Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

Nissan refuted or nearly refuted my claim on the dashboard removal and their argument at the time was that the PO missed an oil service. I never knew being late for an oil service is the main cause for a bubbling on a dash.

I decided to remove it myself.
Tools needed
10 mm spanner and small socket. Battery and dashboard nuts and bolts
12 mm socket. Passenger side airbag
T30 with anti tamper hole - driver airbag
19 mm socket. - steering wheel
Philips screw driver
Tiny awl

Disconnect battery

Remove gearstick surround 2 philips behind plastic doppies /covers on the side and one below ash tray
Remove radio surround. 2 philips just above heater controls
Remove radio and undo heater control panel - don't need to remove the heater controls -just undo
Undo 2 philips from lighter power area, don' t have to unplug

Remove cubby , about 6 philips screws
Undo airbag to pipe bolt and unclip wire
Remove A pilar cover, 2 philips in handle

Remove demist vent

Remove driver side bottom cover 1 philips and 4 10 mm , pull out part of this is bonnet and tank levers
Remove 2 plastic circle plugs on steerwheel side! With torx undo airbag. Unclip airbag by lifting black locating thingy" remove hooter" steering controls wire.
Straighten wheel and remove
Under wiper arm cowl is 3 philips! Remove ring around key, unclip bottom form top and remove. Bottom piece clips around steering shaft.

Undo 2 philips holding signal and wiper arms in place and depress clip at the back of unit and move iut of the way.
Undo 2 philips holding spedo cowl in place
Disconnect mirror switch and remove
Undo 4 philips keeping speedo in place, disconnect wires
Disconnect instrument dimmer


Disconnect alarm LED wire and remove demister vent
Remove 2 bolts, one on each side in the demister vent
Remove 2 nuts one on each side at the bottom of dash next to the door
There is 1 more 10 mm bolt where instrument panel is
Remove A Pillar cover - same as other side

Pull on dash, feed wires through and bob is your uncle.

Well done!

Most importantly, did it go back together?

All went back together, just have a few screws left. Actually only one .

I did however fix some other things, I have manual controls on the aircon and recently the button's light failed and I got to fix that. Also added a Push to make button under the ashtray for the windows, so don't need to switch on the car to open the windows, can now just press the button and open the windows.

Brilliant Andries !!!

Brilliant Mate!

Well Done!!

I recovered the dash, take time , materials into account i will most likely get it done next time. However I will still prefer to remove to get it done.

I was able to peel off all the fake leather material, there was 3 places where I filled tiny imperfections with some foam I had. I find it amazing that the original literally just peeled without any of the foam substrate sticking to it.

I've added 2 pics, one of the bubbles and one how I peeled the existing covering off

The guy in pta north recovered mine for 2200 including the little lid of the one between the seats not bad considering it looks like a factory job

Mine has also started , it looks like it has developed measles, but not bad enough yet to have to get repaired

MARK .. hi, that bubbling dash is a LATEND default and should be replaced by Nissan SA at their cost .. dont wait too long, claim it NOW, coz it will take a while to be done anyway ..

[Not like Toyota that blankly refuse even to TALK to me about the Prado dash cracking up [and it is NOT me being so funny or the dash being naughty .. :-) ]

Ernstig .. NISSAN moet vervang .. that is LAW.