I bought one of the 'Bug' air fresheners for my Jazz/Fit, it looks like this:


And its promotional said : "Movable with No Adhesives and No Residue Stick it Anywhere!
The longest living bug you'll ever love to be around!"

The thing melted all over my dash, and removed the fine, slightly sparkly, silver finish on the dash. Any where the melted 'Bug' dribbled its goo, the finish was removed.

How do I fix this? Should I just ask the dealer, and will it need total re-painting, or is it possible to just fix the affected areas?

 

i dont think the dash is painted

 

MORNING FRESH FTW sorry about your dash .. the dealer ship will probably charge you and arm and a leg to order it .. try ordering that one piece of the assembly from bernardi

 

I dont put ANYTHING on my dash. I dont even use water to wipe it down as Im scared to do something to it. I use a dry micro fiber cloth. Thats it.

Id never stick anything to my dash as I know it would never leave. Sorry about your dash. I think the smooth pieces are painted.

And yes, Morning Fresh!!!!
Stocked up last night at Autozone.

 

Photograph EVERYTHING. Contact that manufacturer.
Handstands your source for Mouse Pads, Air Fresheners, iPod, Computer and Automotive Accessories

They NEED to know this, ASAP.

The sooner they know, the sooner it can be corrected. It may not work right on some finishes, and they need to know that. They may have to put a warning on the label. They may have to recall, relabel and redistribute.

If it says it's safe to use on the dash, with no warnings at all, and it ruined your finish, they should be paying for it.

Does it say anything in the Honda manual about what should or shouldn't be put on the dash? Maybe Honda should know too.

And whatever store you bought it from.

Here's why:

If I told you that I already knew it would wreck your dash and never said anything, how would you feel?

I know that I would feel sort of "betrayed by humanity". LOL! You KNEW that the air freshener would wreck my car? You KNEW that the peanut butter had been recalled for salmonella? You KNEW that the Tylenol had poison in it? And YOU DID NOT SAY ANYTHING???

See what I mean? You can help to save many other dashes. It could prompt the company to reformulate the product. So it IS safe for you. And me. And the thousands of others on this Fit Freak site!

 

btw, how did it melt?

 

It tried to run off the dash and found its way into a bug zapper.

 

thats right morning fresh FTW...I ahve a pack In the rear pcket of the hatch...for emergencys...dam u orlando peps got me hooked on that shits

 

I have... I think 6 packs in the Fit. 5 in the Vw.

 

Actually the dashboard is painted. I once put a my shaldan on my dash and in the hot day, the metal base melted a nice semi-circle ring on my dash. I got quoted by a Honda dealership $120 to cover it back up. I said F**K that! I just adjusted my gauges to sit over the spot, now it's barely noticeable. I will eventually get it repainted, but right now it's not a necessity.

 

i agree with contacting the manufacturer.... sounds like a bogus product...

 

Thanks all, esp TaffetaWhite; I had contacted the store when it happened, but not the manufacturer.
At the time, the store did say they were aware of the problem, as a manager had the same thing happen to him; anyway the head office, importer & manufacturer have been sent pix, and have been pretty good about it.

As B1str0 hinted at, the dealership thinks the whole dash section will have to be replaced

I'm in Australia, so the Bug melted just from the sun.

Here's the damage

 

geez... crappy product....

 

The Importer has offered to pay for the repairs, w00000t!! Thanx guize
Dealership recommended repainting, as opposed to a new dash, as it may start to rattle or something later down the track. They also referred me to a dude they use for such things.

I found this on the manufacturers website, fyi

Unlike other auto air fresheners that warn against contact with vinyl and dangle annoyingly from the mirror or dashboard, the Bug was designed to cling to a car's vinyl dashboard, mirror' or console."Anyone living in the Sunbelt will tell you how harsh a car's dashboard environment is," said Alan Wheatley, Chief Marketing Officer of HandStands, the Bug's developer and manufacturer.

HandStands also designed and developed the very popular and industry-;auded Sticky Pad®. (Millions of Sticky Pads have sold in just three years.) "The Bug was tested at more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two weeks and survived without melting. The Bug retains its form and vinyl-friendliness even on the hottest, sunniest days."Compared with hanging auto air fresheners, the Bug's improved scent-release design lasts up to three times longer and releases at a steadier rate.

 

WOW! That's way worse than I expected! I thought there might be a little damage, but your dash is RUINED. WOW!

So glad you took pictures too. That makes SUCH a difference. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and they are right.

You are certainly welcome.

 

EXCELLENT!!! I am so glad they are paying for it.

The product may work great for most people, most of the time. It may work exactly as described on certain vinyl.

And it may totally destroy any painted surface. If they didn't test on a painted surfaces, they wouldn't know.

Keep us updated on the progress, and some after photos would be great too!

 

www.getsquash.com FTW

I'm glad they are paying for the repairs

 

You should buy the Squash air freshner.

 

TW is right.
This weekend is Fourth of July, our biggest tourism weekend here in Amity, and by God, those beaches are gonna be OPEN!