Peeling Dashes

A common problem that we see all the time are peeling or delaminating dashboards and center consoles. Basically what happens is that areas of the factory painted surface begin to release from the dashboard, often bubbling and peeling extensively. This problem is especially common in Chevy and GMC trucks made from about 2000 through 2006, including Yukon, Tahoe, and Silverado. Although the dash style changed in 2007, the water-based dyes did not, and the problem continues in more recent models. The center console on Mercedes-Benz SLK models often has the same issue, as do certain other vehicles.

A 2002 Chevy Silverado dash peeling in two of the most common areas.
Another frequently seen spot is the area on either side of the dash grab handle.

The cause is a water (rather than solvent) based dye. Water based dyes have the advantage of being much more environmentally friendly, and many companies are switching to them in order to remain complient with federal clean air standards. The disadvantage, especially in the earlier models to use it, is that is has a tendancy not to stick as well as more traditional methods. Any kind of solvent, oil, or grease can cause it to bubble, peel, or slough off. The most common culprit that we see is ArmorAll or other greasy protectants, but hand lotion, sunblock, liquid air freshener, and even sweat have all been known to cause the dye to fail.

Let me state this as emphatically as possible: never put ArmorAll on a Chevy truck dash. It will cause the finish to fail. The dye will peel off, revealing unsightly black plastic underneath.

After considerable expirimentation, we came up with a way to fix these. In the most the most extreme cases, where the entire dash is peeling, your only options are a replacement or a carpet dash cover. In most situations, however, we can arrest the peeling process, retexture, and redye your dash to a very high level of restoration. So good, in fact, that the Chevy dealers call us to handle these for them.

This is the same vehicle pictured above.
The repair cost $175, versus over $1000 to replace it.

Usually it is not worth attempting to redye a peeling instrument bezel. The dye virtually always wants to continue peeling. The replacement dealer part runs about $150.00. Unfortunately, Chevrolet no longer stocks this part in any color besides shiny black. We are happy to dye them to match your interior for a cost of $125.00.

A partial list of cars known to have this issue:


• Chevrolet Tahoe 2000-Present
• Chevrolet Silverado 2000-Present
• GMC Yukon/Denali 2000-Present
• Volkswagon Beetle 1998-Present
• Mercedes Benz SLK 1997-2004


This list is by no means exhaustive, although these are the vehicles that seem to have the most cases reported. More and more manufacturers are switching to the water based dyes, and this problem is cropping up with increasing regularity.