dash pad pulling loose

[joshcarp81]

anyone ever had any lusk regluing the dash pad back to the plastic/metal behind it?
the dash is in great shape other than this and i hate to get another one because of this. basically pullin loose above glovebox and side towards drivers door.

i just dont think that the spray adhesives will hold did my headliner already and im leaning more towards two part epoxy
let me know what you guys think

 

[92AWDHX40]

Yes but it wasnt that bad i used glue and adhesive.

 

[joshcarp81]

so what kind of glue/adhesive did you use?
mine isnt terrible but bad enough i cant do anything but look at it when i get in the car

 

[92AWDHX40]

I forgot its been so long ago.

 

[eeeric16]

i used JB weld on mine, just to the metal behind it. Used small little spring clamps to hold it in place overnight. It won't be peeling off again anytime soon. And I don't plan on needing to take it off

 

[91stocker]

I ran some spray adhesive as well. Just what ever the local auto parts had on the shelf. Then i put a couple self tappers under it. There is a little lip on the very bottom edge of the dash pad that i caught with the screws. Worked great and you cant see anything.

 

[DSM1G90]

Head to Home Depot, and in the paint dept, is Scotch spray adhesive 90 ... pretty nasty stuff, but does it make things stick together.

..or, you could head to a yard and find a busted up DSM that may have a good dash that you can pull for cheap...

-DSM

 

[na alltheway]

i did what eric did, only mine ripped where your knees are area*

 

[PANDARESCUE]

I'm planning on trying gorilla glue on mine that stuff is powerful

 

[Calan]

It doesn't matter what glue you use... if the yellow foam is dry-rotted (which it is), it will just separate and peel again. The glue will hold the outer layer of foam in place, but the inside of it will just crumble and peel away again.

Here's a process that has worked great for me on the panels you can remove (specifically the one under the steering column).

Pull the panel off and use a generous amount of contact cement or strong spray adhesive to glue the covering back down to the metal. As soon as the glue dries and you press the the cover into place, use a straight edge and clamps as necessary to hold it in place. (You can also apply some heat with a blow dryer to soften the cover and then stretch it into place if needed).

And here's the trick... Using a small drill bit, drill several holes all along the edge of the cover down into the foam, and inject it with superglue. The superglue will solidify the foam and prevent it from crumbling and peeling away again. Let it sit for a couple of hours before removing the clamps/straightedge.

I used about 6 tubes of it on the kick panel under the steering column, and it's held up great.

 

[joshcarp81]

wow i am an idiot i build and fly model planes and helis and never thought to use some of the specialized glues i have. they are all cyanoacrylates just different viscosties and strengths. im gonna take some before and after pics and post em when im done ill get started this afternoon.....

 

[CrawlinZX14]

josh, CA works great. I have yet to actually do it to my TSi but I have used it on other vehicles. I have also taken a thin strip of metal or plastic and put it at the top and riveted it into place thru the metal to make sure the part that folds over to the back never pulls away again. That coupled with glue and such will likely solve any issues u have. I am thinking about doing mine this weekend while the wifey is out of town and I have the time to actually get things done. If I do it this weekend, I will try and do a write up for it.

 

[dsm144]

I used epoxy on mine and its still good

 

[joshcarp81]

crawlin, it lloks to be mostly caused by improper surface prep. the steel is shiny meaniny its smooth.....i took a grey scotch pad to the steel first then took a fine applicator tip in my ca bottle and kinda wicked it into the foam and onto the steel then clamped it straight where i could. after i got to that point i hit it with the ca kicker (to set it immediately) i then wicked more along the edge of the foam with ca and added kicker again. then used hot glue on that edge and wrapped it around to the backside of the steel kinda how the foam use to be.
works so far. im going to put it out in the sun all day at work tomorrow to see how it holds up. the hot melt glue iu used isnt the standard walmart stuff it alot better quality and takes it own glue gun too. (hobby quality)
the good thing i wont have to take the dashpad off to do it bud i did take off the knee pad to do it. i went ahead and did the entire perimeter of the kneepad

 

[Calan]

CA works great for solidifying the foam, but something like contact cement is probably better for gluing the foam to the metal. For one thing it is semi-flexible and will hold up as the pad stretches and shrinks due to heat cycles, and for another CA's strength is in it's ability to hold under tension...not shear so much.

 

[joshcarp81]

calan i hear what your saying ive used contact cement plenty. im a carpenter we use it alot in kitchens and custom doors countertops etc. check out mercury adhesives. weve had problems with contact cement debonding on countertops when they are transported on a flatbed truck on a hot sunny day. just my two cents and im sure theres more than one way to do this. so im gonna try to take some before pics before i start on the dashpad tomorrow

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

You will find that this is extremely common with 1gs. I tired gluing mine several times to no avail and I finally bolted it down. I ordered some black screw covers to keep it looking cleanish. Some might not like the look but it worked and I'm happy with it.

This is from when I first did it. That fire extinguisher is no more, it has been replaced with a larger one mounted out of sight behind the passenger seat.

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