Hard plastics on the dash, who cares?

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Wed 15 Nov 2017 21:30
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - Metropolis.

Car reviewers seem obsessed with this. Even when they can't find any hard surfaces to complain about they'll say things like 'hard plastics are few and far between...'

Who are these people and why are they caressing the dash? Am I missing something?

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Wed 15 Nov 2017 21:40
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - RichT54

Hard or soft plastics on the dash don't worry me, but I would prefer not to have shiny plastics that are easily scratched.

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Wed 15 Nov 2017 21:52
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - RT

Hard surfaces inside a car are, or should be a thing of the past, If you want to go back to the bad old days of bar metal that's your call. Hard plastic is simply unacceptable in a mid-trim mainstream model, let alone anything more expensive.

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Wed 15 Nov 2017 23:32
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - veloceman
Why not go the whole hog and have soft touch televisions, light switches and upvc windows.
I don't go round feeling my car all the time.

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 00:07
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - Terry W

It seems that standards expected in new cars (even the fairly modest) are way above what people tolerate in their own home.

I suspect most of us replace major appliances only when they faill, decorating may be a 5-10 year activity, replacement flooring every 10-20 years etc.

Of course it may be the case that I am wrong and that everybody else lives in properties routinely updated with the latest in technology and comfort every 2 years and often featured in design and home improvement magazines.

I suspect my initial assumption is closer to the truth. The odd piece of hard plastic is an utterly trrivial issue highlighted by motoring jounalists and car commpanies to fuel a sense of inadequacy or envy and increase sales - a bit like the mobile phone companies..

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 06:08
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - NARU

As an engineer, I'm looking for rather different things than the average reviewer when I consider quality.

Last few cars: Toyota Landcruiser, Kia Sorento, Mazda MX-5, Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz.

I'd argue that quality shouts through in all my choices. With the possible exception of the Sorento, the others all had technology that had been around for a while, and gradually enhanced (others would say 'old/boring technology').

I couldn't give a toss about hard vs soft plastic.

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 06:40
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - madf

As an engineer, I'm looking for rather different things than the average reviewer when I consider quality.

Last few cars: Toyota Landcruiser, Kia Sorento, Mazda MX-5, Toyota Yaris, Honda Jazz.

I'd argue that quality shouts through in all my choices. With the possible exception of the Sorento, the others all had technology that had been around for a while, and gradually enhanced (others would say 'old/boring technology').

I couldn't give a toss about hard vs soft plastic.

+1

Most car reviews are written by people whose views are defined by freebies given by car manufacturers and the amount of advertising the brand gives to the company they work for. In other words, written by the biased for the gullible.

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 08:55
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - FoxyJukebox

If -for any reason-a hard plastic needs to be removed-it quite often rattles or creaks when replaced. I once sold a car with a creaking dash-it drove me nuts.

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 10:46
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - argybargy

Not sure whether "soft plastics" would be a better alternative, particularly for those who have kids and regularly leave them in the car while they nip into a local shop or whatever.

I do know that some of the cars that I've owned have suffered from creaking in one form or another, and its the most infernal nuisance for someone like me who is sensitive to sound.

Many's the time I've reached across to the passenger door bin, whilst driving, and poked CDs, windscreen scrapers or whatever in order to try to stop an annoying squeak, and found to my dismay that its the dashboard creaking after all.

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 11:02
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - Doc

Who are these people and why are they caressing the dash?

Probably the same people who don't like woodchip wallpaper and coloured bathroom suites. It's called fashion. Not long ago it was the dislike of high window lines in cars.

You learn very little about the car in these road test reviews.

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 12:59
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - Fishermans Bend

Hard plastics are for cheap cars, buy a premium one and there should be very little. The trick is to make it look soft.

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Thu 16 Nov 2017 14:12
Hard plastics on the dash, who cares? - Manatee

Our Roomster is nearly all hard plastic inside. It doesn't squeak or ratlle, it hasn't marked easily, so it's fine. I just wish it had a proper gearbox instead of the DSG.

The approved used BMW I tried in January was badly marked on the centre console where the rubbery coating had been scratched through repeated by, I am fairly sure, a previous owner's ring. It looked a real mess.

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