Hi Alan
If the surface of the instrument panel is not too raised then the decal will conform with the use of a decal softening solution such as Micro-Sol. You just put the decal in place and then paint over the Micro-Sol and leave it to dry. The decal will snuggle down into the raised detail. You may need to repeat the application a few times. There are a few different decal softening solutions on the market but I have only used Micro-Sol. You could always sand off the knobs and dials and then simply apply the decal.
As for the carpet monster
Some will try to tell you it is a mythical beast but after a while in this hobby you will soon realise it is only too real. Some people try to placate him with unwanted bits of sprue but that has never worked for me. If you spent time scratching a replacement for the missing part or spend money on a new part the CM will often return the lost part.
I once held a piece of kit in my tweezers, applied a tiny blob of glue, went to position it onto the model and -PING!! I spent half an hour on my hands and knees but with no luck. That evening I was sitting watching TV, the dog on the settee with me. I casually stroked her head and the "lump" on her ear was the part. At that time she liked to sit under my bench when I modelled.
Jim