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Dashboard Cover/DashMat

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by darkgiant, Jun 8, 2016.

  1. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    So I had ordered a dashboard cover from AutoAnything (this particular one:Dash Designs Carpet Dashboard Cover - 2160+ Reviews for Carpet Dash Covers).

    Unfortunately, I am not sure, but it looks like the cutouts on this one don't seem to be accurate, or are they? They seem to cover the speakers in the front speaker (images attached). I was wondering if this is okay that they do this? I listen to music on all of my commutes, but wouldn't this essentially impact the quality of music because of the carpet cover sitting on top of those speakers?

    If this is a bad dashboard cover, are there recommendations y'all have instead? I am not looking for anything pricey (this one was on sale for $39.99), but rather something that fits the designs, and looks nice.

    As always, appreciate the help!
     

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    #1 darkgiant, Jun 8, 2016
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  2. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    Sadly, many dash covers just aren't done very well. I got my first one for the Prius from Juiced Hybrid, and it fit like dog doodie.

    I ordered a DashMat(tm) dash cover, and the fit was near perfect. I just had to use two 4 inch strips of Velcro (provided) to make it conform to the concave sections of the dash.

     
    #2 qdllc, Jun 8, 2016
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  3. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    For the DashMat(tm) dash cover, would you mind providing pictures (if any) of how it looks? Or does it look near identical to the one I have currently? Does it also cover the speakers of the dashboard?

    Those Limited Edition ones from AutoAnything look really nice as well, though, I am not sure if what they mean by "Heads Up Display" or "Without Heads Up Display"
     
    #3 darkgiant, Jun 8, 2016
  4. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    If you have the Heads Up Display, there will be a cut out in the mat to allow the display to be viewed.
     
    #4 DonDNH, Jun 8, 2016
  5. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    Wait, would a 2011 Prius even come with a Heads Up Display? Should've phrased it better.
     
    #5 darkgiant, Jun 8, 2016
  6. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    Your 2011 Prius wouldn't have HUD, but they might ask as part of their generic order process to be sure they send the right product to the customer.
     
    #6 DonDNH, Jun 8, 2016
  7. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    Ah okay. Do you happen to have any good recommendation for a DashMat/Dashboard Cover?
     
    #7 darkgiant, Jun 8, 2016
  8. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    Sorry, I've never used an after market dash cover.
     
    #8 DonDNH, Jun 8, 2016
  9. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    In my former 2005 I had a dash cover (heablack) with an almost perfect fit, I used it for several years until trade in. I bought if from an ebay seller but I can't remember the name brand of the product. At those days, there where a few many companies selling Prius accessories.
     
    #9 mrbigh, Jun 8, 2016
  10. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    I had friends who bought DashMats from eBay, and they just turned out bad (all Gen3's). From my experience, I try to avoid eBay as much as I can for anything more than $10, because often, I just have a disappointing product...
     
    #10 darkgiant, Jun 8, 2016
  11. Kenny94945

    Kenny94945 Active Member

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    Yes, carpet over the speaker will impact sound quality.

    Did you buy this? Can you return it no shipping cost?
    Other brands and prices...I don't know?

    If the one you bought was inexpensive enough you could place holes into the carpet.
    As an example, look at a Lambo Countach "B" pillar and the holes they made for its speaker (although leather not carpet).
    Or even cut a circular large hole out of the dash cover over the speakers.
    Yet you probably already considered those options.

    Good luck.
     
    #11 Kenny94945, Jun 8, 2016
  12. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    Well, I would have had to buy the product in order to take pictures of them :)

    I do not know which brand would be best with the appropriate cutout, I'd rather just buy a premade one as I don't have any experience cutting through a material like this. Fortunately, the seller (AutoAnything) is willing to exchange after I told them about the cutouts not being accurate.
     
    #12 darkgiant, Jun 8, 2016
  13. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    Here you go....

    It does cover the dashboard speakers, but I've not noticed a significant impact to the sound system. Then again, I rebalanced the F/R setting because I felt the system sent too much to the dashboard speakers, so you can adjust for any perceived loss from having a thin layer of fabric over the speaker grilles. HUD or no HUD, the important thing is that the small hole on the right (at least for 2013 model) that goes over the light sensor lines up. This is what dims your dash based on daylight. Obstructed, it won't work properly.

    View attachment 58177

    View attachment 58178

    You can also just scroll down on this link.
    Dashboard protection...tips? | Page 2 | PriusChat
     
    #13 qdllc, Jun 9, 2016
  14. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    WOW. That looks like a super nice and clean install! I think I might go with that one instead! Since this isn't really a carpet like material, it looks sleek, which is awesome.

    I also noticed not much difference in sound quality today when I was playing music, I was totally surprised.

    Unless there are other "best" ones out there, I might have to go with that one.
     
    #14 darkgiant, Jun 9, 2016
  15. ES44AC

    ES44AC C.A.U.S

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    Covering the speakers will cut the high frequencies from your music, much like adding a filter or changing an equalizer setting to ignore the high freqs.
     
    #15 ES44AC, Jun 30, 2016
  16. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    Yeah, I ended up returning that cover, even though the manufacturer claims the speaker being covered does not affect audio quality.

    I am currently waiting for another cover to see how it looks like, this one apparently has all the cutouts from the sensors to the speakers.
     
    #16 darkgiant, Jul 8, 2016
  17. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    FWIW, it's a personal thing. I DID NOT like the amount of amplification that came from the front dash speakers, so the dash mat didn't seem to impair sound reproduction and I still balanced the F/R speaker output more to the rear so it felt "balanced" to me.
     
    #17 qdllc, Jul 11, 2016
  18. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    I got the new cover, and it is amazing! It was actually from Costco, and only costed me $25! The vendor itself is Coverking, and they apparently are big in this space. The material is much better then the one I had originally installed, and there is no reflection either!
     
    #18 darkgiant, Jul 15, 2016
  19. WolfpackBill

    WolfpackBill Senior Member

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    Interesting! Can you take a picture and post it so we can see it?
     
    #19 WolfpackBill, Jul 15, 2016
  20. darkgiant

    darkgiant Member

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    I just saw this, I have some quick photos I took when I installed it, if you guys would like more in depth pictures, I can always do that too.

    My only complaint is, that the adhesive for the Velcro kind of comes off (for the small pieces) when its really hot outside. I combated this by using a 3M adhesive tape that is used for car decals, I applied it to the Velcro, and it worked perfectly.
     

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    #20 darkgiant, Jul 17, 2016
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