My dashboard is melting!?

The cubbyhole beneath my glove box seems to be falling apart. The plastic has cracked and melted into small pieces; and the lower dash panel has developed cracks, too.

It’s apparently related to the heater. Air will blow out of the hole when the A/C or vent is on (but not when it’s on defrost or heat.)

Has anyone else experienced this? What can cause this, and how do I repair it?

Thanks.

I've never seen that happen. The lower dash (last picture) comes off with a few screws. You can either replace it with a JY find or perhaps reinforce it from behind using some fiberglass.

Once you have the lower dash off, look around and see that's there. The fan resistor block is back there but I think it's mounted further back.

Heat.

Get your windows tinted, keeping in mind the laws of CA or NV on window tinting. Leave a couple of windows cracked. Put up a window shade inside the windshield. Park in the shade. Use ArmorAll or some kind of protection on the plastic pieces.

Find a compatible year XJ at the salvage yard and buy the replacement pieces you need.

joe_peters said:

Heat.

Get your windows tinted, keeping in mind the laws of CA or NV on window tinting. Leave a couple of windows cracked. Put up a window shade inside the windshield. Park in the shade. Use ArmorAll or some kind of protection on the plastic pieces.

Find a compatible year XJ at the salvage yard and buy the replacement pieces you need.

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i always laughed at the people I saw in cali with the carpets on their dashboards till the heat cracked mine

Sunlight? You're kidding?

I would have guessed that it would be something internal. Especially considering that the blower sends air out of that hole when it's set to "vent"

But, I do park it in the intense sun all summer. One day last summer, I returned to my car to see the molding strips had gotten so cooked, they came unglued and were just dangling from the door.