I have a 2010 Prius II. The top of the windshield is covered with black dots. I am installing a GPS, and I would like to mount the antenna at the top center of the windshield, above the rear view mirror. Are the black dots made out of a metal or metallic substance that would impede the antenna's operation? Can they be scraped off from the inside with a razor? Thanks!
I don't know about removing them but they are made of enamel. http://www.wonderquest.com/windshield-dots.htm http://www.azcentral.com/news/columns/articles/0204clay04.html
I mounted my GPS unit in the location you mentioned. I used the round mounting disk included with the GPS that has the 3M tape on the back. It sticks so good that I can't get it off so I can move it about 1/2 an inch. Dennis
Thanks everyone! It's obvious that, in the Prius at least, the black dots are a sun shade. They don't border the windshield, they're only in the area of the rear view mirror, where the sun visors don't reach. Ingenious.
Ingenious? those cheap bastards at Toyota did not put a tint strip across the top of the windshield. The sun blinds you, never had a car without the top tint on the front windshield.
Gripe, gripe, gripe... I keep a pair of sunglasses in the sunglasses holder. Much better than a tint strip.
I thought ceramic as well but all I found was enamel... Maybe I'll have to google if they are also ceramic
There is a show called"How It's Made", they did auto windshields once. It's either a thin sheet of black or clear or half tone dots on plastic film sandwiched between two sheets of glass. The whole mess is heated and bonded. TADA..Windshield.. I have also seen paint on surface, but the new bonded windshields offer much more versatility .
On my 2007 Gen II, the dots are raised and bumpy -- I cannot get a suction cup to stick on them. So I think they're painted and not sandwiched between glass.
All auto windshields are laminated glass (2 sheets of glass with a layer of plastic--the laminate--fused in between), and have been for a long time (for safety reasons), but that has nothing to do with the dots on the 2010 Prius windshield, which are on the inside surface--you can feel them with your fingers. I imagine they're silk-screened on.
Yeah, that was the other process I mentioned , Paint on surface, a silk screen process. That's why I mentioned I pefered the laminate way, no bumps to interefere wth suction devces!!! The new laminate method has black areas along with the clear to provide the desired masking effect, thus no bumps!
The little dots are a Toyota-exclusive licorice version of the nostalgic candy dots: They can be removed by repeated licking... although saliva leftover is difficult to remove. :brick:
