# Dashboard Cover Warped and Sticking Up **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** caravan, dodge\ **Created:** [October 10, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824 "2022-10-10T22:12:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/1 "2022-10-10T22:12:53Z")
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)? Thanks! ![20221010_125228](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/7/0/70d4f3a99945899a1a2735594b02a2a69c78bcd7.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 10:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/2 "2022-10-10T22:16:28Z")
> [@enargins](#): > > Had some work done on the car a few weeks ago. I wonder if the took the cover out to work on the car 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? ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 10:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/3 "2022-10-10T22:24:12Z")
That is normal 19 year old sun damage and age. You fix it by replacing it… but I doubt you can still get one. ---
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 10:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/4 "2022-10-10T22:48:01Z")
Sure, thanks. I edited the original post with more info. Also added another question at the end. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 10:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/6 "2022-10-10T22:50:53Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > That is normal 19 year old sun damage and age. You fix it by replacing it… but I doubt you can still get one. You don’t think a junk yard might have one? Also: do you think there’s any danger to the vehicle by leaving it like that for a while (e.g., dust or moisture getting in)? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 10:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/7 "2022-10-10T22:57:37Z")
Sure a junkyard might have one… an equally warped 19 year dash pad. It won’t hurt anything to leave it like this. It is just there for decoration. It just looks bad. ---
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 11:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/8 "2022-10-10T23:08:24Z")
Found this [place online](https://dashcare.com/i-136245-dodge-caravan-grand-caravan-2001-2004-dashcare-dash-cover.html). Apparently they make them to order. Fifty bucks. Not bad, I think. But good to know no harm in it being open. I don’t really care that much about aesthetics. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 11:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/9 "2022-10-10T23:16:34Z")
You know that is just a carpet cover, right? Not a replacement dash pad. They are pretty popular in the sunny southwest. ---
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2022, 11:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/10 "2022-10-10T23:34:52Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > You know that is just a carpet cover, right? Not a replacement dash pad. No, I actually thought that was a dash pad replacement. LOL Something like that might’ve kept the pad from getting warped. So I can see their utility. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/11 "2022-10-11T00:36:55Z")
> [@enargins](#): > > I guess I’ll just tape it up with some duct tape. No , when the weather gets hot you will just have a sticky mess that will be hard to clean off . ---
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/12 "2022-10-11T00:56:43Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > No , when the weather gets hot you will just have a sticky mess that will be hard to clean off . So what would be your suggestion instead, then? 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. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/13 "2022-10-11T15:23:01Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 9:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/14 "2022-10-11T21:00:09Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > 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. So you’re saying just put it on top of the warped dash pad? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 9:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/15 "2022-10-11T21:58:36Z")
You can’t install just any dash cover. You have to install one that doesn’t interfere with the air bag operation. Tester ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/16 "2022-10-11T22:49:26Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2022, 11:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/17 "2022-10-11T23:00:11Z")
Put it over the dash and see how it looks. ---
**Author:** ![enargins](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/enargins/32/6960_2.png) [@enargins](https://community.cartalk.com/u/enargins)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 1:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/18 "2022-10-12T01:45:28Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > Not sure how to fix it, but it should be fixed. 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. > [@jtsanders](#): > > Put it over the dash and see how it looks. 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. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 1:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/19 "2022-10-12T13:57:48Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/20 "2022-10-12T15:29:45Z")
> [@enargins](#): > > Not really concerned with aesthetics. > [@jtsanders](#): > > Put it over the dash and see how it looks. > [@enargins](#): > > Thanks! Good idea. Probably would look better than a bunch of duct tape! So you are or are not concerned with aesthetics ❓ I know with a 20 year old caravan I woudn’t be. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2022, 4:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824/21 "2022-10-12T16:43:37Z")
Wondering if you could soften i up with a heat gun and pout some wights on it so it will harden up in place. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/dashboard-cover-warped-and-sticking-up/186824.md?page=2)