Dash Caps?

[heynow]

Is there a particular manufacturer that makes "the best" dash cap for an e28?

I know that a dash cap is never gonna look like a new dash, but need to do something and would love to get some advice and/or hear about your experiences with some of these products.

Thanks.

[BMWCCA2]

Every dash cap I've ever seen looked like crap when new and within a very short time (climate dependent maybe) looked even worse with warping, etc. I've never spoken to anyone with a plastic cap who would ever go that route again.

I've found a simple custom-fit carpet DashMat works far better and costs less (around $25-30). So far it's protected my small crack from getting a lot worse and it doesn't look half-bad...well, compared to a cracked dash. If you search you'll probably find a link I sent a while back on the same subject. I don't have time to find it now.

[MarkD in NJ]

Phil - what color did you go with - I think you have two of these dash covers, correct? I'm considering a light color (Beige) to keep heat down and keep my dash from cracking and this would also match the Pearl Beige interior. I'm worried about the reflection on the inside of the windshield which probably wouldn't be a problem with the darker colors.

Any input would be great.

Thanks,
Mark

[Wiseguy]

Mark,

Damn you people with nice Dashes. I mean, umm, good luck keeping it nice

Bill

[MarkD in NJ]

Mark,

Damn you people with nice Dashes. I mean, umm, good luck keeping it nice

Bill

Right! Thank you...I think

Mark

[BRRV]

Yea, Phil's right. I put a cap on the E30 and it looked like crap outta the box; never fit, no gloss, and it creaks and buckles in the heat. My dash on the E28 just keeps getting worse - it now has about a dozen small cracks. It's dman near inevitable I think, especially went left outdoors year in / year out. Go find a fleece or fabric cover and use double sided tape so that no one can pick it up and look underneath it! And a lighter color dashmat will reflect, although, in the right sunlight, even the black dash will...

[Bill in MN]

FWIW

5 years ago I put a dash cap in the super eta. I took a lot of time properly trimming it to fit, glued the snot out of it and was very pleased with the outcome. Like anything a lot of it is in the prep work.

I don't own the car any longer but do see it frequently. The new owner didn't even know it was capped until I told him and it still is buckle and squeak free.

[BRRV]

In theory, I agree with you - they should look OK. I used a Coverlay and was very unhappy with the fit, finish, and texture, not to mention that it was flat dark GRAY (not a true black) and thin. I did not have time to properly install and tweak the one in the E30 - it was headed to CA with my eldest son for use in Twentynine Palms. We didn't have time to fool around with it.

If I had it to do over again and needed to recover an E28, I'd try to see a sample of what the company actually sells. You know how semi-glossy our dashboards are, very rich looking padded vinyl? I'd try to replicate that color and finish somehow, probably with some vinyl dye from Leatherique - their polymer dyes are unbelievable, and can be satin or semi-gloss. Perhaps a top coat of clear over it afterwards. And I would try to find a way to lightly 'pad' (probably a thin foam of some sort) the underside and then use a spray 3M adhesive to get a very close and even adherence with the original dash so that it didn't look buckled or uneven - using some laminate tools would be a good idea. I'd also remove all of the raised edges that you get on the gaping cracks on the dash and fill them in with something that could be easily smoothed so that it was a seamless and fully filled-in crack. Spending a lot of time getting the fit and finish right would likely pay off.

But it all depends on what the dash covers' surface is like, and I wasn't happy with the Coverlay product. Maybe you had a better product to start with. Coverlay says they make theirs out of ABS; I'm no plastics expert, but it was too flat in sheen, without enough surface detail, and way too thin for me. Perhaps someone makes theirs out of some other material that is better looking.

Has anybody seen one that actually looks half way nice out-of-the-box? This would be a lot of work to really get one to look as close as possible to factory, but, with the right dash cover, it might be possible to replicate it, at least to most people. Phil probaby wouldn't like it though...

[mogie]

I'd say go with a PALCO brand dashcap. They in my opinion look the best. They are good quality and unlike others come precut with all the openings, they also come with a warranty against warping and cracking. Worth checking into.

[MLastovo]

I have only seen one good dash cap in my life and it was on a Datsun Z. This was around 1989.

This post is rather timely. I am the new owner of a '75 Fiat Spider and I just purchased a dash cap for it last month. I knew it would not look/install worth beans but I bought it anyway. Well, long story short it is going back tomorrow and a new dash will be installed in a few months.

If you are in the SoCal are and are looking for a good replacement for the e28 I have a couple. They are not 'crack free' but they are darn close.
D.

[heynow]

Thanks for all your help. I'll look into PALCO and the covers.

[BRRV]

Just out of curiosity, I did some additional research - all of them seem to be made of ABS, which isn't like vinyl at all. ABS plastic is just plain ugly. So I doubt I'd really be able to make this work. One place, Accuform Dashcap, talks about laminating them together with a more flexible top material - I'll have to check into it. You may want to compare them to Palco, too.

I did find a place called Just Dashes - I'll have to call them tomorrow. Apparently, they completely rebuild your dash frame and, using new materials, including closed cell foam and thicker, high quality vinyl, vacu-form it together so that it is virtually brand new and unrecognizable from brand new factory-issue (they do alot of clasic cars, too). They do show a dash for up to '84 533i, which, off the top of my head, should work. They do not show prices, and we know what that means!

[Mike W.]

I've been thinking about covering the dash with upholstery vinyl or faux leather from a fabric store. It would be a pain as I would have to pull the dash, but I think it might look pretty good. Still would be a lot of cutting and gluing, but cost would probably be fairly low. Still thinking, but I'll probably try one on the E12 project one of these days. I'll post results if and when I get it done.

[zackwest24]

I've been thinking about covering the dash with upholstery vinyl or faux leather from a fabric store. It would be a pain as I would have to pull the dash, but I think it might look pretty good. Still would be a lot of cutting and gluing, but cost would probably be fairly low. Still thinking, but I'll probably try one on the E12 project one of these days. I'll post results if and when I get it done.

Did you end up doing anything with your dash?

[Mike W.]

I've been thinking about covering the dash with upholstery vinyl or faux leather from a fabric store. It would be a pain as I would have to pull the dash, but I think it might look pretty good. Still would be a lot of cutting and gluing, but cost would probably be fairly low. Still thinking, but I'll probably try one on the E12 project one of these days. I'll post results if and when I get it done.

Did you end up doing anything with your dash?

Wow, an 8 year thread bump.

The answer is sort of. One day I was so frustrated I took some caulking to it. Water based, black of course. I haven't even gotten around to rubbing the excess off yet and I did it months ago. Probably a little better, no more 3/16" gaps, but not great.

[zackwest24]

Haha yeah, I'm going to have to do that to mine as well.

8 years?! A record?

[foamy]

could try this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANE0due ... 05nWMkv1c7

[chicagos]

I have a coverlay for sale