What’s the level of effort in fixing this?
What options are there?

Concerned that it’s part of the airbag

 

Probably the only option is to replace the dash pad with a good one.

It seems unlikely that the bubbling, in and of itself, would negatively affect airbag performance.

 

Option 1 is replacement with a used dash:
Is the UL and ML also trimmed with a leather dash pad? If only the CL has the leather dashpad, I'm worried that I won't be able to easily find a used replacement.

Option 2: reupholster the existing dash:
Would it be possible to reupholster without removing the entire panel? Would the airbag panel create any difficulties with reupholstering?

 

Only a CL or UL dash would be an accurate replacement.

Suggest you check with an auto interior trim shop regarding Option 2.

 

Unfortunately, your only viable choice is to replace with another used dash, preferably from a northern car. Make sure any dash you consider does not have any evidence of any kind of protectant or sealer on it. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

 

Not ML or base model?
How are they distinguished?

 

i saw this on one used LS430 i looked at. my guess is that someone used a chemical to clean the dash (that was incompatible)

 

My CL came from Florida. Has anyone found a suitable repair? I’m familiar with upholstery materials, but I have a hard time believing the dashboard material is leather. I suspect it’s a vinyl product. I’m tempted to slice out a large oval of the bubbled covering and (hopefully) peel it off. Then I could make a leather or vinyl patch with a sewn edge and glue it down (without the large bubbles showing through). I worry that the original vinyl edges would curl up and create a bigger problem. Does anyone have experience peeling up the old dashboard material?

 

The dash pad is not leather on these cars, it’s vinyl with a leather grain on all models, so you can use any donor LS 430 dash pad if you want. Definitely looks like a wrong chemical was used to clean the dash, or some really strong sun damage occurred.

You could possibly have the dash wrapped in real leather from an upholstery shop vs getting a donor dash pad, but at what cost? It all depends on your budget and what you really want to do to permanently fix the problem.

 

A new dashboard panel cost about $1200, a good used one cost about half of new. If your car is in great condition other than the dashboard, it is worthwhile to replace it. I replaced the dashboard for my 2005 GX years ago DIY. It wasn’t hard, took me about 8 hours, a lot of time was spent on documenting what was what and what went where.

 

. Replacing the LS430 dash is a HUGE undertaking. Not a DIY for an average owner. Paying a tech will be pricey too. No easy answer other than a cover which is not aesthetically pleasing either. Good luck and let us know how you address the issue.

 

I'm still poking around with my bubbled dashboard. I removed the speedometer bezel and cut off a piece of the dashboard material. It is definitely not leather. Its a very heavy vinyl with leather pattern printed on the upper surface. I also cut the top off one of the bubbles. I'm guessing that the bubble is formed by decomposing dashboard material - for some reason the dashboard padding has bubbled and expanded, pushing the big blisters into the vinyl cover. The interior of the bubble seems to be hard and crunchy - I'm not able to simply scrape out and deflate the bubble. I toyed with cutting out a large oval and trying to peel the damaged section of vinyl off the dashboard. But my fear is the surface of the padding beneath would be uneven and porous after I finish peeling the vinyl away, making a poor surface for new material. My idea for a "permanent" fix is to make some kind of overlay or replacement covering from ultrasuede material.
I can't support the "somebody used unapproved solution" idea. A previous owner would have had to take a tiny eyedropper and dribbled random trails and widely spaced droplets of the mysterious "unapproved solution" onto the dashboard, to produce this random dispersion of blisters. Then the mysterious fluid would have to soak through the vinyl covering and cause the padding underneath to expand. That doesn't make sense to me.

 

Late to the party - and Thx for posting - Seat doctors makes a dash color that is within 10 to 5% of the OEM grayish color that is used on the LS07 Cashmere interiors. Was wondering if you can fix and air brush and regrain. Some on the forum say the removal of the dash, while time consuming, is possible but then you need a donor car/dash. Did you ever do anything with yours? Thx for posting

 

I would just get a dash mat which I use on all my cars since it reduces glare also. The poly carpeted or carpet style would look good, the velour doesn't IMHO. A steamer helps with fitting contours and using velcro to hold it in place shouldn't be an issue since the dash is already in poor shape. Once you do that you can continue to pursue getting a replacement dash but I'm pretty sure you will find the dash mat looks fine. Covercraft is the original dash mat vendor and would be the only one I would consider.

 

I have not read this entire thread. But being an owner of an LS430 for 15 years.. (with a perfect dash), I can say with confidence... there is NO practical fix for the bubbles. Removing the dash is monumental, and then finding another suitable one makes almost no sense. They no longer make these dash new. If it has bubbles, it's doomed to be covered and live with it......The alternatives are over the top in labor and expense.(P.S)... I have personally passed on numerous extremely low mileage LS430s for this very reason of bubbles on the dash. The car may be in excellent condition, but the value drops way way way down because of the astronimical cost and labor to attempt a repair... Bubbles on a LS430 dash=an exceptionally designed car that has basically an unlealistic cosmetic deficit. Stilll quite driveable but retains the flaw.