[SummerallGuard04]

I'm sure this is a systemic problem on all BMWs but I'm wondering if anyone has any DIY advice to offer for when the leather on the top of the dashboard starts to bubble, when the glue starts giving out? My knee-jerk reaction was to get a quality leather cream/conditioner, massage the area and hope that it lies down with a little bit of pressure but I'm thinking that might be a stretch...thoughts?

[M_Bimmer]

Mind sharing a picture through the windshield?

Current view, looks like you can fix this via your center speaker, by removing the grill, cleaning off the old contact cement, reapply new contact cement, then keeping the leather tught, laying it flat as you move toward the windshield.

The problem will be near the windshield if the leather has come out from underneath the plastic trim near the windshield, which will require the leather to be reinsterted under the plastic trim, which is almost impossible while the dashboard is installed.

To properly fix, the dashboard should be removed. Anything other than this will result in waves and bubbles still visible in the leather...the leather must be restretched.

On my dashboard, I had to use leather softening fluid ($9 off Amazon) to help the leather go back into it's original location, since it had shrunk due to Sun exposure. Without it, the leather would have shrunk too much to cover the dashboard 100%.

[SummerallGuard04]

Here is from windshield. I think you're spot on and I feel like I'm just going to have to live with this.

Originally Posted by M_Bimmer

Mind sharing a picture through the windshield?

Current view, looks like you can fix this via your center speaker, by removing the grill, cleaning off the old contact cement, reapply new contact cement, then keeping the leather tught, laying it flat as you move toward the windshield.

The problem will be near the windshield if the leather has come out from underneath the plastic trim near the windshield, which will require the leather to be reinsterted under the plastic trim, which is almost impossible while the dashboard is installed.

To properly fix, the dashboard should be removed. Anything other than this will result in waves and bubbles still visible in the leather...the leather must be restretched.

On my dashboard, I had to use leather softening fluid ($9 off Amazon) to help the leather go back into it's original location, since it had shrunk due to Sun exposure. Without it, the leather would have shrunk too much to cover the dashboard 100%.

[M_Bimmer]

Thanks for the additional photos.

It does confirm that your leather has pulled away from the front dashboard plastic trim.

You could try and use contact cement on the leather area you can reach, let it set, then try and use a plastic putty knife to try and tuck the leather back under the trim.

My experience it that a proper repair absolutely requires the dashboard to be removed, which is sort of a pain in the @ss.

I've repaired it once, which lasted several years, then bought a new one from eBay ($1000) and replaced it...so for the last three years, no problem, but I'm religious about using a windshield shade.

[ezaircon4jc]

I always wanted the leather dash. Now I'm quite pleased I didn't get it (I purchase CPO; let the original buyer take the hit).

[SummerallGuard04]

Wondering if anyone has had any luck with a dashboard cover as a quick, "out of sight, out of mind" fix?

[SummerallGuard04]

After a little more research on this deficiency, I'm going to attempt to inject 3M neoprene high performance contact adhesive 1357 with a syringe into the affected areas. I will post back with my results.

[Kermdaddy]

I have the same issue but is way worse. I bought the car that way, so I am definitely interested in your results.

[SummerallGuard04]

:::UPDATE:::

I decided to do a DIY repair of injecting 3M Neoprene High-Performance Contact Adhesive 1357 into a few areas in the dash. I'm actually quite pleased with the results! An initial concern of mine was being able to compress the dash and evenly distribute enough weight to flatten the popped leather while the adhesive was drying. I found that my college yearbooks worked perfect in that they were heavy enough and that I was able to manipulate the book binding so that each of the 4 books could be "wedged" into the slant of the windshield to create tremendous downforce (see pics). Again, it's not perfect but I'm happy with the results and didn't have to spend boku money. To anyone who tries this, i would say to get 18 gauge syringes as they are the perfect size to take and distribute the 3M adhesive. Once injected, I tried to keep the yearbooks in place for at least 12 hours (which is probably overkill).

Before:








AFTER:

[Blue Angel]

Nicely done!!! I hope I never have to do this with mine!

Just curious, did you use any products to protect the leather? I'm wondering if something could have penetrated the leather and compromised its bond to the adhesive?

[SummerallGuard04]

Originally Posted by Blue Angel

Nicely done!!! I hope I never have to do this with mine!

Just curious, did you use any products to protect the leather? I'm wondering if something could have penetrated the leather and compromised its bond to the adhesive?

Thank you! If it does happen to you, I would try it DIY.

I bought my 550i less than a year ago so not sure if the previous owner treated the leather in the past or whether it was just parked outside and exposed to the elements. I have NOT used any leather conditioner as of yet but I did just pick up some griots garage leather conditioner and plan to use that every-so-often. I park it in the garage full time so i'm hoping I have some time before other areas start to give out.

[Blue Angel]

I'm the second owner as well. Here's hoping my leather stays put!

[SummerallGuard04]

Updating this thread: The DIY repair is still holding up just fine and I have not had to think about it since I did it. Today, and as a preventative measure, I went to the local tint shop to have them apply crystaline tint film to the windshield, to prevent further damage from heat and UV rays. They actually told me that there is a high likelihood that the water and moisture that they would need to spray when applying the film, has a very good possibility of making the dash worse as the moisture and water could (and most likely would) get under the leather and not play well with the already failing glue. I left the tint shop with no work done. As soon as I got home, I bought an OE BMW sunshade for the days I have to park outside for extended periods of time.

I think I have thought of every alternative to dash replacement and the only other thing that I can think of now is to do a dash cover but I really only wanted to satisfy that option as a last resort.

As for now, I will live with the dash as it is not that bad and is not very noticeable. I did install a strip of black, foam weather-stripping where the leather meets the windshield, in the way corner of the dash. When I injected the 3m glue and after it dried, it expanded slightly and started to come out of the ends. This was my greatest accomplishment with this DIY as it looks natural and hides the curled ends perfect, along with the dried, green glue.

Hope this thread helps someone down the road.

PS--I had to delete the embeded pics that I used above in previous posts bc flickr only allows me to save 50 pics and I had to save others.

[ezaircon4jc]

Originally Posted by SummerallGuard04

...

PS--I had to delete the embeded pics that I used above in previous posts bc flickr only allows me to save 50 pics and I had to save others.

Can't you download your pictures to your computer and post them from the file? That's what I do...