Porsche 944 - Suede Dashboard Cover Review by Dash-Topper for $67.95 

Nice! Yeah, I was thinking they could have included just a bit more Velcro strip as well. I wish there were some genuine leather or alcantara options available without going the full custom route, but this one seems to be a decent middle ground. Cheers!

That would be a bold undertaking not for the faint of heart. 😂 If I ever went that route, I think I’d go with a leather cover from Classic 9 Leather Shop…

"A bold undertaking..." said by the guy who changed his clutch and torque tube bearings...not to mention all the other bold undertakings on this car! 😅

@@ThingsBreak Hey, I gotta draw the line somewhere, right? 🤣

@@NC944erI’ve been to their shop and saw a few dashes in progress. Lots of work involved but the results are amazing.

I had one and loved it, but it shrunk to unusable condition in less than a year.

The natural dash material obviously looks better than the fabric covers in most situations, at least for me, I think they’re good for protecting a nice dash and possibly hiding a really badly destroyed dash. Once it’s wedged in between the windshield, it’s not gonna move unless you yank it off with your hands. The only benefit I could see from a track perspective is that the fabric is less reflective than a vinyl dash… if you’ve ever run into situations with the sun shining up from the dash, it could help there I suppose.

@@phil6012 So you had your dash re-covered then? Not just a topper? I’ve seen the Classic 9 stuff, but mine’s not bad enough to warrant pulling the dash just yet. Now, if they had a nice quality leather topper to throw on top that looked better than this one, that’s something I’d like to check out.

@@NC944er Shipped it to them for complete recover. Twice, actually. First time was black leather on top, but had water damage from the incorrect windshield being installed. 2nd time I had the top done in Alcantara, and it’s so much better with reflected glare. I know they now offer a DIY install, but that wasn’t an option when I had it done. Even if it had been, I still would have sent it to them. I changed the interior color scheme to black over linen. It was originally black over beige, and the beige always looked dingy.

@@phil6012 Perfect! Black over linen is my favorite interior color. 👍🏼

Nice! Yeah, I had heard of that. Florida sun is no joke. 😂

I had 3M 90% tint installed on all windows including the windshield. No regrets whatsoever. You can’t even tell there is a tint and I used a tester to confirm that it essentially blocks all UV rays. Driving in the hot sun also became infinitely more bearable. No more feeling like I’m getting blazed by the sun! And no more worries about items in the cargo area getting UV damaged/cooked either.

Yeah, it’s a tough spot. I think it depends on the overall condition of the car, the mileage, and your long term goals for it. For a high mileage driver, I’d probably just let the dash do its thing over time… unless the cracks were significantly worse than the rest of the interior condition, in which case I’d probably go with a dash cap. In favor of dash replacement though, if you think about it, it took 30 years for the dash to get into the state it is today, and it likely wasn’t treated regularly with protectant. So my guess is you could rock a naked dash for at least 10 years without any real problems, and that might be getting close to the useful life of the car at that point. 😂

@@NC944er Lol you’re probably right. I think I may attempt to run a naked dash for a while. My current dash has worse cracks than I’ve ever seen. I was asking since I’m doing a complete bare bones restoration on my 86 NA 944, so I think that could be a way I could go. Thanks for your thoughts.

Yeah, there is some overlap, but the Turbo definitely presents unique challenges. 😂

Cost was one consideration, as they run about $100 more than this fabric alternative. The ABS plastic dash caps are also installed with a silicone adhesive that can be problematic in removal. Since my dash isn’t that bad off, I wanted something that was easily reversible. That said, I do think they serve a purpose for certain applications, in my mind covering a significantly damaged dash to “simulate” the factory texture and look when you have no future intention of replacing the entire dashboard. They do sit slightly raised up from the underlying dash, seen as a step-up of material around the leading edge, which could be distracting depending on how visual you are. 😂 But they do look better than a completely cracked and shredded dash for sure.

@@NC944ermakes perfect sense i havent seen one installed yet and my dash is in a similar condition to yours. Ive just been covering it with a windshield cover and a car cover when I'm parked at home.

Yeah, it’s just a basic foldable polyester sunshade I picked up on Amazon for $15. The fabric is pretty thin so it can be tucked under the rear view mirror, and I generally have to flip the sun visors down to hold the shade in place. It folds down into a 10” circle that easily fits under the passenger seat. They sell more expensive ones that have a foam core structure, and they don’t condense down very much, so they hold their shape better, but are more difficult to store and away.

@@NC944er Okay, perfect! Seems like that's what I'm looking for. Which size is your cover (if you remember)? Dimentions would be very helpful if you have those. What do you mean with that it can be tucked under the rear view mirror? Is it that the cover excess can be tucked under the rear view mirror, but that it still goes further at the sides? Thank you for all the help!

@@WhereverHugo Size small (59x29 inches) - www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01I90VP0G?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title Yes, the fabric at the center can be folded under the mirror mount, while pushing the remaining material to the sides.

@@NC944er Thank you so much! You are an incredible asset for the 944 community. We are all very grateful!

@wherewvwr I ordered a custom sized one from Covercraft (UVS100 custom) a few years back. It's one of the rigid folding ones but it fits really well. More expensive at $70 though.

It does look pretty bad doesn’t it? 😂 I’ve never had one before and thought it would be cool to test it out and let other owners have a better look at it. I’m not fully sold on how long it will stay in the car, I’m just a little concerned with the dash cracks getting worse, so I’m trying out different solutions…

I'm glad to see you have not lost the plot@@NC944er 😅I don't know what your budget is, but looking at all the work you have done I cannot image a new dashboard should be to expensive or too hard for you to install when neccesary. It is an eight hour R&R at most.

🤣 I’m trying to save the dash from further cracking and not stress about the car sitting out in the sun. Don’t worry, the dash cover can be completely pulled off in less than a minute. That said, if you wanted to buy me a $500 custom-made leather cover, I’m happy to use that instead. 🤪

@@NC944er Exactly right, people don't understand how much the sun nukes the dash and its stressful as an owner. You made the right choice I think it looks good and is functional, you've convinced me to get one!

@@Michael-tm7tc So true! There’s no disputing that the “actual” dash looks WAY better than a $60 cover, but it’s functional and looks just good enough that I haven’t yet ripped it off and thrown it in the trash can. 😂 I am looking forward to not having to drive around trying to find trees to park under hoping the sun is at the right angle for shade.