Dashboard Bubble Repair

[VenumE82]

Hey guys,

I had a huge dash bubble for the past year on my car. Huge eyesore as it was plopped right above my main air conditioning vent. After watching a video online of a dash bubble repair company located in LA, I took my car to the guy and asked him for a quote to repair my car. After looking at the dash, he said he didn't want to touch it....guys business focuses on repairing dashboards and he didn't want to touch mine, that makes sense.

So I finally said fuck it, I'll just try fixing it myself. Purchased a $30 heat gun from amazon along with a window tinting squeegee. Here are some before shots and an after shot after I just repaired it.

I initially poked the bubble with a small needle so gas could escape. I made a few pokes along the small valley the vinyl sits on. I then just heated the area, hoping to reactivate the glue underneath. Once that was heated, i just started to work the area with the squeegee, just pressing down constantly on it and holding the area until the glue cooled down and held the vinyl in place. After about 10 minutes, everything has cooled down and it looks like the problem is fixed.

I'll be checking it throughout the day today and let you guys know how it turns out in the coming weeks. Hopefully non of you have to deal with this issue but if you do, looks like a $35 fix with about 15 minutes of work will take care of the issue.

[smrtypants44]

Looks great!

[Fakemike]

Nice job!

[714_2er]

Looks good!

If you haven't already, I would purchase a sunshade. It might help in prolonging the return of anymore bubbles.
Since I've been using my sunshade, the bubbles on my dash have not grown.

[VenumE82]

Originally Posted by 714_1er

Looks good!

If you haven't already, I would purchase a sunshade. It might help in prolonging the return of anymore bubbles.
Since I've been using my sunshade, the bubbles on my dash have not grown.

The reason it hasn't gotten worse is because I immediately started using one after I bought the car. Definitely worth it imo when it comes to damage control on these cars.

[KNS]

Excellent work! I wonder if making one or two tiny pin holes right at the crease would preclude the bubble from happening in the first place..?

You ought to show a BMW dealer what you did - they might be interested in using the technique for warranty work.

[zx10guy]

Venum, nice work.

Originally Posted by KNS

Excellent work! I wonder if making one or two tiny pin holes right at the crease would preclude the bubble from happening in the first place..?

You ought to show a BMW dealer what you did - they might be interested in using the technique for warranty work.

Screw that. If my car is still under warranty, I'm demanding a new dash.

[VenumE82]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Venum, nice work.



Screw that. If my car is still under warranty, I'm demanding a new dash.

Thanks Zx10guy.

From my research into the issue, BMWNA no longer replaces these. When I asked the dealership for a quote, it was $2k+ for parts and labor and about a 2-3 week turnaround time for everything.

Initially when the car was new, BMW was getting killed with many people bringing their car in for the replacement dash. They apparently issued a service advisory telling dealerships to not replace the part.

Many people who did get new dashboards installed, reported the issue reoccurring. Just an absolute disaster.

[sometorque]

Nice job!

How has it held up so far? I've posted about this issue occuring on my dashboard. I tried working at it with a heat gun, but it lasted about a day before coming back. I was a bit impatient doing it, so I may want to try it again if I can come out with results similar to yours.

[VenumE82]

Originally Posted by sometorque

Nice job!

How has it held up so far? I've posted about this issue occuring on my dashboard. I tried working at it with a heat gun, but it lasted about a day before coming back. I was a bit impatient doing it, so I may want to try it again if I can come out with results similar to yours.

So far, it still looks perfect.

The vinyl initially didn't stick all that great so make sure it gets nice and hot underneath the vinyl so the glue underneath reactivates. Just be sure to not point the heat gun in a direct area for too long as you don't want to cause more damage.

[Kgolf31]

Nice. I have a pretty good bubble right by my right knee that came up some weekend at an event. I have a heatgun so I'll give this a shot.

[sometorque]

Gave it a shot, but no dice. My bubble is long and narrow, and runs against the "fold" in the dash, which is making it hard for it to adhere without working itself loose. Looks like a wrap job or new dash are my only options

[fast_lane]

I have couple of bubbles myself and will try to fix them this weekend



Will report back how it goes and how it holds up

[KNS]

Do you guys use sunshades while parked?

[tock172]

Originally Posted by KNS

Do you guys use sunshades while parked?

Yes, religiously in every vehicle, even my E30 which has crevices in the dash from 32 years of unknown habits by previous owners.

Speaking of previous owners, that’s probably why my 2011 135i had a bubble in the dash above the airbag on the passenger side. I always wanted try something like what is outlined in this thread, but never had the guts. Looks like it’s a solid alternative though. I watch the dash on my current 2012 135i very closely for any developments.

[Gangplank]

Loving in Las Vegas for2years I had a small bubble in the center of the dash. I got the thick bmw sunshade and started using it all the time. The bubble has gone down quite a bit. Now living in Florida it's gotten even better. I'm thinking about using a syringe and super glue + heat gun & squeegee to flatten it down.

[chris_flies]

I haven't noticed this, though Virginia isn't always the sunniest place in the world...

Nice work, OP!

[fast_lane]

Hey peeps, when I bought my car last year it came with couple of dashboard bubbles:



I read the OP's post and decided to give it a go and made a Youtube video in the process.

This morning, about 15% of the bubbles are back, but dashboard is looking much better than before.

I am still not giving up until I find a working method for fixing this crap. I will try window squeegee next and maybe rollers.

Question for the OP: Any idea what temperature you set on the heat-gun?

[Captain Blood]

Looks like my next project!

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by fast_lane

Hey peeps, when I bought my car last year it came with couple of dashboard bubbles:

I read the OP's post and decided to give it a go and made a Youtube video in the process.

This morning, about 15% of the bubbles are back, but dashboard is looking much better than before.

I am still not giving up until I find a working method for fixing this crap. I will try window squeegee next and maybe rollers.

Question for the OP: Any idea what temperature you set on the heat-gun?

Nice video. Good effort. Hope you get it all out.

[hassr]

I just removed my bubbles using the hot sun and a needle. The last time I tried this I did not poke my needle through the material enough so no air could really get out. I thought it was a lost cause but the video gave me hope.

[ShocknAwe]

Was looking at a bubble on my dash the other day and wondering if this would work. Glad to see someone has tried it. My thought was to pop a hole, heat and see, if that doesn't do it I'm gonna shoot some super glue under there with a tiny syringe.