Re-surfacing dash with leather?

[SmartMadness]

Originally Posted by Fredvon4

I keep seeing these show cars and scratching my head

My wife and I have done this to many cars ...

we have no clue, on this one, how to make certain the passenger air bag will fire through the leather overlay

I suspect on the show cars pictured here and other custome mods that they simply ignored this safety concern

You are correct in your concerns. Some shops simply upholster over the airbags and some that are certified use a different material around the air bag to make sure that the airbags deploy if the need ever comes to that.

Our partners are certified on Airbags and have addressed and resolved this issue. Whether you use our service or not please make sure you find out if they are certified and have them show you proof first. Remember, with a like the smart the airbags are a VERY important part of your safety.

[pineforrest]

Guys and Gals check this out but no salivating please.
or you just might get it on the leather.

[pineforrest]

Here is another

[forestacademy]

Originally Posted by pineforrest

Here is another

Note: The Pasenger airbag is not covered with the leather.

[mdfortwoguy]

Originally Posted by Fredvon4

I would love to see the raw dash with OUT the factory covering on it so I can see how the air bag fires... most have a plastic cover that is tethered in one corner by a short steel cable. The cover flies up and away from passenger face (usually smacking the windshield)...don't ask

If your dealer has one of the cutaway Tridion cells in their showroom, you'll be able to see what you need. You can barely see the outline of mine sometimes if the light hits it right, and it looks exactly like what those cutaways look like.

The smart's flap is 2 pieces, split in the middle, and it looks to use a refractory design from the windshield at deployment. The flaps themselves are not long enough to touch it - but I'd say the bag has enough velocity to break it considering the distance.

Give me a seam any day...

[mdfortwoguy]

The European Brabus Xclusive has a leather (pleather?) covered dash in matching black to the leather interior we get - complete with contrast stitching. You can see it in a lot of shots at FQ101 (like this one - FQ101 : Smart Car Modifications).

I'd love to get hold of the part number and a helpful distributor... it probably would require an absurd amount of money, but it looks nice.

[Evilution]

I have fitted the leather dash from a Brabus 451 to mine (info will be put on the updated version of the website when it is released).
I can assure you that no extra effort has been made around the passenger airbag to weaken the leather. In fact, the airbag has to split a partially scored piece of hardboard before splitting the leather. Using any automotive leather thin enough to be shaped onto the dash will allow the explosive airbag to pass.