I just got my 03 s2000, and this car's dash must be the filthiest in existence. It's as if the previous owner rubbed dirt on it and never bothered to clean it up.

I don't know much about cleaning cars properly, and I need advice on how to clean it. Fantastic, windex, soap and water, just water, tar remover, armor all? I have no idea! Any proper advice will be great! Thanks.

As you can see in the pictures, the passenger airbag cover looks a completely different color than the rest of the dash (it looks cleaner, and a sort of different finish).

Pictures:

 

Fear not!

Take a sponge and a bucket with some warm water and lightly sponge down the entire dash. Make sure the sponge isn't too wet, so that water doesn't seep into the cracks. You're just trying to wipe it down and get rid of most of the dirt. Do this several times. You could throw in a little soap into the water if you'd like.

Once the dash is dry, get some 303 Protectant and apply it to the dash using another sponge. Given how the dash looks, I'd plan on doing this three solid times, with maybe a 60 minute wait between the first two applications, and a third application the following day.

 

[QUOTE=phoenix9999,Oct 31 2004, 09:18 AM]Fear not!

Take a sponge and a bucket with some warm water and lightly sponge down the entire dash.

 

Ah, I see what you're saying. I've had marks like that before. (Once, my mom, who is about 5 ft tall, put her feet up on the dash as though to brace herself for a crash! The rubber soles left some dark marks!) 303 won't do anything for those, it is a protectant, not a cleaner. I'd try more aggressive scrubbing, not with a sponge but with a cotton towel, and not with water but perhaps a light cleaner like a window cleaner. (They tend to remove minor "goo" with pressure, so they could help here.)

 

Great, thanks. I will try this now and then update!

 

Worked like a charm - thanks! Actually it was a very easy cleaning job. I just am amazed at how it could have gotten so dirty!

 

Now that you have it clean you might want to protect it. 303 does a great job but IMP has too much shine for dashes. Vinylex has slightly less shine. I use Poorboys Natural Look for dashes. It has UV protection but no fake shine. I also use Swifer pads to clean or dust the dash, works like a charm!

 

Also... if you ever use windex or other houshold glass-type cleaners, many of them have ammonia which is very harsh on plastics & vinyl. Be sure to clean the dash off with damp cloth/ water to get any ammonia residue off of the dash. I've found it's handy to use for serious cleaning once in a while but then I rinse the dash well and apply a proper protectant. If you make a habit of using these harsh products often they can break down the vinyl over time.

C-