Leather dash repair

[SYMZ3]

When I did my repair over a decade ago, the amount of tanin leather hides was very limited. Mine was ordered from Germany.

You can try to find a match from another manufacturer or have a custom dye made. Even when I got my hide, the grain was a bit different.

Since my repair, my passenger side bezel has started to stretch and is exposed. I have just left it and live with it, even though I have some extra leather. I did see a few other posts (not sure which board it was from) where someone stretched their leather and secured it to the back of the plastic with miniature pins. Whatever method is employed it is a major job to get the bezels out (dash and console removed, separate bezels, find a qualified leather repair facility, then re-assemble). Leather dash covering is certainly problematic.

The extended leather dash (and a/c) were 2 of the things I really wanted in my Z3. I’m glad I don’t have it after reading this thread. It’s interesting that when new we laud these innovations and tick the options box at purchase, I know I have been guilty of this in the past, yet somebody further down the ownership chain has to sort it all out when they fail. My son’s adaptive headlights have failed in his 125i, it’s a £1,000 fix on a car worth probably £10k.

 

[jmaiza]

Is it the replacement leather that’s also now shrinking? Or is it a piece that didn’t need replacing when you did the rest?

The replacement leather is holding up well. The piece I didn't replace has now shrunk.

 

[NZ00Z3]

The root cause failure is not the leather, it's the glue.

Remove the old glue from the leather and plastic and re-glue with an appropriate high-temp resistant contact glue, and its all good for many years.