I have had a LOT done to my 2005 LS430, and now I am asking for ideas on a dashboard issue. The top of the dash cover is starting to get bubbles. It's always garaged, and I use a windshield block when parking for more than a
half hour. I thought about puncturing one of the bubbles with a hypodermic needle and injecting a small amount of glue, then rolling it out until it stays flat. If it will. It is only in the area over the instrument cluster.
What would you do?

 

The dreaded dash virus.
I have a few - I am going to have the clear UV installed next on the front window.
I like your idea about using a needle and the glue? No I have not tried that yet. I have plenty of other things right now I am working on.
I was thinking about using a technique where you use a heat gun (mild hair dryer) and then a cooling flat - this technique is used by interior repair techs to deal with malformed car vinyl.
I have not tried it yet
The way these bubbles start - and I am not sure they are bubbles because when you touch them they seem to have material in them.
Another LS430 owner told me only the FL models (2004 to 06) suffer from this issue but I don't know if that is true.

 

You say always garaged did you buy it new? My 2001 always garaged has no problem on the dash.

 

first modification i did was ceramic tint on all glass including windshield and sunroof. And i still use a sunshade. Garaged 60/40. Living in las vegas is brutal. My only regret is not going darker. Sorry for your dash catching chicken pox op. Hopefully your idea works 🤞🏽

 

my dash started like that only about 2 years ago, now it looks way way worse. i am going to have to buy some sort of felt cover for it or something, it looks horrible

 

What year is your car as 1 post said 2004-6 only might be affected as was told.

 

Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do — this is usually caused by sun exposure combined with the use of harsh chemicals on the dashboard.

Your options are: use a dash mat or cover, wrap the dash, or replace it entirely.

I ended up fitting a different dash in my car — it’s a long process but not that hard, per se.

Honestly, if I had a spare dash, I’d probably experiment a bit — maybe poke the bubbles with a needle to see what happens, or cut a small slit and try applying some adhesive.

 

Everytime I see the YT guys pulling an LS430 dash Yanng, I get a chill in my spine - Glad you got through it but you are great at the LS430 after seeing your car and all your posting - I guess if you really have to get it fixed at somepoint you jump in. There are 4 LS430's in my local junkyard ( a rare moment in time) and all FL models between 2005/06 and everydash has the virus. One was so bad the material started over lapping the radio bezel - that was a black interior dashboard that looks like a mountain range. I have the matching dash color for the Cashmere interior dash color from Viper interior supplier in Orlando Florida ( I repaired the top of the driver and passenger door that is the same color as the dash) - be interesting to see if you could do something like that and fix it so it stayed flat - then airbrush/spray the correct color and regrain - treat it like a body panel maybe. The way interior techs sometimes repair interior car vinyl is heat and cooling bar - another thing I would like to try - the heat expands and immediately push the flat cooling bar onto the affected area and cool it quickly - this reforms the vinyl.

 

I also just swapped dashes due to the dashboard bubbles the only way to get around it is swap dashes, or take the old vinyl off trace the pattern on vinyl or leather and re skin the dashboard itself.