1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Gen 4 Black Shiny Dash

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by padroo, Dec 21, 2017.

  1. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,251
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    My 2016 Prius 4 is Midnight Black Metallic paint on the outside.

    My wife noticed the other day that the shiny black dash trim isn't just black, it looks like the same color paint on the outside of the car. It you put a light right up to it it actually has dark blue metallic in it. Is it just mine because that is the exterior color or not.
     
  2. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,585
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I've a friend who is an artist - he maintains that PURE Black is impossible to achieve. I suspect that "gloss black" is also a contradiction of terms to a Physicist.

    I'm neither an artist, nor a physicist though.
     
    kithmo likes this.
  3. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2012
    535
    402
    0
    Location:
    Buffalo
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    To bad dust is white.

    A black hole comes close to perfect black body. Hawking radiation screws this up. Your best earthly approximation to a black body is carbon black. I would just stick with the glossy finish.
     
    RCO likes this.
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,001
    16,223
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The piano black trim looks black to me but I've never taken a flashlight up to it so I can't confirm.

    However, I can confirm that Midnight Black Metallic is not pure black. It looks dark blue or dark green under certain lighting conditions because of the metallic flakes.

    Toyota's flat black paint is simply called "Black" or "Obsidian Black". The other blacks are metallic or pearlescent. (e.g. Black Sand Pearl or Midnight Black Metallic/Attitude Black Metallic).
     
    RCO likes this.
  5. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,585
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    True - but they're quite rare down here - one hasn't turned up in my lifetime. And I don't think I want to be around if one does.

    I remember when LED TVs came the discussion about the superior blacks of PLASMA compared with LCD - to me I couldn't see much difference, but then, I don't watch much TV.

    I understand PURE black wouldn't reflect anything at all with flash photography.

    This article is about a material which is only 99.96% black - somewhere else I read that they suspect they'll never achieve a full 100% black, and that ".. To stare at the "super black" coating ... is an odd experience. It is so dark that the human eye cannot understand what it is seeing. Shapes and contours are lost, leaving nothing but an apparent abyss ...".

    'World's Blackest Black' Outdone By Even Blacker Black

    Meanwhile - back to the PRIUS - I don't like the black. I much prefer the WHITE console - it hasn't shown any dust in 18 months, whereas the black needs dusting at least twice a week.
     
    RCO likes this.
  6. Since2002

    Since2002 Senior Lurker

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2011
    936
    1,097
    0
    Location:
    Duluth, GA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Very black car paint exists, but the pigments are very expensive, and of course to achieve the blackest color possible it contains only the expensive black pigment. Thus this type of paint is very expensive, mainly used for black racing stripes and such.

    The more common lower cost pigments can have a bit of brown in them, which you don't see as brown but it does reduce the blackness somewhat. In fact I have heard the term "dirty" to describe black paint that has a little bit of brown in it.

    TV's also have always struggled with black, and you pay extra for TV's that produce the deepest blacks. The new OLED TV's have remarkable capability in this regard, do a side by side comparison next time you are in a store that has an OLED set on display and you will see what I mean. Yes we digress but it's an interesting topic, the technical challenges of something which seems like it would be simple
     
    RCO and alanclarkeau like this.
  7. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    As far as I'm concerned:
     
    RCO, Harters, alanclarkeau and 2 others like this.
  8. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,251
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    WOW, I forgot why I started this thread. lol
     
    RCO, Raytheeagle and alanclarkeau like this.
  9. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,585
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Wait till you get old - I can walk to the kitchen, get there and ... WHY am I here.
     
    padroo, RCO, kithmo and 2 others like this.
  10. tucatz

    tucatz Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2010
    501
    416
    0
    Location:
    Manzanita, Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four Touring
    The panio black trim around the center console and the two wings does indeed have flecks of blue mixed into The lasting It’s only noticeable under certain bright light conditions. The white tray also has some sort of pearlesence.
     
    CoolPrius, RCO and alanclarkeau like this.
  11. Diemaster

    Diemaster Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2017
    290
    260
    2
    Location:
    so. cal
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    i noticed this too in my prime. as soon as there is a black apllicate for the steering wheel and shifter on ebay (or elsewhere) that has these color specks in it and replicates the same color specks in the dash, THEN i'll get the ebay units to swap out the white.

    i might have a way to make the stock white pieces black. im working on the details. just not to the point im ready to tear my 2 month old prime apart yet. :notworthy:

    as for the true black. they have made a true black, or as close as i believe were ever going to get, called Vantablack.
     
    pilotgrrl, RCO and alanclarkeau like this.
  12. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,251
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    This is the answer I was waiting for. I didn't notice the white tough. I am not noted for my keen powers of observation. lol
     
  13. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,251
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four

    How old are we old one? Not in dog years. lol
     
    RCO and alanclarkeau like this.
  14. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,585
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    64. My older friends tell me it's a case of increasing returns - returning to where you started to work out why you went there.
     
    RCO, Prodigyplace and Mendel Leisk like this.
  15. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,251
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    64 is just a number. It could be worse if it were your IQ. lol
     
    Prodigyplace likes this.
  16. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    3,709
    5,184
    0
    Location:
    Cornwall
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It's the reverse of Valentino Rossi's racing number, not that that helps in any way!
     
  17. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    7,044
    7,585
    0
    Location:
    near Brisbane, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    As long as my last 20 years aren't like:
    upload_2017-12-28_22-20-40.png
     
    frodoz737, Mendel Leisk, RCO and 2 others like this.
  18. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2016
    3,709
    5,184
    0
    Location:
    Cornwall
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    How dare you! Where did you get that sketch of me? :ROFLMAO:
     
    Prodigyplace, alanclarkeau and kithmo like this.
  19. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,251
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Yea, I thought only old people drove a Prius but there are exceptions.

    When I get old I might buy another one.
     
    RCO likes this.
  20. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2010
    2,404
    2,773
    47
    Location:
    South Yorkshire, UK
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Wisdom comes with age ;)
     
    Prodigyplace and RCO like this.