I have sinned...vent bezel reflection issues

[armoredsaint]

You know the brushed chrome bezel around the left driver's side airvents - well during certain times of the day the reflection is so bad it basically obscures my left outside and convex mirror.

 

So I took a flat black paint marker and covered it up, 1000% better. Yeah it's really ghetto :finger: , but it's a company owned car that I take home and all that (I'm in Medical Device Sales).  :shift:

 

Edited June 2, 2013 by armoredsaint

[fotomoto]

Yeah, I've had the same issue primarily with the left one; right is OK.  I hoped window tint would solve it and it did reduce it some but not enough.  I might go the plastic dip or vinyl route in case the company owner (me) doesn't like it.

[armoredsaint]

Yeah, I've had the same issue primarily with the left one; right is OK.  I hoped window tint would solve it and it did reduce it some but not enough.  I might go the plastic dip or vinyl route in case the company owner (me) doesn't like it.

 

 

now the only thing reflecting is the left instrument cluster, the brush chrome bezel too.

[JimInSeattle]

So, if I lived where there is ever sun, I guess I'd have to worry about that...

[SnowStorm]

I hate those reflections too.  Glad to hear the paint worked but would prefer some kind of walnut burl overlay!  Shucks, an all wood dash would be even better.  Love wood - even more than snow.  At some point that chrome has got to go.

[zhackwyatt]

Doesn't bother me.  Good tint with glare reduction and polarized sun glasses.

[asb]

I've got a good window tint and polarized sun glasses and the reflection/glare drives me batty.

[davino]

I just put the first trip of any length on my new Energi and I found this to be the only issue I want to address as soon as possible.

I'm going to take it up with the dealer, but I'm hoping I don't need to resort to the paint marker. Thanks for posting your solution, however.

[armoredsaint]

i have been happy to report it's been terrific, no more blind spots from the reflection.

[CarpeNivem]

As a word of warning, window tint will NOT solve this problem. It will make the problem worse!

Plasti-dip does lessen the severity of the problem slightly, my wife and I have learned, but not really a whole lot, and so we peeled the dip off.

 

What helps the most seems to be keeping your windows and mirrors as absolutely clean as possible. Seriously, that helps more than plasti-dip.

[zhackwyatt]

As a word of warning, window tint will NOT solve this problem. It will make the problem worse!

 

Plasti-dip does lessen the severity of the problem slightly, my wife and I have learned, but not really a whole lot, and so we peeled the dip off.

 

What helps the most seems to be keeping your windows and mirrors as absolutely clean as possible. Seriously, that helps more than plasti-dip.

How do you figure that?  My tint has a 55% glare reduction in it.

[CarpeNivem]

The tint we put on our windows seems to reflect internal shininess even more than the bare glass did.

Perhaps we purchased the wrong tint? :-/

 

We used Diamond/Sun Guard/Solamatrix, whichever of those name is more useful. It does an admirable job of blocking heat, but a terrible job of preventing reflections off those chrome vents.

[zhackwyatt]

The tint we put on our windows seems to reflect internal shininess even more than the bare glass did.

 

Perhaps we purchased the wrong tint? :-/

 

We used Diamond/Sun Guard/Solamatrix, whichever of those name is more useful. It does an admirable job of blocking heat, but a terrible job of preventing reflections off those chrome vents.

That could be.  Tinting was one of the first things I got done, so I don't have a good comparison before and after.  Maybe it's the direction and times I drive, but I just never have a problem with reflection.

 

I have 3M crystalline.

[pomtrey]

 

what % tint do you have in the 3M crystalline and what do you think of it? I live in New York and we have a very restrictive tint law--70% visibility. it looks like nothing and no one really offers it except 3M. but I'm hoping it offers enough heat rejection at that level to help keep the car cooler. I don't know anyone else who has it. most people here chance it and get darker tint, but I don't like that idea. it's a chunk of money so don't want to do it if there's no payoff.

Edited June 30, 2013 by pomtrey

[salsaguy]

if you spot a cop just hit the window down button on either your side or opposite side or both to let in light. most won't pull you over for just tint, they have to get you for speeding or something else first and then they add on the tint issue if  tthey notice. some tint places have ticket protection so if you do get a ticket for the tint they will redo the tint job for free or 50% off after you prove to the police you had it removed (since they cite you with a "fix it ticket" like when your light is out.) but even if you have to get the lesser tint any will be better for looks and to reduce hatred and heat than none. i agree that the 3M is the best to go with. had it on 2 cars now. luckily i never got cited. i just pay attention and keep a look out for the fuzz :)

Edited June 30, 2013 by salsaguy

[ScubaDadMiami]

My dealer did the tinting before purchase.  So, I don't know which they used.  I suspect that it is 3M, but I don't know enough to tell.

 

I deal with sun that is pretty relentless, and I haven't noticed anything with glare reflections.  I have not doubt that others are having an issue.  I just can't account for it not being an issue for me.  Maybe it has something to do with the position of the driver's head relative to the glare, such as taller, seat more forward or back, and the like.

[CarpeNivem]

To illustrate the problem, for those unfamiliar with it, I took these two pictures yesterday, literally within a second of one another. I was in the passenger seat at the time, as you can see, but the view is the same from the driver's position. I've leaned to the left within my seat, and oriented my phone to simulate the driver's view. The sun was off to our left, low in the sky, and very bright.

 

First, here is the car in shade, as we pass a tree on the left, thus blocking the sun's rays...

 

Notice the presence of a car in the mirror, just behind us! Remember that this next picture is taken literally one second later. If you look carefully, you can recognize the exact same buildings outside. The same car is still in that same position. See if you can find it.

 

This is after we passed the shade of the tree, thus allowing the sunlight to pour in again...

 

The mirror has been rendered practically useless by the extreme reflection off the vent in the (tinted) window. And as you can see, it's not just the shiny bezel either; it's the whole vent. This is why Plasti-Dip didn't solve the problem for us, and why I frankly don't think anything will. We're just going to have to get used to it.

Edited July 2, 2013 by CarpeNivem

[zhackwyatt]

what % tint do you have in the 3M crystalline and what do you think of it? I live in New York and we have a very restrictive tint law--70% visibility. it looks like nothing and no one really offers it except 3M. but I'm hoping it offers enough heat rejection at that level to help keep the car cooler. I don't know anyone else who has it. most people here chance it and get darker tint, but I don't like that idea. it's a chunk of money so don't want to do it if there's no payoff.

40 on the sides and 70 on the front windshield.

 

For reference, the performance info: http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=66666UF6EVsSyXTtnxf6oXT6EVtQEVs6EVs6EVs6E666666--&fn=Auto WF Performance Data.pdf

 

And a picture of what it looks like:

 

 

I got tint before the summer heat arrived, so I really don't have a before/after comparison. I need to find a thermometer as I want to do some tests about parking north vs south, etc.  When it's 116 outside (like last weekend) you need all the help you can get.

Edited July 2, 2013 by zhackwyatt

[CarpeNivem]

Oh, and our tint is pretty dark. It's 15%.

 

As you can see above, it's not blocking any incoming light, because in this case, the light is coming through the windshield. If anything, the tint is just making the windows more susceptible to interior reflections. Although, we had the tint done almost immediately, so I don't really know what the vent reflections looked like before. Anyway, they're pretty terrible now.

It does look great from outside though. =)

Edited July 2, 2013 by CarpeNivem

[fotomoto]

The mirror has been rendered practically useless by the extreme reflection off the vent in the (tinted) window. And as you can see, it's not just the shiny bezel either; it's the whole vent. This is why Plasti-Dip didn't solve the problem for us, and why I frankly don't think anything will. We're just going to have to get used to it.

 

Yeah, I think your particular tint is adding to the effect.  I have "regular" window tint and I can only see the chrome outline of the vent in my left window reflection (the worse of the two).  Now with nearly 4 months of ownership under my belt, I rarely notice it.  The mind can be very powerful at tuning things out.  My wife who is over 1/2 foot shorter and sits closer to the wheel has never mentioned it and being that she is very OCD I haven't brought the subject up for fear of giving her something else to obsess over!   :hysterical:

 

 

The flatter the windows the more reflective they become.  We had a Nissan Cube that had darn near perfectly flat windows that had severe reflective qualities.

Edited July 2, 2013 by fotomoto

[zhackwyatt]

To illustrate the problem, for those unfamiliar with it, I took these two pictures yesterday, literally within a second of one another. I was in the passenger seat at the time, as you can see, but the view is the same from the driver's position. I've leaned to the left within my seat, and oriented my phone to simulate the driver's view. The sun was off to our left, low in the sky, and very bright.

 

First, here is the car in shade, as we pass a tree on the left, thus blocking the sun's rays...

 

 

Notice the presence of a car in the mirror, just behind us! Remember that this next picture is taken literally one second later. If you look carefully, you can recognize the exact same buildings outside. The same car is still in that same position. See if you can find it.

 

This is after we passed the shade of the tree, thus allowing the sunlight to pour in again...

 

 

The mirror has been rendered practically useless by the extreme reflection off the vent in the (tinted) window. And as you can see, it's not just the shiny bezel either; it's the whole vent. This is why Plasti-Dip didn't solve the problem for us, and why I frankly don't think anything will. We're just going to have to get used to it.

Now I understand why you blame the tint.  I thought you were saying the sun was hitting the dashboard and then reflecting right into your eye.

 

I'm assuming if you roll down the window the reflection goes away because the reflection is on the window and not the mirror?

[armoredsaint]

does your tint have metallic or ceramic in it? i know some are more reflective than others.

[MikeB]

The reflection seemed to get a little better on my car after the tint was installed, but didn't eliminate the problem. I've just tried an experiment with black electrical tape on the chrome, and it seems to be quite a bit better. Obviously, with a sun angle like the one shown in the picture above, there's still some reflection from the vent itself, but for the most part blackening the chrome takes out the worst of it.

[armoredsaint]

flat black paint marker is your friend, if you dare  :happy feet:

[CarpeNivem]

Now I understand why you blame the tint.  I thought you were saying the sun was hitting the dashboard and then reflecting right into your eye.

 

I'm assuming if you roll down the window the reflection goes away because the reflection is on the window and not the mirror?

 

Yes, rolling down the window solves the problem instantly. The reflected image of the bezel is entirely on the glass, not in the mirror. And I believe it's the tint which is making the window more reflective. 

 

If the sunlight was entering through the driver door window, I'm sure the tint would help, as it would cut down on the amount of light hitting the bezel in the first place, making it less bright, and its reflection less strong. However, since the light is pouring in through the un-obstructed windshield, the bezel is absolutely as bright as possible, and the tinted window is bouncing almost all of that light back. If the window were not tinted, it wouldn't be as reflective as it is.

 

So really, depending on the position of the sun, you win some, and you lose some. Over all, I don't regret the tint, but it's clearly a contributing factor here.

 

does your tint have metallic or ceramic in it? i know some are more reflective than others.

 

I don't know exactly what's in the tint, but it IS the kind of tint which blocks heat. That is to say, it's not merely cosmetic. And it does do an admirable job, by the way, of blocking the heat. That's not just marketing; you can feel it. So perhaps it does have metal or ceramic in it, is what I'm guessing.