This topic has been a bane of us all here. Many have purchased a new or replacement dash or have gone the way of buying a cover but both methods are not permanent.
The replacement eventually ends up cracking and the cover needs a secure and stable base to be fastened to. Not a great option when the original dash continues to deteriorate.
After a few years with my used Avy, I finally came up with a solid long lasting fix for our troubles.
I purchased my used Avy with a terribly cracked dash covered by a carpet cover. I bought the dash cover from dashskins and just popped it in without any sealant. For a few years I left it this way but kept thinking of ways to make it a permanent fix while also keeping it secure.
At first I thought of making a fiberglass front lip to secure the skin to the front as the original dash was but did not want such a complex fix. It was around this time I ended up needing a new phone case. The case came with one of those things sheets of metal to secure to the rear of the phone so it would attach to a magnet. This sparked an idea to use magnets to secure the skin to the dash frame.
I ended up buying a bag of those from Amazon along with a set of bar magnets and some epoxy.
I took the skin off then removed all the original plastic from the dash itself. I measured the space between the 6 clips near the windshield area and the places that secured the front lip, then transferred these measurements to the skin.
I used magnets on the 6 clips and metal plates on the skin. For the front lip which our skin does not have I used 1 small L bracket secured with the same screw the original dash used. I epoxied a magnet to the skin so it would like up with the bracket. I followed this across the front of the skin and brought it down the sides.
What I was left with was a skin that magnetically attached to the dash frame securely and does not squeak or rattle.
I mirrored this technique for the front fascia that covers the radio and ac.
My dash is now completely magnetic and enabled me to remove it in under 3 minutes. Excellent for any type of dash work and also enables light to filter through if doing under dash work from the foot wells.
The dash has been installed for over a year now and is holding up very well.
If anyone ever wishes to do this to their Avy, let me know. I'm more than happy to help out.
The replacement eventually ends up cracking and the cover needs a secure and stable base to be fastened to. Not a great option when the original dash continues to deteriorate.
After a few years with my used Avy, I finally came up with a solid long lasting fix for our troubles.
I purchased my used Avy with a terribly cracked dash covered by a carpet cover. I bought the dash cover from dashskins and just popped it in without any sealant. For a few years I left it this way but kept thinking of ways to make it a permanent fix while also keeping it secure.
At first I thought of making a fiberglass front lip to secure the skin to the front as the original dash was but did not want such a complex fix. It was around this time I ended up needing a new phone case. The case came with one of those things sheets of metal to secure to the rear of the phone so it would attach to a magnet. This sparked an idea to use magnets to secure the skin to the dash frame.
I ended up buying a bag of those from Amazon along with a set of bar magnets and some epoxy.
I took the skin off then removed all the original plastic from the dash itself. I measured the space between the 6 clips near the windshield area and the places that secured the front lip, then transferred these measurements to the skin.
I used magnets on the 6 clips and metal plates on the skin. For the front lip which our skin does not have I used 1 small L bracket secured with the same screw the original dash used. I epoxied a magnet to the skin so it would like up with the bracket. I followed this across the front of the skin and brought it down the sides.
What I was left with was a skin that magnetically attached to the dash frame securely and does not squeak or rattle.
I mirrored this technique for the front fascia that covers the radio and ac.
My dash is now completely magnetic and enabled me to remove it in under 3 minutes. Excellent for any type of dash work and also enables light to filter through if doing under dash work from the foot wells.
The dash has been installed for over a year now and is holding up very well.
If anyone ever wishes to do this to their Avy, let me know. I'm more than happy to help out.
