Very Strange Dash Issue

[morphious]

Lately I have started to notice that my dash appears to have Armor All on it at strange times specifically on the passenger side. At first I thought it was lotion from my wife as occasionally she will put some on in the car and touch the dash and leave some but that I wipe off, this is the dash itself. From the picture you can see a distinct line and area on the passenger side dash that was not there when I pulled the car out of the garage, but after parking it at Home Depot for about 20 minutes you can see where the sun was shining and this is what is there. It will go away on it's own but feels a tad bit greasy just like if I wiped it down with Armor All, if you run your finger over the area you can slowly spread it out. I have tried cleaning with soap and water and still it strangely will reappear. I have no cracks or damage on the dash and just can't figure this out. Any thoughts on this?

 

[CXS]

Did you check with your wife to see if she knows why it's there? Probably find the answer with her, either way I suspect time and a few washings will take care of it.

 

[morphious]

Did you check with your wife to see if she knows why it's there? Probably find the answer with her, either way I suspect time and a few washings will take care of it.

To clarify, she might drive the 4runner 2 - 3 times a year and she is in it at most once a week if that, so I know she isn't causing this. Plus it was not there when I went to Home Depot but was there on my way back and the wife didn't go with me.

 

[CXS]

it was not there when I went to Home Depot but was there on my way back

Gotcha, very odd indeed then!

 

[TiN]

Does the "border" of the oily section stay the same each time it appears, or does it change from time to time? (Grow, shrink, etc?)

 

[morphious]

Does the "border" of the oily section stay the same each time it appears, or does it change from time to time? (Grow, shrink, etc?)

Never the same pattern, same general area. Today it was how the sun was shining on it.

 

[TiN]

Hmm, odd. Not sure if it's the sun drawing oils out of the material, or maybe some sort of temperature difference in that area that causes the surface to look different. I use a dash cover on mine, so I haven't had the chance to notice anything like that.

 

[awdjunkies]

Ever hear of Crop circles? Welcome to Dash Circles!!! :spy: ....:laugh:


Seriously though, it's weird to only appear recently, you've never noticed it, yet, it comes and goes in various shapes and sizes...

Things that make you go Hmmmm....

 

[PredBlue]

2003 with same issue. First showed up sometime this summer when I noticed what looked like a shadow on the dash on a rainy day. A lot less noticeable than OP's picture (my camera phone wouldn't pick up enough detail to post.). My dash line is within an inch or two of OP's dash pic, but a little straighter line. I think it's humidity related for me because it was noticeable in the hot/humid summer, invisible in September when we don't have any humidity at all, and now it's back because it's cool/damp/rainy this fall. I've never applied any chemicals, just a damp rag with water, never sprayed window cleaner directly on inside of glass or anything like that. It's garaged or I use a sunshade when I can't park under cover during the day so direct sun hasn't been a factor over the life of the vehicle. I parked next to another 2003 this summer and it had the same shading line on the dash and the owner said he never really noticed it until I pointed it out (oops, sorry). A friend with a 2004 had the same thing but he uses Armor All or whatever and I always assumed that maybe that was the cause in his case.

Between the cracking issues others have related and this fade/shadow/discoloration, I'd have to say that something went wrong with the manufacturing process on the dash. Minor annoyance only at this point as long as it doesn't get more pronounced.

 

[morphious]

Mystery solved

This seems to be the breaking down of the materials used to manufacture the dash as I have discovered my first CRACK today.:mad2:

 

[awdjunkies]

This seems to be the breaking down of the materials used to manufacture the dash as I have discovered my first CRACK today.:mad2:

Well that sucks.. Sorry to hear...

 

[BlackWorksInc]

This seems to be the breaking down of the materials used to manufacture the dash as I have discovered my first CRACK today.:mad2:

Is it at the boundary between the shiny and the dull part out of curiosity?

 

[morphious]

Is it at the boundary between the shiny and the dull part out of curiosity?

No, the crack that I discovered was actually on driver's side next to the pillar. The whole dash is now starting to haze over with blotches, almost like when you put crazy glue in a sealed environment and the fumes haze over finger prints. Not sure what to do, but at this point it seems to be drying out so I don't know if oiling it somehow will slow this process down. This is happening not due to the element as it is driven 2-4k miles a year and parked in an insulated garage.:Cry: