Best online Dashboard cover...Where???

[JASON87]

My dash could use a nice cover...any sources appreciated!
I would prefer the Velour or Carpet looking cover..Where's the best deal?...Thx guys

87'535is.

[a]

I've seen them from Bavarian Autosport for ~50 $. No clue as to their quality.

[NH Bimmer]

Got mine from BavAuto, really nice piece.

[twin55]

My dash could use a nice cover...any sources appreciated!
I would prefer the Velour or Carpet looking cover..Where's the best deal?...Thx guys

87'535is.

http://www.dashtopper.com/shop.net/Home.aspx

[1st 5er]

Have you considered the molded dash covers?

[BMWCCA2]

Have you considered the molded dash covers?

Absolute garbage and a waste of time. Won't hold up through one season without warping in most parts of the country. Great idea, but the material and resulting aesthetic are usually worse than the cracks in the original dash. IMHO, of course.

[1st 5er]

Have you considered the molded dash covers?

Absolute garbage and a waste of time. Won't hold up through one season without warping in most parts of the country. Great idea, but the material and resulting aesthetic are usually worse than the cracks in the original dash. IMHO, of course.

Great info, thanks.
I've seen them advertised but have yet to hear a report based on "personal experience".

[bmwm3n528]

Got mine from BavAuto, really nice piece.

+1

[wkohler]

PM Sent

[KingCast]

Have you considered the molded dash covers?

Absolute garbage and a waste of time. Won't hold up through one season without warping in most parts of the country. Great idea, but the material and resulting aesthetic are usually worse than the cracks in the original dash. IMHO, of course.

I'm gonna have to disagree in my experience.... I had a molded on my 535is and it was fantastic. The PO used to show the car and it was installed when I got it. I wish I knew where it came from because I see one for $50 at Bavauto for the E30 and if it is as good I'll be happy. I have a few cracks, nothing horrendous but for $50 it's on sale, WTF why not.

[BMWCCA2]

I'm gonna have to disagree in my experience.... I had a molded on my 535is and it was fantastic. The PO used to show the car and it was installed when I got it. I wish I knew where it came from because I see one for $50 at Bavauto for the E30 and if it is as good I'll be happy. I have a few cracks, nothing horrendous but for $50 it's on sale, WTF why not.

Great for you. My customers hated them so much I stopped getting them even when asked. As far as I know there's only one company making them for BMWs and that's Coverlay. If Bav Auto is reducing them to half-price, they either aren't moving, or they've had a bad experience with them, would be my guess. Go for it. Shipping is a bitch because they are, well, you know the size.

[a]

My parts super eta came with a coverlay. It was glued over the original dash with about a tube of adhesive. It wasnt until I removed the instrument panel that I discovered the cover. Perhaps, Phil, they didn't use enough stickum.

[knunger]

Bud, you live in Dallas.

Do NOT even THINK about a hard plastic coverlay.

As soon as it hits 95F (even with yer windows cracked) that puppy will shrivel up and wrinkle and twist and turn like a worm in a skillet on high. Doesn't matter how much 'stickum' you bed it with.

I've got some great photos that I'll try to find and post.

Hey 'a', they may work up in the tundra where you live, but south of the Mason/Dixon, they are a waste of a hundred bucks.

[wkohler]

Bud, you live in Dallas.

Do NOT even THINK about a hard plastic coverlay.

As soon as it hits 95F (even with yer windows cracked) that puppy will shrivel up and wrinkle and twist and turn like a worm in a skillet on high. Doesn't matter how much 'stickum' you bed it with.

I've got some great photos that I'll try to find and post.

Hey 'a', they may work up in the tundra where you live, but south of the Mason/Dixon, they are a waste of a hundred bucks.

I get made fun of for my carpet dash cover, but it works fine for me here in Phoenix.

[BMWCCA2]

My parts super eta came with a coverlay. It was glued over the original dash with about a tube of adhesive. It wasnt until I removed the instrument panel that I discovered the cover. Perhaps, Phil, they didn't use enough stickum.

You must be blind or live in a cave.

Plus they're hard like, well, a piece of vacuum-formed plastic. It's not a matter of sticking, it's the warping. I'll leave it to the brethren in the South to confirm the problem. If you follow the application instructions you'll just get a pattern of warp. If you cover the entire dash with RTV you'll still get a warped mess. The carpet protects and hides the cracks and still looks like a piece of carpet. I'm not sure what to call the vacu-formed plastic piece once it starts down that slippery slope of deformity. To each his own. For $50 it's worth a try. For $100, I'd buy something else for my car. IMHO, of course.

[knunger]

Here's my 'Coverlay' at one week old.

[1st 5er]

Here's my 'Coverlay' at one week old.

Seeing is believing.

[JASON87]

Here's my 'Coverlay' at one week old.

"nuff said...thats a dogon SHAME" ...i went with a "dashking" dash cover...$39

thx guys

[KingCast]

I've seen some dashboards where folks have filled a couple of cracks and it came out purdy good.

I don't know what kind of filler they used though, but you might want to check the 2002 boards.

Here's a permatex

http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-81785-Da ... B000HBNTQO

I think I'm going to try it, then keep a carpet cover in the back seat for sunny and really hot days. Which do happen in Atlanta. Often.

[KingCast]

Bud, you live in Dallas.

Do NOT even THINK about a hard plastic coverlay.

As soon as it hits 95F (even with yer windows cracked) that puppy will shrivel up and wrinkle and twist and turn like a worm in a skillet on high. Doesn't matter how much 'stickum' you bed it with.

I've got some great photos that I'll try to find and post.

Hey 'a', they may work up in the tundra where you live, but south of the Mason/Dixon, they are a waste of a hundred bucks.

That is so interesting. Just north of Mason Dixon (in Columbus, OH) it hit 95 degrees in blazing sun in the summers of '98 and 99 when I had the 535is with a dash cover and I had not one problem. Damn I wish I knew which kind it was because I would recommend it in a heartbeat.

Also, 635 guy told me not to put fixative all over the place; only at the EDGES. This allows the cover to flex a bit and not destroy itself.

[BMWCCA2]

Damn I wish I knew which kind it was because I would recommend it in a heartbeat..

I'd be very surprised if you found more than the one manufacturer. But please, do persist and let us know what you find. Could be they just started making them out of cheaper material and blame it on oil prices.

[NH Bimmer]

I filled all he existing cracks in my dash with black silicone. I did it in about 7-8 passes, waiting for it to set between applications, so it took about a week. But it stretches with the heating and cooling of the dash, and stops the cracks from running further. Then with the dash mat on, no one (else) notices any issues.

[KingCast]

Damn I wish I knew which kind it was because I would recommend it in a heartbeat..

I'd be very surprised if you found more than the one manufacturer. But please, do persist and let us know what you find. Could be they just started making them out of cheaper material and blame it on oil prices.

We laugh but it is entirely possible that they cheapened The Goods. 1998-2000 was a long time ago and the cover was already on the car when I bought it....... meanwhile tonight I scrubbed the interior of the little 325 and put some cheap-assed seat covers on it until I buy new seats/interior. Then I used some Simple Green on the dark spots of the paint, to follow with some McGuire's Carnuba if it stops raining in the morning. Meanwhile Simple Green the engine bay and all the lips of the trunk and hood, and the inside when you open the fly windows..... Once I get the damn idle issue set it will be an okay cheap Bimmer for a while. Did the ball joint and alignment today to discover that one of the bottle caps is trashed, so I roated it to the back axle. I'll get to the dash soon and let you know what happens, with hi-res pics

[EuroShark]

I have had two Dash Mat brand covers in my E28s and one in my 6 and they all fit pretty well. I like that they eliminate glare too!

[wkohler]

I have had two Dash Mat brand covers in my E28s and one in my 6 and they all fit pretty well. I like that they eliminate glare too!

See, I have a DashMat in my 5er and I get made fun of.

[KingCast]

I have had two Dash Mat brand covers in my E28s and one in my 6 and they all fit pretty well. I like that they eliminate glare too!

See, I have a DashMat in my 5er and I get made fun of.

Well that's better than the alternative, as noted by this '65 MGB-GT I saw yesterday at Pull-a-Part North

[wkohler]

To the Bimmerforums guys, that must be "hot!"

[KingCast]

To the Bimmerforums guys, that must be "hot!"

Rad, bitchin'.

[KingCast]

I filled all he existing cracks in my dash with black silicone. I did it in about 7-8 passes, waiting for it to set between applications, so it took about a week. But it stretches with the heating and cooling of the dash, and stops the cracks from running further. Then with the dash mat on, no one (else) notices any issues.

What brand did you use? How does the dash look without the cover? The fills I have seen were good enough to show the dash naked.

[zackwest24]

http://www.bmpdesign.com/product-exec/p ... h_model/24