dashboard reflection limiting visibility
 

It happens when the sun is shining from top. Its beams are reflected from the dashboard to the windshield and into my eyes. You can see from the picture that in such situation a driver can't see almost nothing and an accident can happen.
Is there anything I can do to remove the reflection?

sunglasses with polarized lenses?

shiny dashboard
 

Did you use some liquid from a bottle to clean your dashboard top? The shine could have been from the silicone or wax content in the liquid which they say will prevent damage(cracking and discolouring) from solar glare and UV rays. I have make it a point not to use them on my dash top and don't have this problem. Just use light soapy water to clean. Theres only dust there, no grease to get rid of. The shine can be reduced or got rid off by using something that won't damage the dash top's plastic surface. Many car yards use this liquid to make the dash shiny just to impress would-be buyers. Looks good when you're not driving in it. When you're driving in it in bright sunshine, you won't be able to see whats on the road in front of you especially if the dash top has the leather look on it. You can also instal the dash protector which has a carpet material on top guaranteed not to shine. It fits with velcro or doublesided tape.

We rarely have this problem in Michigan :D

I've seen Armor-All advertise one of their products that treats vinyl without the gloss. I think they made it specifically for your application.

I see what the problem is. I used a silicon treatment to make the dash look clean and cool.
How can I remove the silicon shining surface now?

Silicone cannot be removed with solvent. It can only be removed by mechanical means. Perhaps one of the ingredients is not silicone but something similar. Then you may have half a chance.

Those velour / carpet dash covers work great and don't look too bad either. Custom cut to fit your car and available fairly cheap via search on the net. I like mine. Tod

Of course you want to fix your dash, but don't overlook the benefits of polarized sunglasses; the post above makes a point. Much less glare overall, easy on the eyes, and reflection problems like yours are greatly reduced. Try a cheap drugstore pair just to check out the difference; if you wear glasses, try a cheap clip-on with polarization.

Kestas said I'm no chemist, but I can manage to remove enough of a silcone treatment with a strong detergent solution (say 1 part detergent to two parts hot water) and a nylon brush (like a fingernail brush) to make all the difference. I think Kestas is thinking of paintwork prep where anything will leave traces of silicone, enough to stop paint adhering.

I AM a chemist and my experience isn't paint prep work but sealing of lab equipment used for sulfide corrosion testing. We use silicone lube on reuseable components that are broken down after testing, cleaned and reused. Since we wanted the components as clean as possible, we researched solvent methods of removing silicone from the parts for reuse. There aren't any. We had to wipe off as much as we could. Similar to what you described, we followed up with Scotchbrite and abrasive detergent. It's the mechanical action of Scotchbrite (in your case, a nylon brush) that removed the silicone. The detergent simply helped carry the silicone away.

Thanks, Kestas.

I read, I learn, I shut up...

I too am a chemist. Silicone comes in may forms, but silicone oil, which is my guess of what form of silicone is in these type products, is indeed highly soluble in hexane. The closest thing to hexane you are likely to have around the house or shop would probably be gasoline or kerosene. These have other issues such as flammability and objectionable odor. Lower boiling mineral spirits may also be a substitute.

I have no idea what any of these would do to vinyl or leather, but I know I wouldn't chance it without doing the experiment to prove to me it was OK. How about warm soapy (Dawn) water?

I don't doubt the silicone lubes referred to above are very insoluble, I just don't think that's what is in ArmorAll-type products.

I wonder if they use the stuff similar to what's in hair conditioners. I don't have a conditioner bottle in front of me, but these silicone-type chemicals (dimethicone?) end in -one.

Dimethicone is a methylated siloxane polymer capped with a TMS group at each end, and it is indeed used in hair products among many other things. These types of low-viscosity siloxane polymers, I believe, are what is in ArmorAll type products. Dimethicone itself is listed as being soluble in ether and in chloroform, neither of which one should be messing with, but does suggest you probably could find a suitable solvent if you were determined to.

I really think a warm solution of Dawn ought to do the trick. Rinse well, and consider you may also be washing some beneficial compounds like plasticizers out as well. I would put a non-shiny conditioner on it afterwards. (Please let me know if you find one that truly does not shine)