Dealing with reflection of head unit screen

[Dan Robinson]

I started driving a Subaru Outback in 2019. The issue with this car for a dashcam is that the Starlink head unit screen and illuminated side buttons (GPS navigation/map, audio, etc interface) creates an unavoidable reflection in twilight and at night (example attached). The dashcam's circular polarizer doesn't have an effect on this reflection.

The only solution I can come up with is to place some sort of visor/hood at the top of the head unit to completely block it from reflecting in the windshield, but yet still allow the screen to be visible from the driver's seat. I'm ready to just fabricate this visor myself out of some type of black plastic material, but I was curious if there was a product that already exists for this purpose. I did a bunch of searches both on this forum and on Google for such an object, but came up empty.

 

[kamkar]

I have the same problem when i use my 7" tablet for navigation, wedged in under the flap lid on the small compartment on the middle of my dashboard.
My 7" head unit in the center console do not reflect at all.
My idea was also along your lines, just never followed thru on it as it is extremely rare i need navigation.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Murphy's Law - I started searching for "screen sun shade" and a plethora of products showed up. Here are a few examples:

Robot or human?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/B08595B9YS
https://www.amazon.com/gp/B089KMCJ94
Now I just need to figure out how far the hood needs to extend to block the reflection.

 

[SawMaster]

Make a cardboard version and mount it with blue painters tape. Cut it smaller and smaller till you see the reflection again then you'll know what size you need.

Thought you might be in Alabama but turns out it wasn't much. Any thoughts on this year's season?

Phil

 

[kamkar]

Well when i hear Alabama my brain immediately cough out Talladega

 

[SawMaster]

Well when i hear Alabama my brain immediately cough out Talladega

Something else, but starts with a "T" also. Dan knows what I'm speaking about.

Talladega was also a Ford car. Nascar rules required a certain number of cars be sold to the public before they could be raced, so they altered a 1969 Torino with a longer nose among other things, and renamed it, then raced it. It was a wild success, then the next year Dodge brought out the Charger Daytona which with Richard Petty behind the wheel was almost unbeatable.

The car is quite rare today but somebody around here has one and in what looks to be original unrestored condition; I see it every couple years while out driving.

Phil

 

[Dan Robinson]

Make a cardboard version and mount it with blue painters tape. Cut it smaller and smaller till you see the reflection again then you'll know what size you need.

Thought you might be in Alabama but turns out it wasn't much. Any thoughts on this year's season?

Phil

Looking active for the south this month, still waiting on Midwest and Plains to really get going. My annual spring season off of work just started, so hopefully I can get out more