I am looking at getting a dashboard cover to try and keep the electronics under the dash a little cooler. A lighter color is called for, but that conflicts with the glare that it gives off. What color and material have people tried that did not give excessive glare, but was lighter than the black?
I wanted a dash cover to 1) eliminate the heat generated by the sun on the uncovered dash and 2) eliminate the glare. I tried various color towels and all but the black caused reflection glare. All helped with the heat factor. Bought the black velour, it seemed the darkest. Home run! You want it a bit large, it will tighten up over time. The black velour type works. Eliminates glare. Does not get anywhere near as hot as the uncovered dash. I give it a 9.5 out of 10. The lighter colors, even the dark grey, have enough reflection to cause glare. The dash heat is now a non-issue.
Did you measure the temperature of the underside of the dash before and after the black velour with a good thermometer or just by touching the dash versus touching the black velour?
The product i have is the brushed suede in black from Dash Designs in Arizona. Ordered about three years ago. I remember some online advice to order by phone to make sure the correct Prius dash cover is ordered. I let it lay unattached on the dash and it resolved my issues. By touch. We all know how hot the uncovered dash gets in the sun. An egg might cook on it. With any color towel I tried, white, tan, medium gray, dark gray, medium blue, and black, the dash under the towel got warm, but not hot. It makes sense a lighter color would be a bit cooler in temp, BUT, that furnace like heat produced by the sun on an uncovered dash is now gone. My black cover gets hot in the sun, but nothing like the uncovered dash. Problem solved. I was surprised. The black did much better with the heat than i thought it would. My other issue was the glare created by the reflection of the dash in the windshield, so I decided to try the black suede type fabric. It seemed the darkest. Again, problem solved. All of the other colors produced unsatisfactory glare for me, as did the uncovered dash. My eye doctor says blue eyes are often the most sensitive to bright light. Mine sure are. Glare hurts. I had samples of other colors and only the black eliminated the glare. I have no skin in this other than to pass along what worked for me.
Thanks for the details. I asked because we can be fooled by touching - the cover fabric is less thermally conductive than the dash plastic - they may be at the same temperature but one feels cooler than the other due to the conductivity difference. But if the dash under the fabric feels cooler than without cover then it should be working.
