Cracked dash repair enquiry/price

Captain Spank · Postby **Captain Spank** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 2:25 pm

Hi guys,

Doing a number of fixes at the moment on my MX5 and just wondering if anyone who had the top part of their dash cracked (towards the window) repaired. Mines pretty bad and I'm taking it in next week to get a proper quote done. But over the phone was given a ball park figure of $400-$500.

Is that normal (granted this is only over the phone so far) or would I be better off buying a whole one 2nd hand from a wrecker? (mx5 are virtually never seen in Bendigo, so no wreckers here have parts).

Cheers,

CS

davy · Postby **davy** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:17 pm

ive got same prob here, although my crack isn't that major. 400-500 does sound a bit pricy considering it is only hte top section of hte dash that needs to be fixed/replaced. has any1 had this done before? hopefully its a bit cheaper

lowmiata · Postby **lowmiata** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:55 pm

sounds about right
for the money though and piece of mine I would be looking for a import dash
Aussie sun kills them very quick
there are screws holding the air con ducting on, once these are released of preasure the dash wont crack unfortunatly it is usually to late for aus delivered cars.
Getting the dash out is not really difficult , just time consuming the first time.
you can re run the wires neater on reinstall!

if you do get it repaired there will probably be no garranty that it will not crack again.
for a few 100 more than that quote I would be looking at doing an NB interior change!

Regards,
Ryan.

Captain Spank · Postby **Captain Spank** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:36 pm

Interesting points about the A/C I did not know that.

Yeah I've thought about the NB interior change. Seen all the details on the miata garage.

Certainly worth considering.

Pumpn'Go · Postby **Pumpn'Go** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:51 pm

I'm not sure if I'm talking about the same crack , mine is infront of the passenger, it runs front to back, parallel to the door. Is this the same?
Or are you talking about the cover that goes over the instruments?
I am thinking of taking the dash top off, covering it with a stretch vinyl and refitting it, but I am worried adout it ending up too tight.
I think that if something cracks once, and you don't know exactly why and fix that problem, it will just crack again, hence the idea of covering with something flexable.
Col

zoomzoom · Postby **zoomzoom** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:01 pm

Most aussie NAs I have seen either have this crack or it is coming up, best way to fix is probably just to get a hold of another dash, the changing is t=not difficult at all, once the centre console is out it only takes around half an hour to get the dash out.

Secont option is just buy a dashmat!

Captain Spank · Postby **Captain Spank** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 11:31 pm

Yeah I've got pretty much both the passenger side crack going from front to back & the one behind the instuments.

Took these about 15mins ago to give you an idea how bad it is, I'd brought it this way and came with a dash mat (thankfully).

http://au.geocities.com/residentyg/120.jpg
http://au.geocities.com/residentyg/121.jpg
http://au.geocities.com/residentyg/123.jpg

Yeah I know it's bad, taking it in next week for an official quote.

Pumpn'Go · Postby **Pumpn'Go** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:27 am

Woah that's bad, mine is a straight crack that has not opened up and none behind the instruments. My car is not AC so what duct screws are you talking about ? , do you think it's worth me loosening them or is it too late?
Col

lowmiata · Postby **lowmiata** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 10:08 am

Pumpn'Go wrote:Woah that's bad, mine is a straight crack that has not opened up and none behind the instruments. My car is not AC so what duct screws are you talking about ? , do you think it's worth me loosening them or is it too late?
Col

its not AC ducting sorry just the normal ducting to the window vents

never to late if you want to stop the crack for the time being, find the very end of it and put a tiny hole at either end
this will prevent it from spreading
it will have raised a part in the dash too? ie bot sides of crack lip up a tiny bit ?

Benny · Postby **Benny** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 4:39 pm

You could pull the pad off and re-cover it in vinyl, but you will have to prepare the surface properly if you want it to stick properly.
If it doesn't stick properly, then you will have lumps and bumps all over it and it can look even worse.

You will also have to sand down the edges of the cracks so they don't stand proud of the rest of the dash pad.

Sanding the old pad down all over will also help to get rid of any silicone spray or grease and oils that may be on the surface, and it's very important to get rid of this stuff as it will hinder the glue and start bubbling otherwise.

However, most vinyls will also crack in the sun so you may end up back at square one after all that work, however, you can buy UV resistant leather and this would also work very well and last quite a long time if you prepare the surface properly.

Captain Spank · Postby **Captain Spank** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 5:10 pm

Yeah I thought about doing that. Anyone tried it and how long did it last before having these problems (cracking, bubbling etc...)?

kula · Postby **kula** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 6:23 pm

i replaced my dash about a year ago.

it took some time, the new part was under $200 from mazda i think...

Pumpn'Go · Postby **Pumpn'Go** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:46 am

So Mazda still sell these parts thats great. On my car the steel and rubber section that goes against the door glass also needs replacing, so maby they still sell them too.
Anyone know if they just pop out, or are they held in somehow?
Col