Sticky Dash

[imported_Lawdog]

Area wher ethe sun hits the dash in my Super Duty has become sticky. Nothing has been spilled on it so I assume it is the plastic off gassing and leaving a residue. Tried water with a MF towel and the towel just wanted to stick to it. Any suggetsion on s cleaner that will remove this and not discolor the tan dash?

[lpquick]

I`m not going to agree with you, my thoughts are that a stock dash would hold up to UV & sunlight many years. Fading becoming dry and brittle would be the eventual outcome, not sticky! Maybe something you used recently to clean or protect the dash are my first thoughts. Try some soap & water. I have in the past used those pine scented air freshners (looks like a tree), hangs on a string. These have a chemical that reacts to vinyl which can discolor and ruin any plastic it touches. You didn`t use one of these recently and it by chance didn`t fall from your rear view mirror laying on the dash did it? Hope my comments provide some help. Very interested in hearing what the deal is. Please let us know how things turn out.

[imported_Lawdog]

No, it``s a defect in the dash. I have never used anything on it but a wet towel (wet with water), never spilled anything up there, and the stickyness is uniform. In fact, there was a thread on this very thing on The DieselStop.com awhile back about the dashes becoming sticky. So it is a matter of something leeching out of the vinyl, I just need to find a way to remove it without using a harsh cleaner.

[Duckman]

Lawdog, I have the exact same problem with my 03 Focus! it`s only on the parts that are in the sun, and I`ve never clean them with anything. I assumed it was gasses too. I cleaned my dash with #40 but it`s still sticky...

[togwt]

~ One man’s opinion / observations ~



I’ve only ever seen/heard of vinyl losing its colour or cracking, even when the plasticizers leach out they evaporate they I don’t think they become ‘sticky’ and remain on the surface.



When UV light is absorbed, it starts to break (cleave) weak chemical bonds, which leads to bleaching (fading), discoloration, chalking, brittleness and cracking - all indications of UV deterioration.



Thus, it is important to provide UV protection with agents that use competitive absorption to convert the light wave energy into harmless heat (like carbon black does in tyres) Untreated rubber, vinyl, and other plastics readily absorb and are degraded by UV light



I`d be real interested to know what is causing this `sticky` residue?



~Hope this helps ~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon

[Duckman]

I wonder if it`s a ford thing?

[Mr. Chemist]

If it is a defect in the dash...then it`s time to contact Ford. If it is a chronic problem then you can bet there is a service bulletin on it somewhere...that is generally not shared with the consumer.



Someone else help me out here...I know there is a way to get at these service bulletins, but it has escaped my memory for now.



Once you have established that it is in fact a chronic problem...then it is the squeaky wheel syndrome...you have to make enough noise to where they want you to go away.



What year is the truck?



It is wierd...I`ve never heard of that kind of defect before now....

[RedondoV6]

Originally posted by Mr. Chemist

If it is a defect in the dash...then it`s time to contact Ford. If it is a chronic problem then you can bet there is a service bulletin on it somewhere...that is generally not shared with the consumer.



Someone else help me out here...I know there is a way to get at these service bulletins, but it has escaped my memory for now.







http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/home.cfm

[imported_Lawdog]

Originally posted by Mr. Chemist

If it is a defect in the dash...then it`s time to contact Ford. If it is a chronic problem then you can bet there is a service bulletin on it somewhere...that is generally not shared with the consumer.



Someone else help me out here...I know there is a way to get at these service bulletins, but it has escaped my memory for now.



Once you have established that it is in fact a chronic problem...then it is the squeaky wheel syndrome...you have to make enough noise to where they want you to go away.



What year is the truck?



It is wierd...I`ve never heard of that kind of defect before now....

My truck is a 2003 model. I asked the question over at TheDieselStop again, to see if anyone there remembered the threads, or cause. Other people with these trucks are still reporting it. I seem to have gotten most of it off today with some Orange cleaner and elbow grease. Then hit the dash with some NXT Protectant. I will be watching to see how fast it returns. There is usually a list of TSB`s for the trucks available over there. I will let you know what I find out about the cause.

[imported_Lawdog]

I`m wondering if Scottwax has come across this. He said he does alot of these trucks, and in the Texas sun if that`s the cause it seems like he would have run across it. Hey Scottwax, you out there(taps on screen):nixweiss

[imported_Lawdog]

The following is a reply from a DieselStop member who has the same thing happening and contacted Ford. He lives in the Southwest:



I called the service dept. at the dealership today and asked about it after looking under my ultimat and almost had to puke. It looks pathetic .



They reffered to it as dash sweating and said it can also put a fog or haze on the lower half of the winshield due to gasses emminating from the plastic. His reason was direct sunlight/heat. No fix for it but recommended going to an auto store and buying a cleaner specifically for auto interior plastic and then using Armor-All afterwards to seal it. Never in my life have I ever heard of the term dash sweating nor have I ever seen it happen in any vehicle I`ve ever owned. I`m going to do what everyone else is doing and use either dawn or 409 this weekend. This is a first for me.

[YoSteve]

I use Lexol`s vinyl cleaner to clean my dash sometimes before I treat it. It`s glycerin based and doesn`t leave a residue. It doesn`t say anything about using it on dashes but I figured it`s a leather clean and it cleans my vinyl seat components (the non-leather parts). Just make sure you treat your dash, it`s always worth the protection.

[LouisanaJeeper]

bringing back this old thread....



I have the same thing on my jeep cherokee. On the "soft" dash plastic they have transformed to a sticky mess. IF you rub it hard the top coat comes off and the base plastic can be seen. It never really dries but gets better when cool.



This was a TX truck for 5yrs before I got it, and it has gotten worse. I think I may have been due chemical protectants but Im not sure. Now I am kind of wodering if I should just use a damp MF on my new Dodge truck dash (same type of material)

[GS4_Fiend]

First time hearing that problem.

[Dr. Woo]

I had this problem in my 2008 R32, but it wasn`t the dash. There`s a harder plastic that`s used throughout the cabin where tactile contact isn`t necessarily common. It`s textured, but hard as a rock. Every single bit of this plastic was sticky after about 6 months of owning the vehicle. I assume it`s a coating that comes from the factory.



This problem was solved quite easily by scrubbing gently with a MF towel and water:Woolite.