's Interior Cleaner. I've also heard that diluted Woolite will clean it well. (One part woolite to 10 parts water, approx.) Then top with a UV protectant like 303. I'll give it a go, but I hope Acura will just fix the problem in the future, for all the 08s and beyond!

 

Luxury car prices START in the $50's so IMHO the TL is not REALLY a luxury car. While the dash may not be a dark as I'd like, neither myself nor 95% of the other TL owners have any issues with it. When properly maintained (i.e. 303 or like kind), it looks pretty good to me. Did you buy yours used and the prior owner neglected it or something?

 

Didn't read all posts but here's my recommendation - aerospace 303 or get a sun shield thing to block the sun off the dash.

 

On a different car that was really bad, (a '96 Mazda)
I used a dilute solution of simple green with a soft brush to get all the chalkiness off, then wiped it with a wet towel to get all the residue off, let it dry, then 303'd it. It looked new when I was done, I couldn't believe it.
That was a year ago, and it still looks new.
I'm going to do the same to the TL when it gets bad.

 

I had the same problem. The dealer recommended Meguiars Gold Class Leather Condioner. I bought some and applied several coats and the problem is gone. Im gonna follow with some 303 and hope it doesnt come back.

 

I took an applicator pad and some armorall and swiped it one good time. The dash is beautiful, and the reflection on the windshield isn't even an issue. Look into it, or atleast try it. You might be pleasently surprised.

 

Maybe this thread can give you some insight about the dashboard issue. I've not had any problems with the dash after cleaning it and applying a protectant, I do agree that dash replacement would create additional problems. Good Luck with the class action.

 

I use "Total Look" by Spray Nine on my car. I apply it to the dash everytime I give the interior a good cleanin. Since the 1st application I haven'y had an ashy dash since. Its also good for your tires as I use this product on them as well. I complained to the parts guy at my local acura and he threw the bottle of Total Look in my car. Giver a try.

 

Unfortunately, I do kind of tend to agree that this is one of those "pick your battles" type of thing. If you're comfortable going in and making a case for a lawsuit, then more power to you; I won't say it's a bad idea or anything like that.

I've been disappointed with the fading dash issue since Day 1 of Acura TL ownership. The best pointers I can give to minimize the appearance of faded dash is to use the products that people are mentioning throughout this thread. The best time to apply the product is when it's cool outside, and your car is out of direct sunlight. I'm a big fan of washing my car in the sun (if you saw how pale I am, you'd understand that I need all the sun I can get), but when it comes time to get my dash shine on, I wait until the dash is cool and out of sunlight.

 

May I ask where you park your car? Under cover or in the elements? And if you park this beautiful car in the elements, do you use the TL winshield cover............................................. .everytime?

 

to the op- while i can certainly empathize and relate to the dash fading issue, if this is your ONLY issue with the car, then be grateful. no mass produced item like the TL is going to be perfect. others have to deal w/ rattles, driveline vibration, mismatched bumpers- real problems w/ harder fixes.

 

Don't consider this a luxury car......I always thought luxury starts at $50k

I've owned (by I, I mean my family) many true luxury cars over the years, and mind you they have all had some problem. I just think that the mercedes/bmw dealers take care of you alittle more. But what do you expect its only a $35k car. Like saying a new fully equiped Nissan Altima for $33k is luxury...........

 

I have been using various products on my dash weekly since day 1 and have never experienced the ashy dash look. I started with some Pinnicle - then found AZ and tried 303. Both work fine.......

Brett - I find it interesting that you do yours in the shade - I have been doing mine mostly in the sun lately. LOL - I guess what I was thinking is that when the sun hits the dash it get hot....dash gets hot - the pores in the dash material open up and maybe suck up more of the product than if the pores were cool & closed.

 

That's not a bad theory. My luck has it such that I get really uneven and inconsistent coverage when I do it in the sun. For fun (and because it needed it anyway), I did the application of 303 on the dash while it was cool and my car was in the shade this morning right after I posted, so we'll see how well it really works.

From my experience while applying it in the sun, the stuff just bakes the second it hits the dash, and like I said, kind of applies unevenly.

 

Yeah I soak the dash in 303 and then wait a few hours before wiping it off. There is some uneveness when it first goes on but once it "bakes in" I can wipe it off and even it out.

Now I have to try the shade method....LOL

 

I guess you could say the shade method is still in its experimental stages for me, as I've only done it a few times. I seem to have the best results with this method, though. I might actually consider going with something other than 303 next time, even though I JUST bought a new bottle last weekend.

 

I put 303 on my dash to get rid of the chalkiness about eight months ago and it still looks new today. Admittedly, I should put some more on this weekend, though. Not because the fade came back but because I want to renew the UV protection. My car is parked in the sun all day during the week. I don't yet have a sunshade.

It would be interesting to see a list of all the class-action suits folks here want to bring against Acura. Off the top of my head, I've seen driveline vibration, faded dash, headliner, and screwy navi "search by name" listed as potential class-action suits.

 

just my 2 cents about the dash rattle after replacements....i've done 6 dashboard replacements already...and have yet to have a come back for a rattle...if the right person is doing it...it wont rattle...infact....1 dashboard i took out because of a rattle...2007 Honda Fit. and ill have to try that 303 stuff...my dash is gettin ashy too

 

Am I not using enough or the wrong kind of rag or something? Currently I'm using Zwipes microfiber towels. I wonder if I'm just not soaking the rag enough.

Because, to be perfectly honest, I'm not all that impressed with the way it (or anything) works. For my last car (1998 Accord), I put Meguiar's on that dash and it stayed smokin' for months -- and the coverage was completely uniform.

I know there's a certain part of me that is OCD and I'm attributing some of this scenario to that, but I don't know. It seems like there should be some sort of solution, even for me.

 

Thats actually where the problem lies. The white haze is chemicals escaping from the new dash. Salesmen are supposed to tell you to not cover the dash with protectant for a few months giving it time to breathe. Since my car was used, and obviously the 1st owner didn't respect that rule I have to pamper the dash now. I use Granitize which gives it the perfect look in my opinion.

Part two, whenever cleaning your dash or conditioning it, as with all leather vinyl surfaces if needs to be done in a cool dry area out of direct sunlight. My granitize steps include applying, letting soak for up to 30 minutes and buffing off the excess.

 

lem - That would make sense but I don't have the ashy dash look at all.............never have. The car was probably on the lot for a few months prior to my purchase........

Brett - I use one of those cotton application pads - the MF towels seem to drag over the dash when I wiped with one.

 

I use a cotton terry cloth. I bought a big pack of them at Costco years ago. I don't soak the rag. I just get it damp enough to wet the dash and I rub it in with the rag until it's 'dry.' I don't apply and then wipe off like I'd do with car wax or furniture finish. I use it as if it's a cleaning product. When I did it, I remember it looking a bit blotchy, so I did it again and it came out even.

 

I am also using the damp rag method. It's a microfiber towel and it goes on uneven. After several tries it usually evens out. I thought I got a bad bottle of 303, because several people said it works great. I guess I'll have to try using a different kind of towel.
I also tried spraying it directly on the dash once, but it made such a huge mess on the windshield (which was a PITA to clean) so I've never done that again.
My problem is not so much an ashy dash (say that 3 times fast), its that there is a VERY noticable line where the passenger air bag must be. It looks like this,
[----]


I have to use 303 every week or it keeps showing back up.

 

What exactly is the 303 protectant and where would I purchase it? I have an 07 TL w/15K miles on it and it lives in the garage. However, I have the chalky issue with my dash.

 

http://www.303products.com/

You can find the 303 products at your local boat store. You want to get the 303 Aerospace Protectant. Great stuff with a 40 SPF reating. Welcome to AZ

 

You can also purchase it from www.exceldetail.com

It works miracles, for real. Cured my white/chalky dash right away. It has been on the dash for about 3 weeks and hasn't worn away or anything. Looks brand new.

 

Some auto parts stores carry 303 Aerospace Protectant, but I purchased it from West Marine.

Use a cleaner-- the Honda/Acura vinyl cleaner supposedly works well-- to wipe the dash first. Then apply the 303 with a cloth (don't spray it directly on the dash).

 

You can also clean the dash with just water and clear cotton cloth. Get all the dust off, dry with another cotton cloth and treat.