Dashboard cracks why?

[Route246]

Let me get this straight. Is the car a 2004 (i.e. 16 years old)? Being garaged for 4 of 16 years should explain it. 16 years of exposure to UV will make the dash vulnerable to cracking. Did I miss something?

[57Rambler]

I wondered that re root cause. Most of the big (currently 3) ones seem to stem start from the speaker.

Are the cracks in the corners of the speaker opening in the dash ? And are those corners square or are they radiused ?

Sharp/square corners are stress risers (aka raisers) and designers like to avoid them as much as possible.

Otherwise it's probably just due to UV exposure. Not only does it dry/drive out the oil(s) in the material, it also actually breaks down the polymer material at the molecular level ==> Degradation of material making it susceptible to cracking.

[PeteT19640]

Let me get this straight. Is the car a 2004 (i.e. 16 years old)? Being garaged for 4 of 16 years should explain it. 16 years of exposure to UV will make the dash vulnerable to cracking. Did I miss something?

Thanks
The car is 2004, I imported from Japan in 2016. So not sure of its garaging/storing history.
The car has done 24,800km (16,000 miles).
But with me has been garaged since 2016, actually hadn't been out of the garage for 3.5 years even doors opened.

I'm not sure why it has gone crazy got about 12 cracks now, varying in size.

[PeteT19640]

Are the cracks in the corners of the speaker opening in the dash ? And are those corners square or are they radiused ?

Sharp/square corners are stress risers (aka raisers) and designers like to avoid them as much as possible.

Otherwise it's probably just due to UV exposure. Not only does it dry/drive out the oil(s) in the material, it also actually breaks down the polymer material at the molecular level ==> Degradation of material making it susceptible to cracking.

Thanks
2 of the small ones are in the corner but other ones are on straight edge if that makes sense. The speaker is rectangle. Please see post 3, its above the screen in the middle of the dash.

It is a real shame absolutely stunning car to drive and looks great.

[PeteT19640]

if the dashboard is brittle and already has cracks it may get worse over time. I would use a good interior protectant on the dashboard and maintain it. Don't use a lot of pressure near the cracks. BLACKFIRE Interior Protectant

Some people order DashMats to cover up the cracks in the dashboard. Dashboard cover, Dashboard covers, Dash cover, Dash covers, Dashmat, dash mat, dash mats, Suedemat, Suedemats, Suede mat, Suede mats, Velourmat,

Bobby the mats look ok but the bottom of the mats specially on the left (right hand drive vehicle) above the glove box how does it fit. I have seen some that you can tell it has a cover?
Which one looks the best trying to make it look discrete as possible?

[Route246]

Thanks
The car is 2004, I imported from Japan in 2016. So not sure of its garaging/storing history.
The car has done 24,800km (16,000 miles).
But with me has been garaged since 2016, actually hadn't been out of the garage for 3.5 years even doors opened.

I'm not sure why it has gone crazy got about 12 cracks now, varying in size.

I know a little about Japan having lived there for three years in total. There is no way a car of that vintage is going to be garaged for 16 years. It most likely spent a great deal of time out in the sun. Cars are "inspected" at 3 years and then every 2 years thereafter. Those inspections are very expensive and were legislated into place in order to encourage car owners to turn over their car every 3 years. This inspection is comprehensive and car dealerships are full service and know when you are up for inspection. In the US we would call this a scam. In Japan they deal with it and either pay or trade in which dealers are more than willing to facilitate. Wikipedia article here.

The net result of this system is getting a grey market car from Japan is a great deal for the international buyer because the mileage will be low and the car will be straight and clean (most of the time). It is a great deal for the car companies because it provides incentive for buyers to trade-in.

The low mileage is expected. People don't drive much in general, sometimes a car is just used once or twice a month on weekends as commuting is often done on public transportation.

There is a vast market for detailing products in Japan but it is "slightly" different from what we see in the west. They have a great deal of restoration products because making your car appear pristine is a usual desire there. It is very possible that the dash on your car was maintained but degraded during that period of time. The cracks may just be the normal aging process of the dash material. You will usually not see cracked dashboards in Japan, even for old cars. They will have them repaired, replaced or covered most likely.

[UncleDavy]

My dashboard was treated with 303 since 2008 and it was in perfect condition until 2014 when I had the windshield replaced. The installer cracked the dashboard when he leaned against it and it spread from there.

[PA DETAILER]

My dashboard was treated with 303 since 2008 and it was in perfect condition until 2014 when I had the windshield replaced. The installer cracked the dashboard when he leaned against it and it spread from there.

I hope they were held responsible for a new dash board or repair.

[2black1s]

I hope they were held responsible for a new dash board!

Are you kidding me? If the dashboard cracked from simply leaning on it during a windshield replacement, then it certainly wasn't in "perfect" condition at that point in time. It was already brittle from years of UV exposure and trying to hold the windshield installer responsible is unethical in my opinion.

[UncleDavy]

I hope they were held responsible for a new dash board or repair.

No, I don't blame the installer. The vehicle is a 2008 and the dash was already a little brittle.