The Dreaded Peeling Leather Dash - G12 740I

[AJLION]

So... it happened, the leather dash on my 70k mile 740i is peeling at an alarming rate, and it's just getting worse with the South Florida Sun.
70k miles, the car is out of BMW's warranty(unless maybe BMW is extending warranty on this widescale issue?) however, I do have AutoNation's "EasyCare - Primary Care" VSC... only issue is I'm unsure if it covers it. (if anyone knows, please let me know)





All things considered, I've thought about doing a dash swap as I can buy a dash off ebay for super cheap, about $1100-$1300 rather than $3000 direct from BMW



Im currently just debating if I should do it myself as I have a pretty extensive knowledge of working on European cars however, I just not to the degree of a dash swap, and im not sure how difficult it be even though I have access to a fully equipped auto shop.

However, if anyone in this thread has gotten the dash swap done/knows of anyone in the South Florida area that could maybe help me get this repair done properly, it would be appreciated if you could refer me (i don't really mind how far I've got to drive whether it's as far as Boca Raton or Homestead, maybe ill go as far as driving to Orlando)

[DBMSPORT7]

I am new to the 740s. Having just got one this week. Is this peeling dash a result of it being outside exposed to sunlight and baking in the elements or is it a defect?

[AJLION]

Originally Posted by DBMSPORT7

I am new to the 740s. Having just got one this week. Is this peeling dash a result of it being outside exposed to sunlight and baking in the elements or is it a defect?

Yeah its 100% associated to the car sitting outside in the sun and its heat, its common with any leather dash because the UV + The heat causes the leather to shrink which makes it back off the dash, its pretty much inevitable to happen unless you install UV Ceramic tint on the windshield, its a garage kept car or you have a Sunshade for the windshield

[DBMSPORT7]

Well that sucks hopefully you can get it fixed. I'm glad mine is garage kept.

I'm coming from a F150- which I still have because I will always need a truck whether I'm going to the gun range or working around the house and needing to haul something- my 740i is the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. And I want to keep it that way

[LuckyW]

Originally Posted by AJLION

Im currently just debating if I should do it myself as I have a pretty extensive knowledge of working on European cars however, I just not to the degree of a dash swap, and im not sure how difficult it be even though I have access to a fully equipped auto shop.[/SIZE]

A video of what you want to do, this is the previous model is the fifth generation of 7-series and in my opinion it is a nightmare. I think I'd rather break the windshield and fix it without taking the board apart

Sincerely wish you good luck

[Raimo5]

I'm just wondering if this scenario is avoidable by frequent leather care for the dash or would climate comfort windshield provide any alleviation to the issue.

Regardless, I would push for a repair under BMW goodwill. 70k miles is nothing and BMW knows it is an issue, so they might yield quite easily if you nudge them gently and quietly towards that direction.

[AJLION]

Originally Posted by Raimo5

I'm just wondering if this scenario is avoidable by frequent leather care for the dash or would climate comfort windshield provide any alleviation to the issue.

Regardless, I would push for a repair under BMW goodwill. 70k miles is nothing and BMW knows it is an issue, so they might yield quite easily if you nudge them gently and quietly towards that direction.

Unfortunately this scenario is unavoidable when you live in places that have a lot of sun and don’t have the ability to store the car in a garage, should’ve bought the bmw sunshade tbh…
However I’m definitely going to try to see if I can pull off getting it fixed by bmw, maybe up my chances by going to the bmw dealer owned by autonation even though it’s a bit far from me

[Gemini7866]

Originally Posted by AJLION

Unfortunately this scenario is unavoidable when you live in places that have a lot of sun and don’t have the ability to store the car in a garage, should’ve bought the bmw sunshade tbh…
However I’m definitely going to try to see if I can pull off getting it fixed by bmw, maybe up my chances by going to the bmw dealer owned by autonation even though it’s a bit far from me

Let us know how it goes I have a 2020 740 with same issue I also live in south Florida.I used a sunshade but not as often as I should mine is also not as bad as yours but also I use a sunshade everday now to slow it down .

[AJLION]

Originally Posted by Gemini7866

Let us know how it goes I have a 2020 740 with same issue I also live in south Florida.I used a sunshade but not as often as I should mine is also not as bad as yours but also I use a sunshade everday now to slow it down .

Yeah I just headed down to braman to buy a sunshade to slow down the damage atleast till I can find a place to replace the dash

[Gemini7866]

Originally Posted by AJLION

Yeah I just headed down to braman to buy a sunshade to slow down the damage atleast till I can find a place to replace the dash

I was there yesterday I didn’t know they were close on Sundays for service

[Gemini7866]

Originally Posted by AJLION

Yeah I just headed down to braman to buy a sunshade to slow down the damage atleast till I can find a place to replace the dash

It will slow it down ...mine did for sure

[AJLION]

Originally Posted by Gemini7866

I was there yesterday I didn’t know they are close on Sundays for service

Oh they are closed on sundays, I meant like I went this morning lol they open at 7am

[g11hoonigan]

Originally Posted by Raimo5

I'm just wondering if this scenario is avoidable by frequent leather care for the dash or would climate comfort windshield provide any alleviation to the issue.

Regardless, I would push for a repair under BMW goodwill. 70k miles is nothing and BMW knows it is an issue, so they might yield quite easily if you nudge them gently and quietly towards that direction.

I think part of the issue is the adhesive used. Was gentle on the leather but not enough adhesion esp on hot environment. When it happened on my dash, it felt like there wasn't any adhesive at all - no sticky substance other than coarse and dry.

[Danyal.N55]

Originally Posted by DBMSPORT7

I am new to the 740s. Having just got one this week. Is this peeling dash a result of it being outside exposed to sunlight and baking in the elements or is it a defect?

It’s like Ferrari Sticky Buttons, Left in the Sun and the Buttons become all gooey and nasty and just disgusting. Same with Leather, Keep it outside and over time it will peel, So keep your car in the Garage!

[Opie55]

Since yours has pulled back an entire corner, can you flip the corner over and post a pic of the backside? I'm curious if it is raw leather or a cloth matrix.

[Coastboater]

I asked a well thought of upholsterer in the area about leather dash repairs and he stated that he no longer attempts them, although he used to.
His technique was to have the windshield removed, effect the repair, then have the windshield reinstalled. He said that even though he cautioned customers that the repair wouldn’t be perfect, folks expected a perfect dash and complained short of that. He said his policy was to have the customer arrange for the windshield work.
He also said this is common to all vehicles with leather dash’s and specifically mentioned a local attorney’s Ferrari and that it was particularly prevalent on Corvette’s with the 3LT trim, so this phenomena is not unique to BMW’s.

[henry89trd]

hello guys, im new to bimmerpost, but I also have this problem, I have a 2016 740, live in Los angeles, & my whole dash is starting to peel up.

Dont know if there has been an updates of if anyone on here has repaired the dash. Anyway just want to see whats going on with this post

[Raimo5]

This issue applies to Extended Nappa option only, right? Standard Dakota leather dash does not have this problem?

[AJLION]

Originally Posted by Raimo5

This issue applies to Extended Nappa option only, right? Standard Dakota leather dash does not have this problem?

This can happen to Any dash that’s leather

[LuckyW]

No matter what type of leather and how good quality, if exposed long enough to the strong sun, any leather will be damaged and peel off.
Brands like Lamborghini, Maserati, Ferrari, Alfa Romeo have the same problem, I will only add that, for example, for a Ferrari such a repair cost is about 9000 €.

[LuckyW]

[Coastboater]

Here’s a video after repair using an adhesive and a syringe on a Corvette.