Dashboard dent

[Nikita]

Hi all,

I have a small dent on the soft plastic on the dashboard from the phone holder I was using. I wonder if you guys know how to get rid of it?

It's not very deep but mainly noticeable at a certain angle/light.

Thanks a lot for your help

 

[Janusz]

I had such dents on leased car and guys from detailing shop used heat guns before I was returning it to fix it.
There was absolutely no sign of it when they were done.
That worked miracles on those places which are soft and are covered with vinyl. Top of dash etc.

 

[Redline]

2nd heat gun. Be carefull tho.

 

[Nikita]

Thanks very much guys! I thought something like this would work but wasn't sure. Perhaps might take it to service to get it done as mine is leased as well. Don't want to make it worse haha

 

[Nikita]

Hi again! I have contacted one of the repair shops around Leeds and they said they can try doing it but they said it might not fully come out and it will cost around 175 quid. I was thinking if I can try doing it myself carefully? What do you reckon?

 

[Redline]

Hi again! I have contacted one of the repair shops around Leeds and they said they can try doing it but they said it might not fully come out and it will cost around 175 quid. I was thinking if I can try doing it myself carefully? What do you reckon?

175 quid for what? use a suction cup and heat gun?
Waste of dosh.

Get a proper suction cup, not the **** chinese ones. And use a heat gun.
Can you upload a picture? It will be easier to understand the severity of the dent.

 

[LouG]

For future reference, I stick a plastic disc to the dash with 3M double sided tape, and stick the phone mount to that. The one time I didn't I got a small dent on the dash too.

 

[martin j.]

I'm sure i saw a valeted fill a hot water bottle and sit it over the dent, it gently heated the area and the dent filled out. I think. safer than a heat gun?

 

[Nikita]

175 quid for what? use a suction cup and heat gun?
Waste of dosh.

Get a proper suction cup, not the **** chinese ones. And use a heat gun.
Can you upload a picture? It will be easier to understand the severity of the dent.

I was thinking of using a hairdryer for this. What kind of suction cup do you mean? I have attached the photo

 

[Nikita]

I'm sure i saw a valeted fill a hot water bottle and sit it over the dent, it gently heated the area and the dent filled out. I think. safer than a heat gun?

Not a bad idea haha might be worth a try!

 

[Nikita]

For future reference, I stick a plastic disc to the dash with 3M double sided tape, and stick the phone mount to that. The one time I didn't I got a small dent on the dash too.

Haha I know I didn't think it would do that. But it was during last summer hot days when it was really hot that made it worse

 

[Redline]

I was thinking of using a hairdryer for this. What kind of suction cup do you mean? I have attached the photo

Looks like the vacuum pulled up the material and the ring pushed down the material....
So reversing that would make most sense. Use heat and find a circular object that matches in size and push down while you heat. That should atleast get it to look like 1 even circle and not 1 within the other. then if that works find a new circle the size of the now uniform circle and heat that up and pray to god that will even things out.

This is bro-science but i don't see any other ways beside getting a new dash. Or put one of those middle eastern mats over it

 

[Nikita]

Looks like the vacuum pulled up the material and the ring pushed down the material....
So reversing that would make most sense. Use heat and find a circular object that matches in size and push down while you heat. That should atleast get it to look like 1 even circle and not 1 within the other. then if that works find a new circle the size of the now uniform circle and heat that up and pray to god that will even things out.

This is bro-science but i don't see any other ways beside getting a new dash. Or put one of those middle eastern mats over it

Thanks a lot mate! The indent is really not very deep but just noticeable at angles, so I am gonna try hot water bottle and hairdryer to heat it up and try to massage it out.

 

[Aardvark]

Park it in the sun ...have you felt how hot a dash gets in direct sunlight? once sun hot, might be worth a gentle massage. Another way may be some tin foil and sit a small pan of almost boiling water on it, no hotter than 80c. Heat guns are savage in the wrong hands

 

[Nikita]

Park it in the sun ...have you felt how hot a dash gets in direct sunlight? once sun hot, might be worth a gentle massage. Another way may be some tin foil and sit a small pan of almost boiling water on it, no hotter than 80c. Heat guns are savage in the wrong hands

I know that's why I am a bit sceptical of using a hairdryer. It's getting warmer now so hopefully it will get better. I have tried with a hot water bottle but it hasn't improved it much. Just hope it gets a bit better with time before I have to give it back

 

[Leeon]

Bit of an old post, but stupidly I did the same thing with a suction cup phone mount. using the tips above I managed to make it unnoticeable unless you really knew it was there. I used a hairdryer to heat up the area for 10mins, then immediately rubbed/massaged an ice pack over the surface straight away, I did this a couple of times and its soo much better and no longer an eye sore.