Reupholstering Interior Panels

[Davy]

Do ya"ll use any special dashboard cleaning liquid?

I was using 'Britol car interior liquid spray' all these months from arpico...

Recently I sprayed it on the dashboard and cleaned the dash, and later noticed there are some areas where the spray marks are there even though i brushed hard... :/

What should I do? it is not heavily visible, but if someone looks closer into the dash the marks are visible... any idea how i can get rid of even that slight marks?

and what good spray should I use?

Thanks in advance

To be honest, I recommend using a sponge dipped lightly in clean water and then wiping off with a soft cloth. I also don't let service centre guys use any chemical on the dashboard or upholstery. They do more harm than good IMO.

For leather surfaces, periodical conditioning is required to keep them from cracking and losing texture.

As for the stains left on the dash, did you try cleaning with water as suggested above?

Edited August 26, 2015 by Davy

[PreseaLover]

To be honest, I recommend using a sponge dipped lightly in clean water and then wiping off with a soft cloth. I also don't let service centre guys use any chemical on the dashboard or upholstery. They do more harm than good IMO.

For leather surfaces, periodical conditioning is required to keep them from cracking and losing texture.

As for the stains left on the dash, did you try cleaning with water as suggested above?

Nope, didn't try with water... will do that and see.... thanks davy

[PerfMad]

Do ya"ll use any special dashboard cleaning liquid?

I was using 'Britol car interior liquid spray' all these months from arpico...

Recently I sprayed it on the dashboard and cleaned the dash, and later noticed there are some areas where the spray marks are there even though i brushed hard... :/

What should I do? it is not heavily visible, but if someone looks closer into the dash the marks are visible... any idea how i can get rid of even that slight marks?

and what good spray should I use?

Thanks in advance

Why do you use dash cleaning chemical at the first place ? Dashboard can be cleaned with a dry or wet cloth. What I usually do is, i clean it with a dry cloth and then apply DASH interior cleaner (cant remember the exact name, but its a yellow colour small bottle which has a white colour liquid). And I have been using this for like more than 1.5 years for dashboard and door panel and no harm.

Following is the item i've been using all these years ( https://www.keellssuper.com/ProductInfo/92102/SCBR/H)

I suggest you use something like that. It gives you nicer look and hide any scratches if there are any as well

However with regards to your issue, i have no experience on that. But i think applying a wet towel or cloth on those areas should help you out to solve your issue (fingers-crossed)

Edited August 27, 2015 by PerfMad

[PreseaLover]

Yeah i didn't have a reason, I thought it would clean germs and all... The next day i bought the car, i went to arpico with another friend who has a car and bought those, without knowing the consequences....

And yes I use the yellow colour bottle you are talking about to... its the dashboard shiner cream right... after i clean with britol i use that shiner and yes, it is good....

Thanks for the advices, I'll perform the same and let you know how it goes

[PerfMad]

Cheers mate.. Hope you'll be able to sort out your issue.

[NRX]

Personally I wouldn't want my dashboard to be shiny. I like 'em matte . It's a pain in the rear end to drive when the dashboard is visible as a reflection on the windscreen.

[iRage]

In some places I have been in the dash would get realy really dusty and when I used a damp cloth to clean it up it got quite messy (dust + water = muddy mess on the dash) and needed a lot of elbow grease to get it clean and even then it left a it of a residue within the small surface grooves/pores and needed some repetitive cleaning.

Been using Armour All, Turtle Wax's product and a Japanese brand for cleaning the dash. I have used ArmorAll (and what ever it was called in the past) for..geez...more than a decade now...Always used the non-glossy one. I don't directly spray it on the dash as that does leave small spray marks. Instead I spray it on to a slightly damp microfiber cloth and wipe the surface with the cloth.

[PreseaLover]

even though the shiner is applied, i rub it well and it looks matte rather than the shiny look

btw i tried rubbing with water dipped sponged but the spray mark wont go :/ (small 2 water dripping marks)

[iRage]

even though the shiner is applied, i rub it well and it looks matte rather than the shiny look

btw i tried rubbing with water dipped sponged but the spray mark wont go :/ (small 2 water dripping marks)

It won't go with just water....you can keep spraying until the entire dashboard is oily OR....try using dish washing liquid on the spots.

If you spray the glossy spray and then wipe it hard enough you are essentially applying it and then just rubbing it off which would pretty much mean the same as just using water and scrubbing it hard which will result in the same effect).

Most manufacturers "claim" that the spray residue helps with UV protection etc...so if it does...by completely wiping it off you are not gaining anything by spraying it. So why not just get the matte finish if you want to spray ? saves some elbow grease for rubbing other things

[PreseaLover]

I don't know how this is happening, but lately I noticed there are crack marks in the center console panel (4 crack marks precisely)... when i bought it there were no crack marks but now there are.... I havent been taking the car on shitty roads either and I'm confused.... anyone know why and how this is happenning? I think I will need to replace the center console.... any special shop in SL where i can buy a panel? and how much will it cost? when removing or putting a new panel, you don't have to remove the entire dashboard yeah?

Edited September 22, 2015 by PreseaLover

[Rumesh88]

I don't know how this is happening, but lately I noticed there are crack marks in the center console panel (4 crack marks precisely)... when i bought it there were no crack marks but now there are.... I havent been taking the car on shitty roads either and I'm confused.... anyone know why and how this is happenning? I think I will need to replace the center console.... any special shop in SL where i can buy a panel? and how much will it cost? when removing or putting a new panel, you don't have to remove the entire dashboard yeah?

Either there were no cracks or you were in so much love and too blind to see them when you bought it . As for how and why you get cracks on the dashboard, it could be due to aging, heat, or use of wrong type of cleaning agent. After all dashboards are made of some kind of polymer material and they lose their texture and resilience over time. Heat usually speeds up the process, so avoid exposure to heat. If you park in the sun keep a window slightly open (beware of theft BTW). Where exactly are these crack?Is it on the edge or the middle.

Edited September 22, 2015 by Rumesh88

[PreseaLover]

Either there were no cracks or you were in so much love and too blind to see them when you bought it . As for how and why you get cracks on the dashboard, it could be due to aging, heat, or use of wrong type of cleaning agent. After all dashboards are made of some kind of polymer material and they lose their texture and resilience over time. Heat usually speeds up the process, so avoid exposure to heat. If you park in the sun keep a window slightly open (beware of theft BTW). Where exactly are these crack?Is it on the edge or the middle.

Haha, I'm pretty sure I noticed only 1 small crack and other than that there were no cracks to my knowledge.. (On a different note since of late, I have experienced things what I see is not what it really is :s )

No no, not on the dashboard... in the center console panel where the casette player and the AC is situated.. precisely in the upper console around the casette player... damn, i think you are right, i have been using that shitty dashboard cleaner until you guys advised me in this post not to use them, and maybe because of that.. no i don't think heat/sun is being touching my dash because I have been using one of those large sun protector covers used for mercs, plus i never park my car in the sun...And the cracks are on the edges... will be it expensive to buy a middle console panel? is there any place you know i can buy these?

[NRX]

Haha, I'm pretty sure I noticed only 1 small crack and other than that there were no cracks to my knowledge.. (On a different note since of late, I have experienced things what I see is not what it really is :s )

No no, not on the dashboard... in the center console panel where the casette player and the AC is situated.. precisely in the upper console around the casette player... damn, i think you are right, i have been using that shitty dashboard cleaner until you guys advised me in this post not to use them, and maybe because of that.. no i don't think heat/sun is being touching my dash because I have been using one of those large sun protector covers used for mercs, plus i never park my car in the sun...And the cracks are on the edges... will be it expensive to buy a middle console panel? is there any place you know i can buy these?

Post a pic of the cracks machan

[PreseaLover]

Post a pic of the cracks machan

Here you go... this was a pic i took 2 days back.... the green highligted places are the cracks as you can see (the upper one is the same as these, even though we cant see much in this pic)

[PreseaLover]

Here you go... this was a pic i took 2 days back.... the green highligted places are the cracks as you can see (the upper one is the same as these, even though we cant see much in this pic)

And the 4th spot cannot be seen in this pic... but there is a slight crack just like the left bottom one, in the same edge of the right bottom.... I kinda feel embarrassed, when people who get into my car points out "Hey you got cracks in this panel"...

[NRX]

And the 4th spot cannot be seen in this pic... but there is a slight crack just like the left bottom one, in the same edge of the right bottom.... I kinda feel embarrassed, when people who get into my car points out "Hey you got cracks in this panel"...

I think a decent fiber joint would be able to fix this up, if it fails you may able to find a replacement from Delkanda.

[PreseaLover]

Either there were no cracks or you were in so much love and too blind to see them when you bought it . As for how and why you get cracks on the dashboard, it could be due to aging, heat, or use of wrong type of cleaning agent. After all dashboards are made of some kind of polymer material and they lose their texture and resilience over time. Heat usually speeds up the process, so avoid exposure to heat. If you park in the sun keep a window slightly open (beware of theft BTW). Where exactly are these crack?Is it on the edge or the middle.

If you are to select an option out of these two what would the best to chose?

(i) Parking the car under trees in the shade but will get attacked by crow shit.. and sometimes big branches might fall too...

(ii) Parking the car in the sun where you don't get attacked by crow shit...

Today I chose to park in the sun to avoid crow shit (but with the dashboard sun cover on)...

Crow shit damages the paint yeah?

I think a decent fiber joint would be able to fix this up, if it fails you may able to find a replacement from Delkanda.

I see... the "Karbon Club" place seems to be good yeah... wonder if they will give the original look/colour if i give to them... anyone have any experience getting a job done by them? (I just saw their fb page - "Karbon Club")... anyway Thanks NRX

[Davy]

Here you go... this was a pic i took 2 days back.... the green highligted places are the cracks as you can see (the upper one is the same as these, even though we cant see much in this pic)

If you are up for it, you can repair this yourself. Pretty much the same process I followed for the door pulls (as shared in this thread). If there are parts that are totally cracked and detached, you can use a two part glue like Araldite to re-attach them.

[PreseaLover]

Need a few advises regarding changing the dashboard/interior colour...

lets say you have a brown interior (brown dashboard/steering wheel and brown door panels) and you wanna change it to grey colour... after taking the car to a professional and doing a paint and change the colour entirely;

1. What are the pros and cons and the after effects you might face?

2. Due to the new paint of the interior, and the weather conditions in SL, will the dashboard get cracked?

3. Will the new paint looks fake and will it give an impression that the interior has been changed.

4. In average, to do a good job by the best professional for this, whats the maximum cost I'm looking at

Thanks in advance

[kusumsiri]

1. pros and cons
   • Pros : Get preferred interior color, New look, more light inside the car as gray is brighter than brown.
   • Cons: Can damage (when remove and fix) in some places specially thin places/edgers, future scratch will get old brown color up,
2. Dont think so. I have herd Axio having worse dashboard which crack due to SL whether. May not apply for a Nissan
3. Definitely. As color changing.
4. No idea.

I have seen painting/painted interior plastics in same color. But this is the first time about changing the color.

[iRage]

Depends on how you look at it...

1)

- Pros: well what Kusum said..

- Cons: Apart from what Kusum said there is always the risk that the guy installing it doesn't do a good job or misses a screw or something and you will be stuck with an annoying rattle for ever

2) Why would the interior/dash crack because of the new paint inside ? Are you going ot be painting the dash ? As for whether the weather/climate will crack it...depends on the material you use. Cheap ones...yes...good ones...most likely not

3) Depends....if you go with factory/standard colors, if a good professional job is done on all accounts; then it might not be that obvious. Except...if you take a 22 year old car and it has a brand new looking interior then its going to be pretty obvious.

Also, if you change the color to a non-factory/standard color then the petrol-heads will obviously notice...also, if a buyer with brains comes along and does a check on the trim/color code on the ID plate then that too will make the color change obvious.

4) Too context specific to say waht it will cost for you....paint job can range anything from 100K to 250K depending on the condition of the body, how extensive of a paint job you want and who does it and how they do it. Same goes for the interior I suppose...

[PreseaLover]

1. pros and cons
   • Pros : Get preferred interior color, New look, more light inside the car as gray is brighter than brown.
   • Cons: Can damage (when remove and fix) in some places specially thin places/edgers, future scratch will get old brown color up,
2. Dont think so. I have herd Axio having worse dashboard which crack due to SL whether. May not apply for a Nissan
3. Definitely. As color changing.
4. No idea.

I have seen painting/painted interior plastics in same color. But this is the first time about changing the color.

Depends on how you look at it...

1)

- Pros: well what Kusum said..

- Cons: Apart from what Kusum said there is always the risk that the guy installing it doesn't do a good job or misses a screw or something and you will be stuck with an annoying rattle for ever

2) Why would the interior/dash crack because of the new paint inside ? Are you going ot be painting the dash ? As for whether the weather/climate will crack it...depends on the material you use. Cheap ones...yes...good ones...most likely not

3) Depends....if you go with factory/standard colors, if a good professional job is done on all accounts; then it might not be that obvious. Except...if you take a 22 year old car and it has a brand new looking interior then its going to be pretty obvious.

Also, if you change the color to a non-factory/standard color then the petrol-heads will obviously notice...also, if a buyer with brains comes along and does a check on the trim/color code on the ID plate then that too will make the color change obvious.

4) Too context specific to say waht it will cost for you....paint job can range anything from 100K to 250K depending on the condition of the body, how extensive of a paint job you want and who does it and how they do it. Same goes for the interior I suppose...

Thank you for the very detailed response Kusum and iRage... I came across this situation because I found a good presea with Brown interior... so since I hate brown I wanted to have it my previous presea's colour (Grey)... After your advises now I believe I should not be changing/repainting the interior and the best thing is to find another presea with the grey interior itself..... thanks once again

[Hoonigan]

Thank you for the very detailed response Kusum and iRage... I came across this situation because I found a good presea with Brown interior... so since I hate brown I wanted to have it my previous presea's colour (Grey)... After your advises now I believe I should not be changing/repainting the interior and the best thing is to find another presea with the grey interior itself..... thanks once again

If you're THAT colour specific, another option is to swap out the dash and the rest of the trim, seats etc to the colour of choice. But that won't be sensible if the interior is in good shape.

Judging by the amount of crying you're doing, I suppose Preseas aren't falling on your lap every other day? So if the car that you found is in good mechanical shape/ in good overall condition, should the interior colour be the deal-breaker?

[kusumsiri]

I know you love to presea. But I think you will not find another presea same as previous. Presea production halted and we have limited number of Presea (1000 ?) in SL. Among that another small subset of Presea may available to buy at the moment. So you have to select your dream among that. Finding identical will be very hard withing this subset. If I were you, I will make my mind to drop some requirements like this interior color and get one withing available set. No one will not get a wife which 100% matching to his thought. So nothing to say about a car.

[iRage]

In Sri Lanka where supply of certain models are limited and considering how 99% of Sri Lankans use cars...things like interior and body color should be low down the priority. If the car is in good shape...then I would say go for it.