Quote:
Originally Posted by 71blksuper4x4
blindbug, what was your issues with the USA1 pad?
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- I did like the finish of the pad itself. The material used very closely mimics the stock pad that I removed from my 86'.
- It required a bit of trimming to get the pad all the way seated on my dash... but that is to be expected with any of the aftermarket pads from my research.
- The paint that is on the pad (blue) was already rubbed off in some places before I even got it in the truck. Not enough to warrant a return, but it's sort of a let down.
- I ordered matching defrost vent covers, but they did not seat fully, as the hole wasn't large enough. I ended up having to cut off a (unseen) corner of the vent cover to get it to click into place.
- I odered a new aluminum dash insert. When I went to put that onto the pad, the holes didn't quite line up, and caused the insert to not seat fully. I used a dremel to make the hole a little lower and that helped some.
- The mold that they use is obviously designed for A/C vents, because there is a slight curve inward where the inner A/C vent would go, it isn't insane, but it creates a gap between the insert and the pad for about 3"... it wouldn't be noticable if the rest of the insert had the same gap, but because part of the insert sits up against the pad, this one 3" section looks bad (to me).
- The lower holes that hold the dash pad to the dash metal (there's like 5o f them). Those holes DO NOT HAVE ANY METAL REINFORCEMENT. The stock pad has metal embedded into those mounting tabs which means the pad holds down against the dash fully. Without the metal reinforcement, it took less than 10 minutes for one of the tabs to rip (it's all vinyl) instead of keep the pad in place. I ended up just removing all the screws because I'd rather have no screws than rips all across the bottom.
- The foam is too thick in parts, causing the dash pad to look wavy across the top. Especially above the driver's console, I have a big wave that I thought would lay down better, but I'm going to have to pull the pad, shave down a 3-4" section and then put the pad back in.
- The upper left and right sections where the drivers dash bezel sit against the pad need better screw retainers. The ones that are in there are glued? taped? I don't know... all I know is that the first screw went in and I hear 'ting' and the flat nut falls to the floor. The other side, same thing. I had to get a U nut and do some cutting and arranging to get the bezel to sit against the pad in this section... and even then after an hour of road time, the nut slipped off the pad and I have a gap again.
This is just one man's opinion. It's the little details that make or break a quality product, and I think the USA1 dash pad missed the little details. When you step back and look at the pad, it looks great... but anyone with a hobby vehicle knows that any imperfection you notice becomes the only thing you obsess over. Given the PRICE of the pad, I thought that these little things shouldn't have been such an issue. The lower retaining metal is a very simple fix, and feels sloppy that it wasn't fixed after the first version.
The Cheyenne pad could have the exact same issues... I don't know. All I know is that I wished I'd went with a different brand on the off chance that it wasn't an issue.