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Melted car dashboard & help with translation please (Chinese)
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The Milkman
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Jul 19, 2007, 06:04 AM
 
My boyfriend ordered a Nokia E90 from Hong Kong on Ebay (because he is too damned impatient to wait another few weeks until they hit the stores here).
When it arrived on Monday the package also contained a complementary "skids stop" pad. Judging from the few english words and the pictograms on the back, the pad is to be placed on the dashboard of your car, underneath the cellphone to stop it from sliding. (And you should also never let a skeleton drive your car, wtf )
On his way to work yesterday, he tried it out and it works as advertised. He got a big shock however when he got back to his car after work. This pad had somehow managed to melt the dashboard underneath it! Since the car was outside in the sun all day, I suppose the translucent, soft rubbery substance, worked as a magnifying glass, melting the dashboard.

Was he stupid to leave this thing in his car? Should he have foreseen this?
And: is there anything on the packaging that warns users about this?
Can someone translate the important bits?

Pictures of the packaging:

Front
Back
( Last edited by mindwaves; Jul 19, 2007 at 07:56 AM. )
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mindwaves
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Jul 19, 2007, 07:56 AM
 
It's in Japanese.
     
The Milkman  (op)
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Jul 19, 2007, 08:24 AM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
It's in Japanese.
Stupid me. I assumed it was Chinese since it came from Hong Kong.
I wish I could change the thread title now.
Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.
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Paco500
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Jul 19, 2007, 08:47 AM
 
So what if it was a faulty product? Do you think you have any recourse?

That being said, what a giant suck fest. I don't think he was stupid at all to leave it on the dash- I would have done the same. Does his insurace cover this type of thing? If not, I would see aobunt finding a similar, slightly larger, non-translucent pad (the sell them all over) and epoxy it down to cover the damage. Might be better than nothing.
     
The Milkman  (op)
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Jul 19, 2007, 09:31 AM
 
There's no doubt in my mind that the product design is inherently faulty. But even if there's no warning issued with the product (can anyone who speaks Japanese confirm?), I don't think there's much hope in blaming the manufacturer.

As for insurance, it's a company car and fully insured. Still I'd be surprised if this sort of damage is covered. If the insurance won't pay, it's up to my boyfriend or his employer to get it fixed or the lease company will charge them when the lease is up. I think. He going to check at work today.

Anyway I thought dashboards were built to withstand high temperatures? This is not a crappy car either (Volvo S40) but the material the dash is made from is very soft, foamy. Probably safer on impact, but less heat resistant than the hard plastic kind.
Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.
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Spliffdaddy
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Jul 19, 2007, 10:11 AM
 
It's something to do with a chemical reaction. Years ago I left some of those rubber worm fishing lures on the dashboard of my Honda Accord. Within a few days they had "melted" into the plastic of my dashboard. Very odd. Also note that some fishing tackle boxes are touted as being "worm proof".

That sticky rubber stuff the non-slip cell phone thingy was made from is probably similar to rubber fishing lures.

edit:

found this on a google search

Not a good idea to mix baits of different colors, as some colors will run. For example if you mix red tails with white tails in a bag, they may all turn pink. Also be careful about storing soft plastic baits with certain hard plastics. Sometimes there is a chemical reaction between the two plastics that can cause the hard plastic to melt. Styrofoam floats are susceptible.


I bet you will discover that dozens or hundreds of dashboards have been damaged by rubber non-slip cellphone pads.
( Last edited by Spliffdaddy; Jul 19, 2007 at 10:22 AM. )
     
KisforKennedy
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Jul 19, 2007, 11:29 AM
 
Spliff you have a great signature.
     
The Milkman  (op)
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Jul 19, 2007, 12:36 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy View Post
It's something to do with a chemical reaction. Years ago I left some of those rubber worm fishing lures on the dashboard of my Honda Accord.
I bet you will discover that dozens or hundreds of dashboards have been damaged by rubber non-slip cellphone pads.
Interesting! At first I considered this but I dismissed the theory after thinking that the manufacturer would have at least tested their product on a few dashboards.
So a chemical reaction could be the reason, maybe accelerated by the heat.

Any chemists here with suggestions on how to reverse this reaction?

EDIT: Did some google searching, found these quotes about different anti-slip pads:

PLEASE NOTE: Use only on vinyl dashboards. Use on other surfaces could cause damage. Do not use on treated surfaces (wood or leather) or hard or painted dashboards. Some models with hard plastic dashes that are NOT SUITABLE for use with this pad are: Toyota Corolla and Sienna, Subaru Forester, Impreza and Legacy, Chevy Prizm, and ALL Infinity Models.
Note that it should ONLY be used on a soft vinyl dashboard. If your dashboard is made of material other than soft vinyl, this product is not recommended, as it can cause damage to the dashboard's material.
That's probably one of the things mentioned in the Japanese instructions.
How on earth do you know if your dashboard is vinyl?
( Last edited by The Milkman; Jul 19, 2007 at 12:45 PM. )
Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.
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KisforKennedy
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Jul 19, 2007, 12:39 PM
 
Get a new dashboard at a junkyard. Don't do it again.
     
iMOTOR
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Jul 19, 2007, 12:47 PM
 
"The dashboard melted but we still have the radio"
     
Spliffdaddy
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Jul 19, 2007, 02:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by KisforKennedy View Post
Spliff you have a great signature.
They are attached to a hot redhead. As if there truly is a God.
     
   
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