Sticky Rubber Dashboard

Hello,

My 2012 ST44 has a soft, Black/Grey rubber-like dashboard on the lower station.

This raised-panel, to which all gauges and switched are attached, is deteriorating into what I call "sticky rubber", which attracts dust and dirt and is actually un-cleanable!

Interestingly, our upper station originally came with the same material in beige, but was replaced under warranty back in 2013 or 14. I guess the knew that this type of material had a problem. A hard, slick surface is my replacement, which is holding up great.

It looks to be a rather large job to remedy this problem so I'm putting this out for your info and input.

Thanks!

It might be possible to apply some coating. If it isn't satisfactory you are no worse off. Maybe something made for inflatables

Is it a rubberized coating, or a soft material all the way through?

It was (and is) popular to put "soft touch" coatings on plastic which makes them feel great and not plasticy, until it reconverts to sticky goo. This is commonly found on cameras, binoculars, lots of consumer goods. The only solution seems to be to remove the coating with isopropyl alcohol - proceeding carefully to see what you are ruining. Often there is a hard shiny plastic underneath. Some say high grade (95%) isopropyl works better than rubbing alcohol (70%). Lots of careful rubbing and reapplication may be necessary. If you can get back to a good surface, even if the finish isn't good, it might be repainted and look great.