WTF!!

[mik00725]

My car has been two days in the sun. Today I saw the most horrible nightmare you could imagine. My dash was craked. It is the straight gash going up and down int he piece just below the "carbon fiber" piece in the passenger side, and in top of this piece going close to the Air vent.

I take a look at the parts list and it quote 1,012.00. I'm thinking of leaving it like that until I have $$ to spend, or maybe claim it to the insurance. My only question is how can this happened? Does this has happened to someone else? Will the dealer replace this and will it be like new, with no haging parts or strange noise of something loose?

[woa_its_j3ff]

do you armor-all it way too much? used the wrong cleaning products??
My car is parked outside daily and in the summer for 2 years it sees over 90+ degree weather.. never had issues.. (my car is a 1999)

the first year I left it mostly untreated, juts cleaned it with water and stuff every once in a while, for the past year or 2 I've used Vinylex and it works wonders for me... just for future reference I'm just letting you know.. hopefully it wont happen again..

good luck man.

[Gadgetjq]

I don't know how many wrecking yards you have in Puerto Rico but it might be worth checking them to see if any have an '04-'08 Solara. You'd get the dash top for a lot less money than buying new.

Your '04 is waaay out of warranty for anything but (maybe) drivetrain. There's no way you'll get a freebie under warranty.

Cheers

[prsolara]

yeah man, i know the issues you are having. the sun here in puerto rico is very hot specially on these days. I think the same like jeff, the armor all cause damage to the dash and other products like that one. hope u can solve the problem soon.

pd: i am from ponce and you/.?

[LostSoul]

daim dawg that's why im thinking twice of getting the dashmat.sorry bout whathappen to yours

[CASTRO]

ive recently been getting heavily into detailing since I got the 2 new cars and have some tips.

Armor All is HORRIBLE! detailers hate it as it is sometimes the cause for cracks/warping etc. Also it gives a "bling" shine which just looks cheesy imo.

real detailers use 303. You can pick it up at almost any goot automotive or boating shop. Its actually used on soft-top convertible material and preserves it as a sunscreen as well as a water repellent.

No cheese bling, just flat deep dark black like from the factory. I use it on my soft top as well as the interior plastics including the dash. Works amazing!

[Down2TheC]

I've used Armor all on two cars in the past. Both of them got splits. I may just be paranoid but since I got my Solara new, I decided to not use a thing on it. It's garage kept so I just have a mini swiffer to pull the dust off it whenever I'm at a stoplight. Never put a thing on it so we'll see how it does in the long run. 4 yrs, no complaints.

[no_escape]

ive recently been getting heavily into detailing since I got the 2 new cars and have some tips.

Armor All is HORRIBLE! detailers hate it as it is sometimes the cause for cracks/warping etc. Also it gives a "bling" shine which just looks cheesy imo.

real detailers use 303. You can pick it up at almost any goot automotive or boating shop. Its actually used on soft-top convertible material and preserves it as a sunscreen as well as a water repellent.

No cheese bling, just flat deep dark black like from the factory. I use it on my soft top as well as the interior plastics including the dash. Works amazing!

After looking at the product online, are you talking about the 303 Aerospace Protectant?

[CASTRO]

yup thats the one. works amazing on soft tops where they are usually prone to tearing/cracking from sun damage. Some use armor-all for their tops as well, but outside against the elements/sun the armor-all is done by the end of the week.

303 works until next time you wash the car usually. You can actually see a bit of it when you wash the car down.

[cartang]

I have used it x 8 years 1-2 times at month , car is out of garage , das like new , non cracking .

[DaZanY4002]

Omg, I'm glad I found out about this one. I was using armor all up until today (about 1 month and a half) Had no idea it caused cracks though. The stuff said it protected against them.
I'm gonna have to pick up some of that 303, (Denver's area code makes it a plus )
My dash hasn't cracked, I usually put the sun reflector over it and leave my windows slightly cracked so the pressure can get out.

[solara caper]

I use tech wax show and shine on my 04 sport I left my car home all last summer in the driveway, it wasnt drove once, windows up I was worried about the windows blowing I never heard of the interior cracking . Makes sence though moitureize somthing all the time when it dose dry out it will contract, its kinda like women and all that stuff they put on their face once they start they can't really stop lol

[gnegroni]

I've used Armor all on two cars in the past. Both of them got splits. I may just be paranoid but since I got my Solara new, I decided to not use a thing on it. It's garage kept so I just have a mini swiffer to pull the dust off it whenever I'm at a stoplight. Never put a thing on it so we'll see how it does in the long run. 4 yrs, no complaints.

Mine is almost always out in the sun and no cracks yet. Don't use Armor All or any cleaner. I just use a microfiber cloth to dust it.

[Down2TheC]

I've used Armor all on two cars in the past. Both of them got splits. I may just be paranoid but since I got my Solara new, I decided to not use a thing on it. It's garage kept so I just have a mini swiffer to pull the dust off it whenever I'm at a stoplight. Never put a thing on it so we'll see how it does in the long run. 4 yrs, no complaints.

Mine is almost always out in the sun and no cracks yet. Don't use Armor All or any cleaner. I just use a microfiber cloth to dust it.

So we're the control test group. We'll see where we stand in 6 yrs.

[gnegroni]

Just a bum @ work, but yeah...LOL