The Dreaded Dashboard Crack

Doing a minor build / restoration or an epic one, post it here

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Jam911
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Wed Dec 06, 2023 9:13 pm

I have spent months trying to find a company that will fix the crack in my dashboard.

I have seen replacement dashes for £80 for a bad one, £450 for an excellent one or £2200 for a brand new BMW supplied one.
There is one for about £900 currently on Ebay.

I have been quoted £325 to have mine repaired but they state it will not be 100 % invisible but it will no longer be cracked...

Forum thoughts please...I am also waiting for another quote to arrive.
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flybynite
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Wed Dec 06, 2023 9:42 pm

I did not know BMW had started supplying new ones. Were they RHD or just LHD?

There are companies that can put fresh vinyl on them but it is moon money and none in the UK anyway that I can see.

Any second hand "uncracked dash" is a ticking time bomb and even if looked after can crack before you get round to fit it (ask me how I know)

No real fix that I know of at the moment.
Jam911
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Thu Dec 14, 2023 6:16 pm

Had my dash crack repaired today
Wasn't expecting to do this until Spring but the guy doing it is retiring next week.
Pretty good result
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1.jpg
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martauto
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Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:08 pm

Wow, Details please !!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :banana: :banana:

Mart.
Only the E46 cab left now.
Just got too old.
Jam911
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Thu Dec 14, 2023 7:35 pm

https://www.auto-trim.co.uk/

They are based in Leicester but came to J18 M1 for me.

£155 + VAT
Mitchen
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Fri Dec 15, 2023 8:29 am

Jam911 wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2023 6:16 pm
Had my dash crack repaired today
Wasn't expecting to do this until Spring but the guy doing it is retiring next week.
Pretty good result
That's unreal. I've seen a lot of repairs in the past and they've been woeful. As in they looked better cracked.

BMW did start making them again back around 2017, but they had E36 style vinyl and didn't really look anything like the original E30 dashs. They soon went worldwide back order again. Just checked availability and they are NLA.. dead.. gone.. and never to be seen again.
1990 320i Coupe SE

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twenty
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Sun Dec 17, 2023 3:21 pm

Mitchen wrote:
Fri Dec 15, 2023 8:29 am
Jam911 wrote:
Thu Dec 14, 2023 6:16 pm
Had my dash crack repaired today
Wasn't expecting to do this until Spring but the guy doing it is retiring next week.
Pretty good result
That's unreal. I've seen a lot of repairs in the past and they've been woeful. As in they looked better cracked.

BMW did start making them again back around 2017, but they had E36 style vinyl and didn't really look anything like the original E30 dashs. They soon went worldwide back order again. Just checked availability and they are NLA.. dead.. gone.. and never to be seen again.
BMW does seem have track record of bringing back NLA parts. So there's always hope.
Jam911
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Fri Jan 05, 2024 11:03 am

I have been chasing the company who repaired the crack and they won't say what adhesive they used.
Trade secret .
But they did say it was very expensive.
They did send me a small paint sample and by mistake they left the paint code on the bottom of the can.
It is SEM Paints 39163 Med Smoke
Thanks
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lellis
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Sun Jan 07, 2024 11:05 pm

This repair looks amazing! Always wanted to tackle it myself but for that price and me being local to Leicester, I may have just found a solution.
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parkin10
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Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:50 pm

Nice repair
I'll just consider myself lucky having a still uncracked dash in mine
It's actually the best bit of my interior
Had a guy at a show trying to buy it out of my car on the grounds that his car was better than mine and his dash let his car down and I should sacrifice my dash for the sake of his better car
Now I know my car has had a life but !!!!
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martauto
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Tue Feb 04, 2025 5:02 pm

parkin10 wrote:
Mon Feb 03, 2025 6:50 pm
Nice repair
I'll just consider myself lucky having a still uncracked dash in mine
It's actually the best bit of my interior
Had a guy at a show trying to buy it out of my car on the grounds that his car was better than mine and his dash let his car down and I should sacrifice my dash for the sake of his better car
Now I know my car has had a life but !!!!
Should have give him a price , a "proper" one at that , one with four figures !!!

Mart.
Only the E46 cab left now.
Just got too old.
parkin10
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Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:10 pm

Yeah it was less than 1G
You've got to remember my car is a bit tatty and I suppose he thought that if I was stupid enough he could swap the dash and flip my car along for a small profit
When I started to tell him that in the 17 years of ownership my e30 had brought my kids home from hospital and so on he just walked off
Like I thought he would
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martauto
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Wed Feb 05, 2025 4:57 pm

parkin10 wrote:
Tue Feb 04, 2025 9:10 pm
Yeah it was less than 1G
You've got to remember my car is a bit tatty and I suppose he thought that if I was stupid enough he could swap the dash and flip my car along for a small profit
When I started to tell him that in the 17 years of ownership my e30 had brought my kids home from hospital and so on he just walked off
Like I thought he would
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Mart.
Only the E46 cab left now.
Just got too old.
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