So I have been cursed with a sticky dashboard. Ive tried to scrub it down with goo gone, and then I tried bug and tar remover. Seriously, nothing works. The dealer wants almost 2k, and the private party quotes are A LITTLE better. What if I just removed the windshield and painted the dash with vinyl paint? Do you guys think this would last long term? I know I drive an Infiniti, and not a honda... but when i look at a labor intensive paint job vs 2K, i think it'd be worth a shot.

 

GooGone on black plastic?

 

From what I have seen, the vinyl eventually cracks after being sticky and that paint may not be the best option. I would get a good upholstery shop to re-do it and you might save quite a bit if you pull the dash out and drop it off at a shop. Following the factory service manual should help quite a bit in pulling the dash.

 

Ugh... I hate to hear this is a possibility in the G... This happened in my 07 Altima, but it was well over 130k. But theres nothing you can really do to "fix it". It's literally the dash texture melting after years of being beat by the sun. In the summer time on my Altima it would get to the point that if I touched in the peak of the heat of the day you could literally see my fingerprint after touching around the base of the windshield. I was hoping that the materials in the G were better quality, but I guess thats a risk to take for soft touch materials. Sux.

And yes, some cracks developed in the dash material in my Altima as well after I noticed the stickiness up by the windshield.

 

When you're desperate, you'll try anything.


I have a very good relationship with my mechanic and he'd have to charge me at least $500 to remove the dash and put it back. You literally have to take everything off the dash... wheel, cluster, radio, glove box, etc. Then an upholstery shop is going to want around $200 to redo the upholstery. So roughly $700 pre tax... Thats a pretty significant number compared to the overall value of the vehicle.

Plus my shift **** was looking pretty beat up so i painted it with vinyl paint, and it actually looks pretty good. You cant tell by looking at it, or touching it that it is painted.