Dash on E85

[SaltyNC]

In certain light, the top of the dash on my Z4M looks splotchy. I'm referring to the hard, black, textured material, not the inserts. It's hard to describe. It's almost like it was scrubbed too hard. I've seen a few pics online that look similar. I'm into detailing, and so I have a host of products like 303 Aerospace Protectant and other dressings, but so far, I can't find anything that totally evens out the dash. I even ordered a $40 thimble of GTechniq C4 to see if that would work. I tried it on the bottom of the door -- same hard plastic-like material as the dash. The grain makes it nearly impossible to apply, and it didn't seem to fix the issue. I then tried GTechniq C6 Matte Dash. That works pretty well, and seems to be similar to 303. Maybe with several applications applied 24 hours apart it will do the trick.

Are your dashes perfect, or is this a common thing? Anyone found a good dressing for the dash? Has anyone covered the top of their dash in leather?

Thanks,
Salty

[dreamingat30fps]

I have the same thing. Honestly I think that hard plastic sandpaper is the worst dash material I have ever seen. To me it's the only thing I really don't like about the car.

[Twixboy]

All I do is keep it out of the sun whenever possible and vacuum once in a while. Mine looks perfect.

[polar]

Yeah, only vacuum and/or a brush the rhino hide on the dash. If you schmear anything on there you are ferked!

[Huz-Z]

I think I had the same problem with my car when I got it. I think this is smoke residue from the previous owner who must've been a smoker. Most anything I tried didn't seem to help and the rough surface seemed to make it all the worse by trapping lint from whatever cloth I used.

However, one day I was at the dealer and as a last resort, I bought a bottle of their BMW Quick Interior Detailer (I'm pretty sure that's the correct name for it). I went home and, using brand new microfiber cloth (no lint) gave it a few wipes. Worked perfectly! I just used it the other night to tidy up the interior and dash prior to storage and it still worked well on the rough dash. Just be sure to use a new microfiber cloth. If you use a clean one that you threw in with your towels for example, it will have lint from the towels that will then transfer to the dash as you wipe it.

[elerner61]

Up until this summer I had never treated the dash/pebble surface. My car is always garaged other than when I have it out. It just didn't seem to be worth the pain. I finally broke down and treated it this Summer. I remembered someone recommending using a semi saturated sponge. This worked well for me. I used Lexol Vinylex, but I don't think product is the issue.

[SaltyNC]

Originally Posted by Huz-Z

I think I had the same problem with my car when I got it. I think this is smoke residue from the previous owner who must've been a smoker. Most anything I tried didn't seem to help and the rough surface seemed to make it all the worse by trapping lint from whatever cloth I used.

However, one day I was at the dealer and as a last resort, I bought a bottle of their BMW Quick Interior Detailer (I'm pretty sure that's the correct name for it). I went home and, using brand new microfiber cloth (no lint) gave it a few wipes. Worked perfectly! I just used it the other night to tidy up the interior and dash prior to storage and it still worked well on the rough dash. Just be sure to use a new microfiber cloth. If you use a clean one that you threw in with your towels for example, it will have lint from the towels that will then transfer to the dash as you wipe it.

Thanks, Huz-Z. I'll give that a try.

Salty

[SaltyNC]

Originally Posted by elerner61

Up until this summer I had never treated the dash/pebble surface. My car is always garaged other than when I have it out. It just didn't seem to be worth the pain. I finally broke down and treated it this Summer. I remembered someone recommending using a semi saturated sponge. This worked well for me. I used Lexol Vinylex, but I don't think product is the issue.

I had heard about the sponge. I even tried spraying it directly onto the dash until fully saturated and then taking a super plush microfiber and gentle buffing it. That worked pretty well for an even application.

In looking at my dash, it seems the grain is has flat tops, and those reflect light differently, and some areas don't seem to have the flat tops to the grain. The grain is finer and more sand-like, so it doesn't reflect the light the same. It's hard to describe. I'm concerned whoever detailed it prior to me purchasing it may have been too aggressive with a very stiff brush, but I tried to use a scouring buff to see if I could even it out, and it had zero effect, so that dash material is tough as nails.

Salty

[jdoublehcubed]

mine is the same way. i find if you really saturate it with Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant you can even it up a bit, but i can never seem to get it perfect. and if you let the Ultimate Protectant sit on there for more that like 4 or 5 seconds you sometimes end up with a slightly blue sheen, so you have to be careful with it.

[Huz-Z]

The BMW stuff and a clean microfibre cloth is what I swear by. It's a pump spray called "interior cleaner with fresh smell" in a 6.76 ounce / 200 ml bottle.