Annoying Dash Reflection '08 - explanation but not happy

I know what you are talking about, but you have to be pretty picky to be bothered by it. It's just something you get used to, like the long A pillars.

Tom

 

Yes polarizing sunglasses can help with that, but there can be unintended consequences wearing polarizing sunglasses while driving a Prius. Mine get rid of the glare and don't add other problems.

Read this thread about polarizing sunglasses and Prii:
http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/44741-driving-polarized-sunglasses-do-they-help.html

 

I have a grey dash on my 2007, and that sort of thing would really bug me, so I think that your dash must be glossier than mine. I am still thinking either the finish has been modified, or somehting was added that does not come off easily with windex. May need to consult with an auto detail shop and see it there is a vax remover, or some sort of matt finish treatment that could be added.

 

Do you mean the green reflection on the lower windshield caused by the speedometer? I have a 2008 model, and although the reflection is there during the daytime, it is barely noticeable--not really a distraction at all for me. At night though I have to dim the speedometer light so that the reflection isn't so glaring. Other than that, I don't think I am having the same issues you are. Oh and I am 5'7, so maybe I'm at the certain height where the reflection doesn't show up (I didn't understand some of what you were talking about in you original post but I gathered something about being at specific heights that would diminish the reflection).

Of course I'm probably describing something different than you are and in that case this whole post will have been a waste of everyone's time.

 

I agree with Bryan. I have grey '08 dash. The reflection at night really bothered me until I used the same light Bryan used to cut the light down. I see a bit during the day but nothing that really bugs me. I am 5'9" but I sit low because I have long legs and short torso. Might have something to do with your height?

 

Yup i know what your talking about .A bit of a pain .Possible fix a dash cover should take care of it .

 

The reflection is a result of the low windshield angle. The Prius windshield is tipped way back for good aerodynamics, which is why it has the long flat open area on the dash. With this sort of reflection, you only have four degrees of freedom to control:

1) The reflective characteristics of the glass: You really don't have many options in this area. It's not like you can swap out the windshield for a low reflection model. It is possible to coat the interior surface, but it's not practical.

2) Lighting: Reflections on glass depend on the lighting differential between the inside and the outside. You can control this at night, but in the daytime you are out of luck.

3) Angle: The windshield angle is fixed, so that is out. You do have a little control through your seating position, but that offers a trade-off with comfort.

4) Dash: You can control the color and reflective nature of the dash.

#4 is the only option with any real range of control. If this is a real problem that you can't live with, you may want to make a dash cover out of a matte material. Other drivers have done this, but usually to eliminate the reflection from the speedometer display.

Tom

 

Certainly, I can see reflections in various lighting conditions. I've had that in pretty much every car I've driven, except for my Jeep C-J5. In that one, the windshield was flat and almost vertical. The only reflection you were likely to see was your neck tie. My Ford Aerostar also has a highly angled windshield, and you get the same thing with it. The only way to avoid reflections when looking through shiny angled glass is to keep the surface under the angle completely black. Anything else and you get a reflection. If you keep the surface under the angle a uniform shade, you get a reflection, but you aren't likely to notice it since it will be uniform. What gets you are the discontinuities, which show up as lines and spots on the windshield. That's where a cover comes into play: it makes things darker, but more importantly, it makes the field uniform.

For me, it isn't a big distraction. I just look through it.

Tom

 

Something you might try is a black piece of plastic that you can buy at an auto place or battery shop. It sticks to the dash and I use it for my cell phone, sun glasses, change. Things stick to it. It might fit the glare spot and it looks fine.

 

Is it like fly mesh, if you focus beyond it you won't see it?

 

That's what I use too (I think) -- thin black neoprene; the stuff on the bottom of classic mouse pads. It sticks to the dash and stuff sticks to it. It practically blends in with the dash. I buy it from a rubber/foam supplies store on Canal Street in NYC (I'm just sayin' ... I know that most of you will not have access to a similar brick and mortar store). One square foot sheet costs $2 for thin neoprene (thicker neoprene costs a little more). They also sell neoprene sheeting in wider width rolls by the linear foot.

 

I got mine at Battery Plus store for $7. They probably have them at Wal-Mart. They are a flat piece of black plastic with a sticky side that lays where you put it on the dash without sliding around. Maybe a little smaller than the size of two packs of cigarettes laying side by side but totally flat and hardly visible. I think it will do the trick for you.

 

Yes, I know what you have now. I've seen those in stores too.

BTW, I have two extras of those thin one foot square neoprene sheets I was talking about. (Click thumbnail picture below -- it's sticking all by itself on the back of my sofa.) They're real handy. I cut them into smaller pieces to lay on my dash to hold things. You can also cut them to line cupholders or other bins in the Prius to stop stuff from sliding around (that's what the PadsPlus guy on ebay uses -- he sells neoprene liners specially cut for the Prius and other cars' bins).

If you or the OP would like to have one of my extras of the neoprene sheets, just PM me with a mailing address and promise me that you'll pay forward the shipping costs by giving $2 extra to charity or a homeless person this year, and I'll send you one of my extras.

 

I have nothing useful to add to the reflection discussion, but just a bit of trivia for Tom. Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of "Pay It Forward," lives here in Cambria, as does her mother. My wife and daughter know her and her mom.

 

BTW, I saw your webpage and Cambria sounds lovely. I think I'll check it out next time I'm in those parts.