Another Sticky Dash Issue

nis350

it is quite obvious that the problem with the dash has nothing to do with the owners. It occurred in all different climates and with/without any protectant.

It is likely that there is some variance in the manufacturing process and/or materials used.

JARblue

The most common factor I can find is people that daily drive the car and then stop driving it for a while and leave it in the garage. I did this with mine and the dash turned to shìt in less than 3 months.

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nis350

that's possible, but I think your dash has probably reached that time limit. Mine was fine til about the 4th to 5th year. I'm in South California where the weather is mild and dry.

My car is garage and the dash looks normal after cleaning. However, it would get oily in about a minute once it is under the sun regardless of the temp. My guess is that the dash material reacts to the sunlight/UV and turns oily almost immediately.

JARblue

You may be right in that it's just a matter of time. My car spent over 6 years and 100K miles in the hot Texas sun (garaged at night) and the dash still looked extremely clean. Three months after I parked it in the garage, it cracked at virtually every joint and the finish went to crap. Without even touching it.

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nis350

Sorry that your dash cracked. It's just terrible that it went from good to oily and cracked in 3 months.

I read that you only cleaned with water without any protectant.... So the protectant being the culprit is out.

Not sure how much the dash and labor would cost. Perhaps the cheapest solution is to get a dash cover.

JARblue

It's expensive. It's not difficult to DIY. Just tedious. I'm OCD enough to tackle it. Would never give Nissan another dime for a dash though. Thought about a CF dash from Cpt Obvious. But there are other things I'd rather spend my money on.

I had been trying to avoid coming that last conclusion. But once again, I think you may be right.

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nis350

I'm on the same boat. As much as I like my Z, I am not going to spend thousands for a new dash that will likely go bad.

Using the money for the next toy is much more appealing.

keb370z

I just read this whole thread. I was ready to buy the stickydashfix.com product and then I got to this post.

I called the dealer (they said they've never heard of this issue), then I called Nissan (told me there was nothing they could do, I asked if my complaint could be recorded, she asked for my name and then hung up on me).

My Z only has 35,000 miles on it and is in perfect condition. I noticed the shiny dash a couple days ago when I took it for a spin. There's so much glare on the windshield it's hard to see. I'm not a fan of the dash mat look. So I guess I'm just screwed.

cv129

Same boat here, same boat. That glare is no joke, literally dangerous actually. Hot sun can get the dash so shiny that the image on the windshield really distorts your forward vision.

If driving under afternoon sun, even if it's just 80F outside, gotta run the A/C to keep the glare at an "acceptable" level.

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Setrab | RE-71 | SPL | JRZ | Nismo | ARK | Whiteline | RacingBrake | CJM Oil Pan | Ti shield

keb370z

Good tip, I'll try this. I'm assuming run the a/c through the defroster vents?

cv129

Yes, or half and half on super hot days when I need some cool air blowing at me.

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Setrab | RE-71 | SPL | JRZ | Nismo | ARK | Whiteline | RacingBrake | CJM Oil Pan | Ti shield

keb370z

Okay, ya'll, this is really the weirdest thing. I know it's been discussed to death in this thread but I've never seen anything like this. I pull my Z out of the garage this morning into the hot 90 degree sun and take a look at the dash. It's miraculously cured! Not glossy, not sticky, not reflecting into my line of sight. I back out and go on my way. On the road 5 minutes later it's starting to shine a little. My passenger touches it and yep, getting sticky. We go down the road and I'm concentrating to look through the reflection on the glass because now it's gotten severe. We crank the a/c. A few minutes later, it's cured again. Back to oem matte look. Not sticky. I don't even know about this issue. It's straight-up weird.

viiv

Ya, it's because this is the cause of the issue:

"Apparently there’s a chemical inside the dashboard that oozes up to the top in high heat/humidity, giving it a sticky surface"

Looks like this was a common problem in all Nissan's from 2007 to 2015:

https://www.gregcolemanlaw.com/blog/...ettlement.html

I hope this has been fixed in newer Nissan Zs especially since Nissan settled a lawsuit in 2017. There is a good chance it has, because the dashboard has been replaced with a newer part number TWICE:

Original Dash: 68200-1EA0A (from 2009)
Later Dash: 68200-1EA1A
Latest Dash: 68200-1EA5A (present in 2020 Zs for sure and probably 2019s)

nis350

so both the shine and stickiness were gone? I found this hard to believe.

Spartan 1771

The AC temporary fixes it. It cools the dash, returning it to normal. If you turn off the AC, thr sun heats it and it gets sticky again.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk

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~Rob

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