So many Ferraris with 'stretched' leather issues...mine seems to have the opposite ailment (see picture). What are my options to having this repaired? 1. Completely recover the dash. 2. Replace just this leather panel (not entire dash). 3. Insert needle, inject glue under leather, smooth out wrinkles. 4. Use an iron (kidding). Please share your success stories. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Looks like you've researched the shrinking dash threads. I've followed this for awhile since my 360 dash was similar to yours. Needle with glue, talked about but I can't remember anyone actually doing it. Iron, another suggestion but remember someone pointing out that there is a material between the leather and dash that makes this not viable. I really think the only option is a full removal and recover. I got an estimate from a car interior shop that was $4500. But I also talked to a local ferrari indy shop that has done this kind of work and it was more like $3K. And of all the posts I've seen, the only successful repairs were removal/recover. Not the news any of us want to acknowledge. It it what it is.
Rick I do not remember the car like that last year when it was for sale, what happened? How long it took for those creases to appear? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Fernando, the ripples were there. At the time, I was fed a line of baloney that it would tighten up and smooth out once it was being driven again in the sunshine (car had been indoors for a while). It's not a big deal to me but would love to find a solution that isn't obscenely expensive.
Oh yeah along with the 19k service invoice that they didn't warranty. Well I guess I missed those, I haven't had any problems with leather shrinkage nor creases, only the air bag leather is a little separated but not enough to make a bubble and I believe that is the easiest leather issue to resolve. Good luck Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Rick- Yours looks like a good candidate for removal, stretching and regluing. The problem with most Ferrari dashes is that they shrink and do not leave enough leather to cover the dash. Looks like you may be lucky.
I agree with Terry and i think your dash is reparable and doesn't need a complete re-upholstering. Unfortunately to work on it, the dash will need to be taken out and fixed thru pulling the leather out and possibly replacing the foam (if it doesn't smut out) in those areas affected by. It might seems a really big job to take a dashboard out but in reality is not and can easily be done at home. Here is the procedure i found really helpful when i did mine ... http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/attachments/360-430-sponsored-yellow-compass-group/1775139d1379703658-360-dashboard-restoration-repair-360proc_007_reve.pdf Image Unavailable, Please Login
From the looks of your vents it won't be long before the vents pop and the leather starts to lift. You will find the sponge has come away from the leather and started to break down. The leather around the vents will be hard and dry like old cardboard unfortunately u have only 1 option remove dash and recover it. Gud Luk
I personally would not go to all the trouble of pulling the dash without doing a new cover. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I also could agree with above but only after a good re-upholster shop thinks is the way to go. The Dash has to come out and that is not an option ....
Been there. Rizzo 338 is correct, the next will be your dash vents will pop off and will need to be replaced as the vents have plastic rods that attach to the dash. They will break off and cannot be re-attached. The way your leather is attached to the dash - is glue, then foam then glue then leather. What is happening is the foam is dry rotting and you will not be able to "reattach" the leather. I tried the glue in a needle, but what you will end up is - is a dash with dents like a heroin addict. You can try what you want, but at the end of the day, it will need to be removed and recovered. If you are smart, purchase the metal vents made by one of the Fchaters (so a search). If you go through the trouble of removing the dash, you might as well do it right.
If I recall correctly there was a thread awhile back where a guy recovered his dash and he gave a set by step write up which was extremely detailed.
Thanks for all of the input. I'll do a search for the thread you mentioned Robert but I simply don't have the skills to attempt this as DIY. My wife is pretty crafty though, maybe I can trick her into doing it. :^)
If you can make your way up north a little, Ferrari dealers use Prestige Auto Upholstery in North Hollywood.
I would spend time lathering the leather with leatheriqe first if you are going to stretch it. Mine was not nearly as bad. It stretched out just fine.
Bob, your dash was a rather simple fix. I could see that the vents were popped up and after taking them off I saw that the leather under them was drum tight and off the fiberglass dash a good 1/2" in some places. I took a length of 5/8 heater hose wrapped several layers of cotton towel around it, tied it up like you would a wiring harness, soaked it in Leatherique and forced it down between the glass and the dash. The hose/towel/Leatherique arrangement forced the leather down to the fiberglass and presto, in a couple of days in the sun the vents fit fine and that little ripple in the center is gone. I put a pull string on this invention so that I can pull it out easily in order to reuse it again later. I also use a turkey baster to soak the hose/towel "tool" with Leatherique while it is stuck in it's working position against the windshield and dash top. The leather in that area is now soft and back to the shape of the fiberglass. FYI Love the car!
Rick, Contact Randy, RMT in Yorba Linda since you are not that far. I just saw a friend of mine did his 360 dashboard through RMT. He changed the whole thing with alcantara in two tone and for me it just looked like Scud's. High quality and very reasonable price. You should check it out just to get another option (Opinion) before making a decision. I will try to get the pictures to share. Asked my friend if he could take some pictures and send them to me. Brian
Check them out. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I wonder if RMT did Paul Walkers 360 too! I saved this picture of his Modena when it was up for sale and I know they serviced it. Image Unavailable, Please Login
OT slightly, what are the seats in this car... I already knew I wanted my dash to look the same but damn if those seats don't look good too.
There are 2 pictures with similar dashboard seems to be done by the same person. One above is my firend's 360 and the other is supposed to be Paul Walker's. My friend's seats aren't Ferrari OEM seats where he just replaced them with dashboard due to a normal wear and tear we see on cars. He got the quote (I do not remember how much but the total for getting the dashboard and seats was very low IMO. I could find out) and just did it according to him. I am sure you could put any of Ferrari original seat or any particular seat that of your choice. A nice Recaro would make it look good. You could work it out with the person who does the work to make seats look in accordance with your color of dash board. For me, it was nicer than they look in pictures so I even asked my friend where and how much it cost. 360 dashboard shrinkage is a common problem and he fixed it all.. It kind of looks like Scud (Sorry for the Scud owners) but in an economic version. His car is Rosso Corsa so I thought they blended in quiet nicely. No more worries of shrinking dashboard once for all... Just my 2 cents. I did not like the steering wheel either... Can we put a LED steering wheel on our 360 or 430? I know it is an option for 458 and 488 and some people do it. I love it and would like to find out if it is possible to put one. I am sure there are lots of electrical issues involved as the steering wheel has to read the RPM's... Just a thought.
