Making your own dashmat

Visibly better already!

Phil
 
Lola said:
I agree for the same reasons, the Brushed Suede just seemed like it belonged instead of something that was thrown on the dash.
I've had to buy so many things the last couple weeks that I joined Amazon Prime so I'll see if I can get it from them instead of straight from Dash Designs they wanted $49.00. Amazon Videos are really neat also, I really like the serial type shows like "Deadwood", if hard language doesn't bother you, the acting is really great, just DON'T let any kids watch it !

My monitor is really giving me trouble also, so I'm going to need (like now) a new one.
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I've become a huge fan of Amazon Prime. It has paid for itself many times over already. The Prime Video ended up basically replacing my increasingly outrageous priced satellite TV service that I used because I can't get cable out in the rural area where I live. Amazingly, the Prime video works perfectly even with my crappy DSL bandwidth. (I wonder what compression scheme they use since I can't even watch an HD YouTube video without it chocking.) Between Prime video and the free TV I get over the air from my mountain top location I have all the video entertainment I could want for 99 dollars a year instead the absurd monthly price for the satellite. It all worked so well I bought a Roku and everything is just like I had before on my HDTV with the satellite and I couldn't be more pleased. I watched the entire 5 seasons of Fringe and am now working my way through the third season of OrphanBlack plus lots a good recent feature films. For products I find Amazon indispensable. For example, last week I suddenly found myself in dire need of a 5/8 - 92 inch V-belt for a piece of equipment and no place in town had the belt I required. One parts store said they could order one for me for about 40 bucks. Instead I found exactly what I needed on Amazon for 28 dollars and with the free Prime shipping I had it delivered and installed in two days.

Deadwood is a great show, perhaps the best TV Western ever produced. David Milch, the creator of the show explained once in an interview that all the foul language was actually fairly accurate, historically speaking. Somebody did a hilarious website that catalogued how many swear words where uttered in each episode.
 
kamkar1 said:
Over here kids are probably the most prolific users of the F word and similar, not sure if its due to us having absolute freedom of speech with just racist uttering being a problem.
I do dislike when Danish TV run a movie or series and then they have the American version with beeps and blurred faces god forbidding a person that can lip read see some one saying the F word.
Just one of the things i dont get, and probably the same Americans dont get about us Danes.

We do have ratings on movies too, but i dont think its something most Danish parents is bothered about, just stick a tablet in the hands of the kid and let it take care of the upbringing of your child, along with,,,, mmm weird people in the school system.

Its another reason i am glad i do not have any kids, cuz here i am not allowed to rise them in anything resembling the right way.
you are not even allowed to slap your own kid, something kids took full advantage decades ago when that was made law, so now they are all snotfaced punks.
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Hi KamKar1, it's not much different here (US). I think it's just the times we all live in, kids around here talk a lot of trash but there are those that were raised better and have a higher sense of morals. I have some friends at the local grocery store in their early twenties that I have never heard the F from!
Then you go to Walmart, and lookout, you need a profanity dictionary in that place.
That movie I was telling Dashmellow about, They didn't need to use the f word so much but I bet the director wanted them to because the young crowds flock to those movies.
My dad would have tore by backside off me with a belt if I acted like some do today! When I was raised if I wanted something I had to work and save the money for it. Parents fed me and bought cloths, that was about it, I worked so darn much I didn't have time to get in trouble, except for a few times:cool::D.
 
I only got a beating when my parents found out i had done wrong, and when you factor in i did wrong almost all the time i have gotten off pretty easy.
And truth be told all i learned from those beatings was dont let your parents find out what you are doing.
And in the end i was able to see the error of my own ways and change myself, okay it did take a long for some things, but better late than never getting there.

And truth be told considering the crowd i was hanging out with then i wasent really that bad, and when the crowd started to reveal its weaknesses i was out of there, as it was either that or go to jail soon cuz some dumb ass ratted you out.
I did try getting ratted out once for something "mundane" ( torching the local playground - B&E into the local school dentist stealing nitrous gas and B&E on the local chocolate factory )
The good thing that exact time and day i was not there, so in the end after 5 interrogations by the cops i got off the charge.

Not that i have become a angel, i do carry a pocket knife tho thats illegal, not cuz i want to plunge it into some one, i should still be able to remember some of the hand 2 hand combat we practiced when i was a kid, only problem is now i am 35 years older and not as agile as in the old days.
 
Dashmellow said:
It was. Basically, the suede finish has a bit of a nap that could reflect slightly, so the paint essentially eliminated that problem. I could have ignored it and still been happy with the performance. The real issue that still arises are occasional reflections from metallic looking parts of the dash panel not covered by the dash mat or from the radio dial at night. Then again, these problems are very minor and are confined to areas of the windshield that are irrelevant to capturing the vital things a dash cam needs to capture. I think there is a certain point of diminishing returns to this whole thing as far as how fanatical one needs to get but installing the dash mat has been one of the better ancillary investments I've made since buying my first dash cam six years ago.
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You are the one who pioneered the concept of using the dash mat because of the reflections, and taking it a step further by painting it with Camouflage Black paint. I would have thought painting would have made a mess of it:D.
I believe when you bought it from Amazon it happened to be made by Dash Designs which was a lucky thing since they use catalogue identification numbers to identify every vehicle they make mat's for.
Example: A lot of the pros and cons I read about different mat's the biggest con was "It didn't fit correctly"! With Dash Designs cataloging method this would be almost unheard of because they evidently have a "template" for each Brand/Year/etc,.
For my truck the number is D2907-OBBK (Toyota Tacoma DLX 1995-2005 brushed suede black) .

Remember when I said Amazon had them screwed up because they only had one sample for the Amazon page and I had to go get the right number and come back, well a lot of Tacoma's have different catalog numbers. However a lot of companies just use one template for Tacoma's regardless of year, therefore, "It doesn't fit correctly"!
 
Lola said:
You are the one who pioneered the concept of using the dash mat because of the reflections, and taking it a step further by painting it with Camouflage Black paint. I would have thought painting would have made a mess of it:D.
I believe when you bought it from Amazon it happened to be made by Dash Designs which was a lucky thing since they use catalogue identification numbers to identify every vehicle they make mat's for.
Example: A lot of the pros and cons I read about different mat's the biggest con was "It didn't fit correctly"! With Dash Designs cataloging method this would be almost unheard of because they evidently have a "template" for each Brand/Year/etc,.
For my truck the number is D2907-OBBK (Toyota Tacoma DLX 1995-2005 brushed suede black) .

Remember when I said Amazon had them screwed up because they only had one sample for the Amazon page and I had to go get the right number and come back, well a lot of Tacoma's have different catalog numbers. However a lot of companies just use one template for Tacoma's regardless of year, therefore, "It doesn't fit correctly"!
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Well, I'm not quite so sure I'm the one who pioneered using dash mats. A couple of members before me like @reverend reported buying them but there were complaints and screen shots of shiny fibers reflecting in windshields because the mats were made from polyester carpeting. I'm guess I'm the one who discovered brushed suede as a better alternative and of course, took the risk of painting it. As I've mentioned several times I thought it would look hideous even if it worked. Little did I know it would come out looking so good, even better that the original suede.

Yeah, the Dash Designs one I bought fits perfectly. One thing about the sueded ones being thinner than the carpeted type is that you can stretch them a little to get it to fit better during installation but it helps to have a well crafted dash mat to begin with.
I selected the Dash Designs brand after doing quite a lot of online research and reading customer reviews on several sites. People commented that they were pleased and they fit well.
 
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Dashmellow said:
Well, I'm not quite so sure I'm the one who pioneered using dash mats. A couple of members before me like @reverend reported buying them but there were complaints and screen shots of shiny fibers reflecting in windshields because the mats were made from polyester carpeting. I'm guess I'm the one who discovered brushed suede as a better alternative and of course, took the risk of painting it. As I've mentioned several times I thought it would look hideous even if it worked. Little did I know it would come out looking so good, even better that the original suede.

Yeah, the Dash Designs one I bought fits perfectly. One thing about the sueded ones being thinner than the carpeted type is that you can stretch them a little to get it to fit better during installation but it helps to have a well crafted dash mat to begin with.
I selected the Dash Designs brand after doing quite a lot of online research and reading customer reviews on several sites. People commented that they were pleased and they fit well.
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My Dash Mat came in today, love it, really dense black and fairly well made. I haven't installed it yet, still not sure if I will paint it with the Rostellum Camouflage spray paint or not.
Think maybe I'll see how well it works without painting before I make a decision.
Did any of you have any problems with the Velcro holding it in place
 
Lola said:
My Dash Mat came in today, love it, really dense black and fairly well made. I haven't installed it yet, still not sure if I will paint it with the Rostellum Camouflage spray paint or not.
Think maybe I'll see how well it works without painting before I make a decision.
Did any of you have any problems with the Velcro holding it in place
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I agree that it's a good idea to see how the dash mat works out before you decide to paint it. If anything it will give you the opportunity to compare the difference if you do paint it.

I was afraid to use the Velcro strips that came with my dash mat because I was worried that the adhesive would eventually screw up my dashboard. I happened to have roll of gray 3M VHB tape on hand that has proven to be remarkable easy to cleanly remove from plastic interior parts of my truck without leaving any visible residue or damage even after extended use. Compared to the black 3M VHB tape it comes off right off, essentially just breaking the bond right away when you go to remove it instead of being a hassle. I reserve the black tape for when I need to mount things on glass. I bought the tape at a local Walmart so maybe you can find some. I'm afraid I don't recall the product number and it's not printed on the cardboard core of the roll but it's the standard gray outdoor 3M tape you can find in some stores along with the black version.
 
Dashmellow said:
I agree that it's a good idea to see how the dash mat works out before you decide to paint it. If anything it will give you the opportunity to compare the difference if you do paint it.

I was afraid to use the Velcro strips that came with my dash mat because I was worried that the adhesive would eventually screw up my dashboard. I happened to have roll of gray 3M VHB tape on hand that has proven to be remarkable easy to cleanly remove from plastic interior parts of my truck without leaving any visible residue or damage even after extended use. Compared to the black 3M VHB tape it comes off right off, essentially just breaking the bond right away when you go to remove it instead of being a hassle. I reserve the black tape for when I need to mount things on glass. I bought the tape at a local Walmart so maybe you can find some. I'm afraid I don't recall the product number and it's not printed on the cardboard core of the roll but it's the standard gray outdoor 3M tape you can find in some stores along with the black version.
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Thanks for the tip on the VHB tape. You don't have any problems taking up the dash mat and reinstalling it if you want to on the tape, or do you just cut some more pieces off the roll?
 
Lola said:
Thanks for the tip on the VHB tape. You don't have any problems taking up the dash mat and reinstalling it if you want to on the tape, or do you just cut some more pieces off the roll?
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I've not tried to remove the mat since I installed it but if I were to try to reinstall it I would just replace the tape. All you need is just a few small strategically placed pieces of tape to hold the mat in place. Use the absolute least amount of tape and the smallest pieces you can get away with. You don't need much and you can always add a piece here and there later if you think it needs it. The mat will settle in to the shape of the dashboard the longer it is installed. As I mentioned and illustrated earlier in this thread I used a plastic spatula to push the edge of the dash mat down between the narrow gap between the dashboard and the windscreen glass and this serves to hold it in place as well as prevents the mat from impeding the flow of air from the defroster vent.

BTW, after the dash mat had been installed for a year I noticed that it had become somewhat dusty and had a little bit of lint stuck to it here and there. Rather than remove the mat for cleaning I used one of those adhesive lint rollers on it and it came out looking clean and new as if I had just installed it.
 
This holding dashmat in place i have been thinking about lately.

Since i am working with DIY materials here my setup is pretty light and fluffy, so to add some weight to it i plan on backing the felt with some rubber foil normally used to line garden ponds.
This should make it more heavy but still i dont think its enough to remain in place just by friction.
So here is the new idea, when gluing the rubber to the back side of my felt i plan on putting a little thin metal in between the felt and rubber in some areas, this way i can add a couple of neodymium magnets below my dashbord to hold it all in place.

I feel this approach is better than just wedging the felt / dashmat in between the dashbord and the A-pillars as thats the only place where i have a small gap.
Along the bottom of the windscreen there is a huge gap so i will have to add something 5 mm thick to the dashmat there to make it stay in place, and i fear thats not good as i have a huge cut in the front of the dashmat so my air vent there is clear, and this leading to there just being a 5 CM thin strip in front of the air vent cutout.
Anyways i have ample time to fine tune this as weather have put a stop to my work on the dashmat, simply too friggin cold here to work outside.
 
Dashmellow said:
I've not tried to remove the mat since I installed it but if I were to try to reinstall it I would just replace the tape. All you need is just a few small strategically placed pieces of tape to hold the mat in place. Use the absolute least amount of tape and the smallest pieces you can get away with. You don't need much and you can always add a piece here and there later if you think it needs it. The mat will settle in to the shape of the dashboard the longer it is installed. As I mentioned and illustrated earlier in this thread I used a plastic spatula to push the edge of the dash mat down between the narrow gap between the dashboard and the windscreen glass and this serves to hold it in place as well as prevents the mat from impeding the flow of air from the defroster vent.

BTW, after the dash mat had been installed for a year I noticed that it had become somewhat dusty and had a little bit of lint stuck to it here and there. Rather than remove the mat for cleaning I used one of those adhesive lint rollers on it and it came out looking clean and new as if I had just installed it.
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Your instructions make this simple. The lint roller idea is great, that's the reason I asked about removing the mat, so basically one would not have to remove the mat unless something was spilled on it that couldn't be removed with the lint roller.
 
Lola said:
Your instructions make this simple. The lint roller idea is great, that's the reason I asked about removing the mat, so basically one would not have to remove the mat unless something was spilled on it that couldn't be removed with the lint roller.
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I'm know I'm repeating myself here but just make sure you don't use the black 3M VHB tape as I fear it would be very difficult to remove it from a vinyl dashboard with damaging it or leaving behind an ugly residue. The gray 3M tape has a different adhesive that breaks cleanly away from vinyl when it is peeled off.
 
kamkar1 said:
This holding dashmat in place i have been thinking about lately.

Since i am working with DIY materials here my setup is pretty light and fluffy, so to add some weight to it i plan on backing the felt with some rubber foil normally used to line garden ponds.
This should make it more heavy but still i dont think its enough to remain in place just by friction.
So here is the new idea, when gluing the rubber to the back side of my felt i plan on putting a little thin metal in between the felt and rubber in some areas, this way i can add a couple of neodymium magnets below my dashbord to hold it all in place.

I feel this approach is better than just wedging the felt / dashmat in between the dashbord and the A-pillars as thats the only place where i have a small gap.
Along the bottom of the windscreen there is a huge gap so i will have to add something 5 mm thick to the dashmat there to make it stay in place, and i fear thats not good as i have a huge cut in the front of the dashmat so my air vent there is clear, and this leading to there just being a 5 CM thin strip in front of the air vent cutout.
Anyways i have ample time to fine tune this as weather have put a stop to my work on the dashmat, simply too friggin cold here to work outside.
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The only thing I would be worried about is the rubber foil, are you sure it will be able to handle that kind of heat in a closed up vehicle?

As for the bottom of the windshield, if there is some metal in there, those long refrigerator magnets backed with a couple neodymium wedged out of site in the gap should hold it down, especially if you keep just the fabric there without any backing in that area.
 
Dashmellow said:
I'm know I'm repeating myself here but just make sure you don't use the black 3M VHB tape as I fear it would be very difficult to remove it from a vinyl dashboard with damaging it or leaving behind an ugly residue. The gray 3M tape has a different adhesive that breaks cleanly away from vinyl when it is peeled off.
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It shall be done, I put a note on my frige, get cheap VHB tape at Walmart :D.
 
Lola said:
It shall be done, I put a note on my frige, get cheap VHB tape at Walmart :D.
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Since I don't know the exact product number of the grey 3M tape and they offer many types of VHB tape it might be wise to do a little testing in an inconspicuous place before committing to whatever you buy. I only discovered the properties of the grey 3M VHB product I purchased after using it for a few months on different dash cam projects long after I disposed of the package it came in that had the product number on it. Not sure but I think it may have been this product. (4941)
 
Dashmellow said:
Since I don't know the exact product number of the grey 3M tape and they offer many types of VHB tape it might be wise to do a little testing in an inconspicuous place before committing to whatever you buy. I only discovered the properties of the grey 3M VHB product I purchased after using it for a few months on different dash cam projects long after I disposed of the package it came in that had the product number on it. Not sure but I think it may have been this product. (4941)
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Thanks for the number, I'll check it out on my next trip to Walmart.

I don't know if you like these types of movies (Amazon Prime videos) but I've been watching True Blood for about a week now (original HBO serial type) . I really like it. it's about the life and times of some vampires and their relationships with humans. One really gets involved with these serial type shows:cool::D
 
Lola said:
Thanks for the number, I'll check it out on my next trip to Walmart.

I don't know if you like these types of movies (Amazon Prime videos) but I've been watching True Blood for about a week now (original HBO serial type) . I really like it. it's about the life and times of some vampires and their relationships with humans. One really gets involved with these serial type shows:cool::D
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Watched the whole series. Great show! I've been a long time fan of Allan Ball the creator of the show. Also, I've really liked Anna Paquin ever since I saw here in her debut roll in The Piano in 1993 for which she won an Oscar at the age of 11.

Thanks to Amazon Prime I got to binge watch the entire 5 seasons of Fringe, another great show.
 
Lola said:
I've been watching True Blood for about a week now (original HBO serial type) . I really like it. it's about the life and times of some vampires and their relationships with humans. One really gets involved with these serial type shows:cool::D
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Do yourself a favour. Watch it all except the last episode.

There are female-centric themes to the whole show, but they don't spoil it. Until the very last episode. And then it gets spoiled big time. Maybe if you like a Mills and Boone romantic tragedy (if there is such a thing) you'll be able to stomach the ending. My jaw dropped at how stupid, soppy and rushed it was.
 
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