Just noticed that the dashboard cover on my vehicle (2003 Dodge Caravan SE) is sticking up on both sides (but not in the middle). The picture below shows the passenger side. The driver’s side is identical. Not sure what could have caused this.
Had some work done on the car a few weeks ago (smoke test for evap leak; cannister purge value replacement; replacement of a wire in the wiring harness). I wonder if the took the cover out to work on the car and weren’t able to put it back?
The cover seems to be warped, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to put it back. Anyone have any ideas? Otherwise, I guess I’ll just tape it up with some duct tape.
Also: is there any danger to the vehicle if I leave it like that for a while (e.g., dust or moisture getting in)?
I guess that a LOT depends on what “the” did when they worked on your car.
Can you elucidate exactly what type of work was done on your car a few weeks ago?
BTW, my car doesn’t have the information display in the dash, so it just has a little mini cover in the spot where the info display would be. That mini cover cracked due to heat, and was broken into several pieces. So I covered the whole area up with duct tape a few month ago. (You can see the duct tape patch on the right side of the picture I posted.) And, yes, it does get a bit gooey when the whether gets hot. But it stays in place.
But if you have other suggestions, I’m open to them.
The dashboard cover you posted a link for will do the job. Make sure you buy the correct one, depending on whether you have the information display or not.
Not sure how to fix it, but it should be fixed. Somebody is going to put their can of soda on the dash one day, it will tip over, and the contents will spill through that hole. There are usually a bevy of electrical components in that area, & will corrode if they get wet.
Dust doesn’t help w/the electrics either. Some types of dust can be quite conductive. Dust is often what would ultimately destroy the old style picture tube type of tv’s. Most of the expensive sorts of electronic equipment used in the tech industry have a replaceable dust-filter in the cooling-air-flow path. If those old style tv’s had been equipped with something similar they’d have had a much longer lifespan I expect.
Thanks, George. Makes sense. I guess I’ll put some duct tape on it for now, and then see about getting a cover for it at some point. I already have duct tape over that other area of it (where the info panel would be, but there’s a cover instead, which cracked years ago). Not really concerned with aesthetics.
Thanks! Good idea. Probably would look better than a bunch of duct tape! LOL I think I’ll start with the duct tape, just to cover the holes, and then look into getting one of those covers.
Looks like there may be some room to apply a bonding agent and glue it back down. I might be inclined to try a non-acetic RTV under the edge and apply some weight along the curled up edge to keep it flat until it cures.
I know with a 20 year old caravan I woudn’t be.