My wife decided to do a good deed last fall and cleaned up her 81 300D. In the process, she cleaned the dashboard. She used leather cleaner on the seats, and went ahead and used it on the dash, too. She used Justin brand leather balm. She figured if it was good enough for my work boots, it was good enough for the car. I've always warned her to not use Windex or Armorall, so she was thinking in the right direction, anyway.
A few weeks ago, I noticed a few spots starting to form splits in the dash. We went somewhere today, and I counted about 5 small 1/2" splits where the lip of the dash curves down toward the windshield, about 8" from the glass! After looking at the bottle of leather cleaner that she used, I see it contains mineral spirits. The question is, what is the best thing to use on the dash, which I assume is vinyl, and is there any way to stop or repair these cracks from getting any larger? Anybody had any experience with this kind of thing? Thanks for any input on this problem! Lee

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"Knowing is not enough, we must apply.
Willing is not enough, we must do." Goethe

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1951 Chevy 3100

2003 Indian Chief Roadmaster

1983 GMC 1 ton Dually

1982 Chevy 1 ton Dually, service body (sold)

'90 GMC Suburban 6.2 "SS Veg-Burban"
(single tank WVO\diesel conversion) SOLD

'81 300D ~ Mama's car...my job (now my car)(but still my job) SOLD

'83 300sd ~ rescue car SOLD

2005 Ford Taurus (Mama's new car)(NOT my job!)

Lexol makes a good plastic cleaner and polish... Vinylex ( SPELLING ?)

Anyway, Lexol is sold at the MB dealerships...and at Tandy Leather Factory.... but I don't think they are smart enough to carry the Vinylex..... The lexol is an industry standard for upholstery type leather which is good about not causing it to get darker ( except for a day or so )...

303 is good stuff. But once the cracks start... Time to get a cover. You can get one that will match the interior for about $40.

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92 300D 2.5L OM602 OBK #59

3M Wet Type Silicone spray will keep new cracks from forming and I use 303 Aerospace Protectant for UV protection. Consider drilling a small hole at the end of the cracks so they won't continue to travel.

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Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

I have always had good luck with petroleum jelly. Not only works on the dash for me but all the plastic & rubber trims both interior and exterior of the car. I get a tub from the pharmacy stores.

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the sooner you start... the sooner you'll get done If it ain't broke, don't fix it.. Its always simpler to tell the truth...
2007 Honda Accord EX
2007 Honda Accord SE V6
96 C220
97 Explorer - Found Another Home
2000 Honda Accord V6 - Found Another Home
85 300D - Found Another Home
84 300D - Found Another Home
80 300TD - Found Another Home
Previous cars:
96 Caravan
87 Camry
84 Cressida
82 Vanagon
80 Fiesta
78 Nova
Ford Cortina
Opel Kadet
68 Kombi
Contessa

I've used the Lexol vinyl Protectant and been happy with it. However, I like more of a matte shine and switched to Meguiar's Vinyl and Rubber Protectant. In my opinion it's one of the best products I've bought for my car, it does Vinyl, Rubber, and Plastic. Protects them all and gives them a deeper, richer look with a slight shine.I've been using it on my dash for two years now, and along with a car cover and sunshade it works well enough.

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Nicolette
1977 240D

303 is the best.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200