How to fix Nissan GU Patrol dash that is bubbled or blistered

Many of the GU / Y61 Nissan Patrols have bubbled dashboards. This is a video on how to remove the dashboard to get it recovered for a fraction of the price of a new one. The bubbles / blistered dash looks heaps better after it is recovered. Mine was recovered in unbacked carpet by a marine trimmer shop. Any good motor trimmer workshop could do the same for about $200-$300.
After removing the dashboard I used a small sharp chisel to remove the bubbled coating and 1/2" high density foam, taking it back to bare plastic ready to be recovered.
My Patrol is a series 4. If you just want to buy a new dash instead of recovering yours, visit patrolapart.com...
Thanks for watching.

[@cidadaodorense3231]

The blokes that covered the dash did an amazing job. Looks great on video at least. Thank you for documenting the dash removal steps.

[@Unfastened]

Thanks, he really did a great job on the recovering.

[@stuartmc6956]

Thanks for taking the time to create and post this video. IMO Nissan just don't want to know about this unless you are willing to pay at least £1,000 for a manufacturing fault they created. Had a very polite, overly friendly, giggly lady (cause that makes you feel better about getting shafted) handling my complaint, who had no intention of doing anything about it.

[@bezmena8039]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! My dashboard was nearly as bad as yours. And I am not from sunny Australia but from Central Europe. I went after your instructions. It was a big help. Let me take it a bit further. When you want to repair the dismounted dashboard of a later model of Nissan Patrol GR-Y61 yourself, you need to remove the black degraded top layer. You might want to remove it for the upholstery guy yourself too. And I have a tip for everybody. If you try to do it under normal temperatures (above 15 C), you will be dealing with a sticky black tar-like substance. Dirty and time-consuming. Really BAD. But when you cool the whole dashboard down to anywhere below 5 degrees Centigrade, you will find it very easy to peel off the black degraded top layer of plastic in big chunks. At least mine went that easy. Chances are, yours will too. Before that, measure and mark exactly, where the top layer was weakened, to give way to the passenger airbag. Underneath the top layer, you will reveal a soft rubbery (probably polyurethane) off-white layer. The upholstery job starts from here. You will find a lot of videos on that. The main trick is cooling down the dashboard before getting your fingers glued together with the black sticky shit that you need to remove first. I was doing it last week and it was pretty cold outside overnight. Just had to get up early. And listen, guys, It is an easy job, anybody can even do the upholstering part, just check out on youtube how. Thanks.

[@Unfastened]

That sounds like really good advice if you need to remove the black sticky layer on the dash yourself. Thanks

[@bezmena8039]

@@Unfastened Good morning to Australia. You are welcome, mate. Even if not doing it yourself, tell the upholstery guy. The way this plastic deteriorates in the Sun is not common with other cars. Must be some component (hardener) evaporating in time, with the heat, or who knows what. Time for me to go to bed now. :-)

[@patryan4445]

What did you use to remove the top layer without damaging the under layer

[@bezmena8039]

@@patryan4445 When we tried to remove the top layer (the whole dashboard removed from the car), we soon realized that we were facing a long and messy job. It was very difficult. The degraded sticky plastic was strongly adhering to the white, hard polyurethane lower layer, to the body of the dashboard. We thought we were facing a long and heavy job. But this was on a rather warm and sunny day in March. The dashboard was outside and when the temperature dropped to near freezing point in the evening, it occurred to me to give it another try. And voila, when cold, the top layer suddenly was tough, it held together and it became easy to peel off in big chunks! The difference was HUGE. It only took a short while to clean the whole dashboard. Only a few small black stains remained, which we removed with some solvent in the morning. Aceton, I think. Or benzine. IDK. The difference was so big that it would be worth taking the dashboard to some big cooling room (freezer) to do the job, should you live in a place where no cold weather occurs.

[@bezmena8039]

@@patryan4445 Short version: We used bare hands, easy, fast, BUT the whole thing was cold, like near freezing. Big difference. Cool down properly and you will be done in a matter of minutes.

[@RYAN-ms1mr]

video helped me out massively. probably wouldnt have been able to do it myself without it. thank you alot.

[@mac25780]

Im just about to go through this, mine is only bubbled on top and dash mat covers it, was going to just leave it but rang local Nissan dealer and got quoted $667 for a new dash, ordered it straight away at that price, your vid will be helpful, cheers

[@Unfastened]

Nice. Which Nissan Dealership is offering that price?

[@mac25780]

choycevids port augusta SA but nissan have dropped the price

[@unItalianoinAustralia]

Awesome video! Like the fluffy finish! I've the same problem, it's a shame that the old owner didn't take the car to Nissan when was called back.

[@mikemcgee1692]

Nissan Australia do replace these faulty dashes ( mine 2008 and long out of warranty ). I googled the fault claim number and my dash was replaced without question . It was probably about 4 years ago , so the car was about 6 years old.

[@Unfastened]

If you could please post the fault claim number that allows anyone outside of the 7 year dash replacement period to get a new dash, that'd be great. It might help someone else out. Cheers

[@nickkroepsch2997]

Hey mate , any update on this ? Was there a claim number . Or what can be looked up to find it . Do you go directly to Nissan and note the claim number? Cheers

[@vk5jajay147]

An excellent video, and an outstanding result! Thanks for sharing...

[@petej2533]

lize just what a mine field there is behind the dash great vid good knowledge of product

[@mchaves7663]

Your videos keeps giving... Thanks very much for that. How many did it take you to dismantle?

[@war13omerta66]

Cheers mate just started pulling all the shit out now, if anyone wants a tip to remove and recover the vinyl from the dash i am running a heat gun at around 400 degrees with a scraper, missus uses the gun while i roll the scraper off takes it back to foam fairly quickly, one thing i learnt the hard way was don't go too close to the plastics they melt super quick. Redoing the synthetic vinyl use a bostik or my preference is Sika contact adhesive and your heat gun and take your time with it, works best with the dash out, 2m X 1.4m is $60 so a few hours and a few cans of CC to remove the dash then onto the replacement with the new vinyl.

[@shrillcarder]

Great video mate, greeting from the UK

[@GdaySport]

Nissan should have replaced all blistered dash's on a recall basis as it's clearly a manufacturing problem and affects a large number of vehicles. Expecting the owners to fork out and DIY is lame IMO. Great vid though.

[@SJB666]

Nissan did a recall on the dashes and replaced them free of charge. Well before this video.

[@freelifeof3144]

Only is 1st owner within 6 years. Just got off the phone. With Penny. Who told me to stick it...basically...

[@Unfastened]

@@freelifeof3144 yeah it sucks hey. I went into a dealership. Stood around, they take all the details of the VIN, blah blah. 30 mins later: Oh, we can't warrant that. We only repaired the inherent manufacturing problem for the first 6 years). Not happy

[@noakes666]

I work for a dealership. Pretty sure they will pay for the part at least. out of warranty too.

[@asadmo]

Just repaired mine. Fantastic job

[@Unfastened]

Excellent. Thanks for watching

[@nissan_tb48]

Absolute legend! Cheers heaps for the video help out a lot

[@aaronwells5080]

The carpet gives a nice finish doesn't it. Mine hasn't done it (thankfully) but the procedure for the removal is still handy to know. Thanks :)

[@MrCouper1987]

Thanks for this vid mate I'll be using it to help me install mine!

[@markoconnor959]

Cheers for this. Got a 04 y61 3.0 td. In SA. Same problem. Great vehicle otherwise.

[@reecegarlett2859]

Nice work mate! Helped me out heaps👌🏾

[@apenewae3692]

Thankyou

[@robbiemackay1023]

Great job, looks fantastic and thanks for your tips

[@Phoenixm88]

thankyou. the video was very thorough and comprehensive. youre a legend. bless.

[@nightrunnernightrunner2474]

Thanks champ great vid . Same shit with me and nissan , now know i can do it myself n ordering new dash patrolapart melb $750

[@Unfastened]

nice. good luck mate.

[@stevethomas6055]

Great video! - before I start - the pocket/vents above the stereo, you didn't show these being removed? Do they just come out with the dash and you just swap over or are they connected to the sub frame? Cheers!!

[@Unfastened]

It's been a long time. I think they just pulled out, or had some kind of plastic clip to hold them in? Sorry I can't quite remember. Good luck with the dash.

[@mohmadqadan8443]

I'm half way through mine Looking at getting a brand new dash from patrolapart in Victoria it's 712 bucks delivered to Sydney.. Has anyone managed to get a free dash out of nissan or has anyone bought it for less than 712 from nissan?

[@LTAJWLU]

Will your airbag be still functioning?

[@olamabambi4193]

Good advise. Nice video.

[@lachlanhendy1251]

The carpet looks great. I dont like the later model replacement dashes as they are grey not black. What was the name of the marine trimmers you used?

[@solveitthestryaway6491]

SOS! Im mid through removal and you forgot to add the sneaky sub frame screws ... can you tell us how many orcan anyone help me out 🤣🤣🔧🔧 really love the vid up to this point 😍

[@Unfastened]

Hi. I don't remember subframe screws. I can tell you that at the back of the dash near the windscreen there isn't any screws. Instead they used plastic spikes that pass through 2 holes in the metal subframe. You have to lift the whole dash 'up' so the spikes aren't in the holes before you can shift the dash left/right. Hope that helps.

[@bogdanhh]

Do you have any weird noises after this operation?

[@Unfastened]

Weird noises!? No nothing. No squeaks etc. And the unbacked carpet absorbs a little of the cabin noise making it seem quieter inside I reckon.

[@bignedau]

These are the good vids

[@jf9866]

Hey mate Thanks for the video. I am planning on picking up nissan Patrol ZD30 GU 8 this Saturday. anything else I should look out for.

[@Unfastened]

Yeah there's quite a few things. Check the service history, and have a thorough look in the engine bay / cooler piping for signs of oil. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5CuYmZ5ns5-jpo

[@adrianjemmeson7747]

How long do you reckon this took you to remove on your own?? I got my new dash on its way soon and will be removing mine

[@Unfastened]

Havin a few beers and doing it slow? Maybe 1-2 hours mate

[@adrianjemmeson7747]

@@Unfastened awesome thanks mate. One more question can you actually remove the dash with the side vents still in. So it’s easier to remove them once the whole dash is outside the car?

[@adsnormal]

Looks great. How much for the marine?

[@Unfastened]

The unbacked carpet should set you back $200-300 ($AUD)

[@tomsenior9999]

You can remove the coating by heating it up with a heat gun and carefully scrape it off. Clean off the foam with acetone and repaint with plasticoat paint

[@smdrum70]

Good job on video, now my question is can you do mine plz..😁

[@silkymnkcoat]

sorry but before you first of all just 'tear' off the front face. please remove the 2 philips head screws ahahahah this may help

[@owvsycai1592]

Super yuuuuuki😁

[@jasontalty2828]

Why would you call this how to fix? You didn’t fix anything. Call it a dash removal video

[@Unfastened]

Removed the dash. Got it repaired. Reinstalled. Problem fix'd! (Please post up a link to your dash removal video champ. I'd love to see it.)

[@harrywest6624]

The official fix is to replace with genuine dash, which he also shows how to do. You dumb fuck.

[@kurtcalleja6900]

@jasontalty2828 , I’ll probably get banned for this butttttttttt yourrr aaaaaa Wankerrrrrrr

[@FAB7362]

How to fix every problem with a Nissan Patrol. Buy a Mitsubishi Pajero! :)

[@Unfastened]

12 Dakar wins, King of the Desert. I can't disagree