Cracked Dash Survey
 

What's up AZine. I currently do not have the dreaded cracked dash... But wanted to verify if there were any correlations between cracked dashes and driving conditions.

If you've experienced it go ahead and take that survey.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...-ijnA/viewform

It's a combination of material defect from Acura, contraction/expansion of the AC system, and other factors as well.

Pretty sure if you just parsed through the stupidly long cracked dash thread all of this info is already in there and discussed greatly over the past 7-8 years.

:nod:

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...-04-tl-688828/



do your own analysis :tomato:

Pretty much every 3G TL will have this issue, it's a matter of time. Acura replaced my dash in about 2010 or 2011 and it's started cracked this year.

You keep yours outside or garage?

That's irrelevant.

so clearly I shouldn’t have graduated kindergarten because I can’t follow instructions.
I don’t have a cracked dash and I completed your survey. But I was expecting a second page with more questions. I do think questions like “is the car outside in the sun during the day” is more relevant to a dashboard cracking than how many miles you’ve ridden it on the rev limiter.
Also maybe garage kept at night might matter, who knows what that condensation overnight and then drying off during the day does to it.
‘Also, as the internet teaches you; “you get what you paid for”... on that subject I didn’t really barter when I bought my TL, so I likely paid more for it than most of members here... meaning, my car is superior.

How so?

Garaged when I'm not at work, but during work it's outside. I use a Covercraft shade and it works very well. Have used 303 Protectant and Honda protectant with no difference.

I kept my 08 TL-S garage kept at night and used a sunshade. Used 303 religiously in Florida, and the dash still cracked. I even went to far as to use under dash vents for the AC when I first got into the hot car. All that does not matter at all. The dashes will still crack eventually. It's a material defect.

Ah what a bummer. When you say no difference, did you crack multiple dashes, one you took care of and another you didn’t ?

Ya that’s hard to swallow when you work so hard to prevent it from happening.
Im fortunate, with the exception of about 4-6 months when I first bought the TL, it’s always been covered / parking deck during the day and garage at night.
i do use 303 every 8-12 months, but that’s about it.

Factory one cracked by 2010/2011/2012 and the new one cracked this year. Maintained both religiously. The issue is the materials. First the finish starts getting cloudy and then the cracks appear as soon as rapid temp changes occur.

I have the plastic dash cover and love it.

I think my dash made it through 2015 (11 years) before starting to crack. From what I remember that seems to coincide with the paint fading and peeling.

Mie made it 11 years as well, 7 of those in Florida.

I honestly never thought this would be such a contentious subject. As some have said, I could do my own research (a survey kind of doing my own research, lol)... And other relevant questions like covered or direct sunlight parked.

I was trying to see if there was a connection to increased suspension vibration, or proximity to potholes (like in NE cities), or varying levels of hot/cold seasons in different parts of the country.

All good input and I appreciate everyone feedback. Thanks to everyone that took the time to provide input. I'll share it here very soon.:rockon:

Mine cracked last year, during a cold day in winter. I haven't found a cover that won't interfere with the airbag, so I've left it alone.

Wonder why its is such an issue with the TL but not the Accord?

'Material choice, acura uses softer materials....

Hey homie, you on Maxima.org as well?

Sorry man, this survey is not good. Setting aside the trashy-ass language in the last question ("I ride my bitch hard" ugh...), you're leaving out so much data by only asking a couple of questions that the results are going to be completely worthless. As others have said, there is a lot of data out there already on the forums, but you'll actually have to do work for it.

Driving fast is what? Are you talking about hitting potholes? How much force does a hard launch put on the dashboard?
Why not put a state instead of a region? Or a climate? What if I live in Denver... it's definitely not in any of the regions you mentioned.
What about any of the other million factors in what could cause the dash to crack? Exposure to sun, use of cleaning materials/chemicals, use of heat/ac, dashboard accessories, miles on car, driving with the windows down, etc etc etc.

As it's been stated before, it's a material defect. Really doesn't matter what conditions the car is in (though climate and treatment may add or remove lifespan of the dash) because it's going to crack eventually. Mine hasn't cracked yet and I'm at 206k - I'll consider myself lucky.

I agree that we know it's a material defect. My only angle was that if someone were to go about creating a survey to assist in doing a root cause analysis of an issue, you'll want to include as many relevant data points as possible. You can clearly tell from the survey that the OP created that he believes the issue to be related to suspension and driving style, because those are the questions he asks. That's a fundamental flaw in any research, asking only the questions related to your preconceived notions. Any data that you gather at that point would be essentially worthless.

Unfortunately mine cracked not that long ago, which is sad. Though I enjoy my dash cover more than I thought I would!

That's the answer I got when I asked what has 4 giant hoofs, weighs about 13,000 pounds, and has a long trunk for a nose? :chuckle:

Curious to note that they're all cracking in the same places, including mine now!
.
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04 105k - No cracks yet

Chicago, Illinois for past 6 years outside.

First 9 years in Arizona in garage.

2005 Acura TL with 139,000 miles. I'm part of the no dash crack squad (for now...)
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...e8f088bd14.jpg

Cracked windshield? Now that's a different story. Don't worry folks, it's getting replaced on Tuesday lol.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...a8fdf8e2cd.jpg