dash is $400 list, and you might get it for $300-400. i wouldn't count on much help from chrysler, they have their own problems. some owners with a long history of chrysler vehicles have gotten some big discounts on parts and labor.

on the covers, some come in matched colors and others are black only.
i need one too.
hoss if you find a good deal around north ga. let me know. i might join in with you.


the replacements from dodge don't crack. they're made of better materials than the original crap.

 

If I'm not mistaken, the top part of the dash is about $200 from LMC.

 

The LMC part is a cover that goes over the dash. Runs $130. I have been thinking about getting that as I noticed that my dash was cracked a couple of weeks ago. I have heard that these covers look really good and you can't tell that they're even there. But don't have any personal experience. Let us know what you decide to do and how it comes out.

 

i got an ebay dash cover for 100$ and it looks good, but it would look better if i stuck it down, i just set it on top for now. i did find out that you have to have some of the original dash for the cover to sit on or else it will be lower than the bezel and airbag, i found that out after i pulled off all the pieces (they came off quite easily, about like breaking doritos). i just left mine black too, its nice as far as glare goes. the original has like 20 screws on the back of it and you have to take the dash out to get to them. the dealer told me 375$ for the oem dash and like 700$ total (part+labor) to change it and i just laughed and hung up on them. the bad thing about that dash cover is 2 summers ago it was 200$ and last summer i decided to go ahead and get it and they told me it was 375$ now. i think that dodge figured that enough of our rams have the cracked dash now that they could really cash out on it and jack up the price.

 

get a dash cover...the ones that are plastic, the one i got is warranted for life. It does a great job,,can't tell it's not the original unless you really look. No one else will notice...Mine only cost $99.00 plus shipping...unreal how big a difference it made it look.

 

What good is a dash cover if the dash, which is underneath, slowly cracks and starts breaking into pieces?

 

replacing the dash is not to bad of a job
i replaced mine on my 01 ram
it took less han 1 hr
take a small air saw and cut around the outer edges
this gives access to the screws that the air vents bolt to the dash
on the new install i did not remount the vents to the dash
it has caused no rattles or any ill effects
if the dash is bad enough just put on a pair of heavy gloves and break it out if you dont have a air saw

 

No one but me can tell that my dash is actually a cover. It looks good, and is strong. Most of my dash had cracked away, but the cover still looks like new. There is one spot by the passenger airbag where you can see it is a cover. But no one getting in your truck would know unless you told them.

 

I've been reading about this dash cracking issue and I'm unclear on just what it really is. I mean, some talk of a crack like a broken piece(s) and some talk of an almost total disintegration. To my thinking, a crack is due to a certain set of factors while disintegration with pieces falling into ducts and such sounds like it is age or exposure related. My dash has a single longitudinal crack running from the front above the glove box to between the middle defroster vents. It almost looks like a stress crack or like the plastic was just too brittle. It is unnoticeable until you pass a hand firmly over it like when applying Armor All. I didn't even notice it until after I bought the truck, and the previous owner says he completely forgot about it after he first noticed it 5 years ago.

So, I'm left wondering if my dash crack has any relationship to what most in here are complaining of. It does not appear to have anything to do with deterioration, although I guess sun exposure could have made the plastic so brittle that cab flex could have been the cause. Even still, that sounds to me like a defect in itself. Such an expanse of plastic should be thick enough to last longer than a handfull of years and cab flex should certainly not be an issue. I have covered my dash with a custom-fitted dash mat and it looks good, but knowing it is there is like a festering boil. There are lots of other things I'd rather spend $300-400 on. Like gas.

 

as long as you keep it covered it will probably last longer. You might wanna get a sunshade to put in the windshield too and some kind of like plastic treatment if they make such a thing. My dash started just like yours. Just a small crack and then I noticed another and another then one day driving home I acctually saw it split down the middle with my own eyes. Its mostly due to the way the dashes are made they are kind of a cheep plastic you can tell just by feeling them. The sun exposure makes them extremely brittle and Im pretty sure the reason they crack its cause the material used to make them expands and contracts so much that it causes it to crack. Mine has broken several times since and I know for sure it was not due to anything laying on the dash or any kind of cab flex since I was just driving down the interstate on my way to school.