Reducing dash cap glare

[burgandy81]

Hi All,

Not really sure where this should go....

Currently my spider has a hard plastic cap on the dash which came with the car. Aesthetically it is acceptable (no cracks).

My issue is the glare off of the windshield on bright days. I find the reflection of the dash on the inside of the glass to be extremely distracting and a little unnerving is certain light. Driving in an out of shadows on a tree lined street can be a challenge.

Has anyone had any success in reducing the shine on a dash cap?

A couple of thoughts I am having;

1. Gently rub with a very fine scotch bright pad
2. Re-die with an SEM product to a flat or semigloss
3. Last resort would be a dash mat although I prefer to keep with a clean simple interior.

Any thoughts?

[divace73]

some time in the near future I do plan to cover my dash with a suede type of material, I think Ferrari did this (or least I have seen??) on the older dino??

[Danno]

I let mine get really dirty. problem solved.
or
they make those dashmat carpet dealies. I have one on my pickup truck. I've always thought they were cheesy, but it actually looks pretty good. if you just lay it there it can serve to protect the dash, but still be removable in case you have people looking at the car.

[wikkid]

In my experience with other cars, anything but black or a dark charcoal shows up as a reflected image in the windshield - like when you put any paper up on the dash top, the reflection gets in your view.

What color is your interior?

You should stay away from any shiny finish products, especially Armor-all. Clean with a mild detergent and towel or something like 303 Aerospace vinyl cleaner; dry; treat/protect with 303 Aerospace protectant, which gives UV protection and finishes flat, not glossy.

[burgandy81]

Divace73,

Yes, leather is ultimate plan alas time and money do not permit at this time.

Have you looked into Flocking? End result is a suede-like appearance often seen on rally car dash.

Danno,

Yes the mat may be my simplest solution.

Wikkid,

Interior is black. Interesting point about the protectant. I suspect that Armor-all or worse has been used in the past. Maybe a good fist step to try and strip the old finish off. I have some 303 and will give it a try.

[azruss]

go buy some polaroid sun glasses. problem solved. Anything you do to dull the dash will greatly increase the maintainence on it.

[Danno]

*polarized

[rodman]

have the windshield tented

[Exit98]

some time in the near future I do plan to cover my dash with a suede type of material, I think Ferrari did this (or least I have seen??) on the older dino??

Yes, but it's called "mouse fur" and that stuff didn't look or wear very well. They used the mouse fur on the famous Ferarri Datona too. It sure wasn't suede though. But no glare.

[azruss]

Polarized.....Go to any store with sun glasses and look for ones marked "polarized". take 2 pair and look thru the lenses when the glasses are at 90 degrees to each other. you will notice it cuts out 90+ % of the view. As you rotate away from right angles, the glasses allow light thru once more. Here is the theory. Polarized lenses only allow vertical light rays to pass thru the lense, it filters out the horizontal rays. Light coming from the sun comes at us in random wave orientation. when it hits something, like your dash, only the horizontal rays are reflected, thus producing a reflection on the windshield. when wearing polarized lens, those lightwaves are block and WALA! the image on the windshield disappears. It does the same thing for road glare, snow glare,etc. when looking at a rainbow, the colors are more enhanced. This is a phenomenon that occurs naturally in some quartz.

[Danno]

Polarized.....Go to any store with sun glasses and look for ones marked "polarized". take 2 pair and look thru the lenses when the glasses are at 90 degrees to each other. you will notice it cuts out 90+ % of the view. As you rotate away from right angles, the glasses allow light thru once more. Here is the theory. Polarized lenses only allow vertical light rays to pass thru the lense, it filters out the horizontal rays. Light coming from the sun comes at us in random wave orientation. when it hits something, like your dash, only the horizontal rays are reflected, thus producing a reflection on the windshield. when wearing polarized lens, those lightwaves are block and WALA! the image on the windshield disappears. It does the same thing for road glare, snow glare,etc. when looking at a rainbow, the colors are more enhanced. This is a phenomenon that occurs naturally in some quartz.

I don't wear anything else since I discovered them. Found mine in the fishing section of my local store. Absolutely love 'em.

[azruss]

polaroid-polarized. got it, Danno.....just a little sssssllllooooooowwwww

[azruss]

Quote from Wikipedia:

Polarized sunglasses first became available in 1936, when Edwin H. Land began experimenting with making lenses with his patented Polaroid filter.

I thought i remembered the early polarized sunglasses when i was a kid were called polaroid. Not so slow afterall

[RRoller123]

The Polaroid facility in Waltham is finally being demolished, after about 50 years of prominence along Rt. 128. It is a sad sight to see every time we drive by. An era long gone, but what a genius he was/they were to come up with a product like that! I hope we can keep the innovation culture going in America as we stumble forward these coming days.