From the beginning of automotive manufacturing, automotive dashboards have been defined/comprised of the front control panel + dashboard top/or dashboard cap. Google or Wikipedia or research "dashboards" and you will receive information on this traditional description of what a dashboard is - control panel + top. Amazingly there is very little to no writings on the "Dashboard Top". The Dashboard Top has always been the top/cover part of the dashboard control panel. Now with the features of Head Up Display (HUD), let alone attached devices like navigation, Head Up Screens (HUS), and speaker designs, etc... the need for extended writings, research, and responsible laws about the Dashboard Top is pressing and inevitable. The Dashboard Top is the most underwritten part of a car and also among the most important. This site will finally shed the necessary light on how every automotive manufacturer and automotive driver should be taught and regulated as to how to manufacture and maintain their Dashboard Tops.

Example of a Historically/Properly Manufactured Dashboard Top

Believe it or not, most do not know even the basics about Dashboard Tops. For one, there is a reason why the Dashboard Tops are black. There are a few cases of car manufacturers creating colored Dashboard Tops like brown etc... but learned the hard way that these colors reflected into the windshield thereby causing unnecessary distractions to the driver. Only smooth black Dashboard Tops reduce any reflection into the windshield. Now this black Dashboard Top is common knowledge and it is every day practice by auto manufacturers that black Dashboard Tops are produced. Second, there has been a reason why the Dashboard Tops have been manufactured as smooth and flat as possible. Meaning there is a reason why there are no unnecessary grooves or cutouts into the Dashboard Tops. For example, defrost vents are seen sometimes within the windshield becasue they are butted against the bottom part of the windshield which are not in the driver's view but these defrost vents are completely necessary for drivers. Audio speakers if on the Dashboard Top are traditionally in the corners of the Dashboard Top. COMMON SENSE! You" see", any grooves or cutouts in the Dashboard Top are reflected into the windshield. Once again - grooves, unsmooth contours, or cutouts are reflected into the windshield.!!! This has been common knowledge for some time in the automotive manufacturing industry. Yet somehow, by offering rudimentary and arguably hastily designed Head Up Display (HUD) units, some specific auto manufacturers most significantly BMW (for they are considered HUD pioneers and are the ones most invested in HUD) have been allowed to bypass these historically significant Dashboard Top common sense manufacturing rules. BMW themselves have mass produced all their Dashboards (which inclinclude the Dashboard Top) with a crooked box cutout groove to accommodate a order for HUD. That means even if a buyer of BMW automobiles opts not to have HUD, they still end up having to deal with the reflection of this crooked box HUD cutout upon the driver's side windshield (see Introduction). BMW most likely did this to cut costs by not having to produce 2 different type of dashboards. Among the purposes of this site is to bring attention to the public of this issue and make sure no other car company goes this very controversial route with their Dashboard Tops.

How in the hell BMW overlooked are arguably ignored these prior lessons on Dashboard Top reflection problems while researching, producing, and offering cars a Head Up Display (HUD) option is one of the biggest blunders in recent automotive history. The inital features of HUD were only a sppedometer and navigation and it seems hasty to radically alter the Dashboard Tops and disturb the driver's view just for these simple features best used as they previously had been used. HUD originated in the area of aviation for fighter pilots. You see, fighter pilots unlike raod warriors have a clear blue sky in front of them let alone radar for incoming threats, while automobiles/trucks/etc... here on planet earth have constant incoming threats. Once again, automobiles have constant incoming threats. A automobile driver must react in nanoseconds while a fighter pilot has more time. Fighter pilots can also maneuver not only left or right but also up or down. Automobiles cannot and will never be able to do this. Automobile windshields need to have the LEAST amount of distractions so that a driver's most primary and basic and necessary functon of concentrating on a clear windshield/the road/complete peripheral field of vision is not disturbed - whether by lazy idiotic indicators (aside from collision avoidance systems) and most definitely idiotic Dashboard Top designs where the HUD is constantly or intermitantly being reflected into the driver's windshield view. COMMON SENSE! We cannot allow other drivers to be distracted by the Wild West versions of rudimentary imperfections/fuck ups with Head Up Display because our safety and others is at hand. Once again - driving is not a fighter aircraft or video game!!.

Head Up Display Originated with Fighter Aircrafts

So the hasty ideas and opportunism to put high tech HUD devices in automobiles has created obvious problems (see Introduction). The controversial issues of the type and amount of data HUD can or should be providing has been addressed by a few bighter bulbs in automotive circles, but the issues of the reflection of the HUD apparatus (used or not) upon the driver's side windshield is such a blunder most cognizant and aware people cannot believe such an obvious "staring one in the face" issue has gone curiously unreported upon. There are dashboard covers/dashboard mats available to buy but they are not as good as the proper Dashboard Tops of history nor the products offerd in this site (see Products to Resolve Problems). Most dashboard covers need to be fitted to a Dashboard Top. The companies who sell dashboard covers market many colored even many various patterned dashboard covers that are also safety hazards given that black is the color that will not reflect into the windshield. These ridiculously colored/patterned dashboard covers are an outrage. Also most of these dashboard covers are too thick and thus cumbersome and dangerous. The companies who sell a majority of these dashboard covers should not be allowed to sell any "dashboard mat" or "dashboard cover" that is not black and smooth. Their products aside from black should be considered criminal if the necessary regulations were in effect. The fact that BMW has not offered any kind of remedial dashboard cover of their HUD cutouts and HUD apparatus is really an outrage. Producing the most popular luxury automobiles with an obvious flaw and taking a "head in the sand" approach to the reflection problems and relying on others to clean/clear up their mess is not becoming for any automobile maker.

Dashboard Tops need to be purely functional and not be treated in aesthetic ways because what is on the Dashboard Tops reflects into the windshield. What can be more important than having a clear view while driving!!! BMW's unprecedented investment in Head Up Display (HUD) let alone their and other car companies' very foolishly unsymmetric Dashboard Top design patterns will be a launching pad for various campaigns for proper laws and regulations for proper automotive Dashboard Tops. My products (see Products to Resolve Problems) are arguably the most effective and efficient ways to alleviate BMW's and a few other less invested car companies' problems with unsafe Dashboard Top design and reflection via HUD into the driver's windshield view. Once again - Among the purposes of this site is to bring attention to the public of this issue and make sure no other car company goes this very controversial route with their Dashboard Tops.

BMW HUD within Dashboard Top and Reflections in the Driver's Side Windshield (see Introduction).

The top of a dashboard control panel is the Dashboard Top, where traditionally this Dashboard Top only contained vents for defrost/heating and air conditioning system and then speakers for an audio system. These vents are butted up against the windshield and on sunny days a driver can only see these vents by taking their concentration off their immediate field of vision. The reflections of the vents are so remote because the vents are butted up against the windshield. Most drivers never notice the reflections of the vents upon the windshield. These defrost functions far outweigh the less than 1% of the time one might have this vent reflection at the way bottom of their windshield view. NOW, with Head Up Display (HUD) in most significantly BMW mass produced Dashboard Tops, the view is clearly a distraction and dangerous most of the time one is driving! One would have to be braindead not to see in the driver's side windshield their HUD crooked plastic rim on the Dashboard Top, and/or the mass produced cutout crooked box on the Dashboard Top accomodating a order for BMW Head Up Display. This crooked cutout box is now a menace to every BMW driver even if they opt not to have HUD. The drivers are most certainly being affected (consciously and unconsciously) when this constant crooked box reflection or intermittent crooked box reflection appears in their plain view at the center of the driver side windshield. This cannot happen to other car companies. Many interviewed of this BMW issue, state that they realized the problem after they purchased the car and "learned to live with it". 99% of the BMW salesmen will not even recognize the problem.

Standard 2011-present BMW Dashboard Top and Reflection in the Driver's Side Windshield (see Introduction).

Since the inception of automobile manufacturing, Dashboard Tops were always very simple and practicable. For the first 100 years of automobile manufacturing, dashboards in general did not cover complex computer systems. Historically the basic function of automobile Dashboard Tops was to merely provide a cover for the very rudimnetary dashboard control panel. Originally these dashboards involved no more than a few buttons for basic function like starting the car, lights, simple indicators for speed, fuel, oil pressure, and then functions like windsheild wipers, radio,, heat, air conditioning etc... came later over time. For example, speedometer, tachometer, odometer and fuel gauge, turn indicators, gearshift position, seat belt warning light, parking-brake-engagement warning light and an engine-malfunction light. There may also be indicators for low fuel, low oil pressure, low tire pressure and faults in the airbag (SRS) system. Heating and ventilation controls and vents, lighting controls, audio equipment and now in some cars automotive navigation systems... all mounted in the dashboard control panel. However, most navigation systems people use are purchased separately and mounted on the the Dashboard Top creating a viewing obstruction/concentration issue only known to modern times. The Head Up Display (HUD) unit installed above the steering wheel within the Dashboard Top is the most recent additon to automobile dashboards that BMW has invested in unlike any other car maker. Compared to other car makers, BMW has invested in nearly all their car makes and models while a few other luxury car makers/brands only offer the Head Up Display (HUD) apparatus in only their most high end car, and most common car companies have not offered nor invested in Head Up Display (HUD) apparatus and have maintained the traditionally more safe Dashboard Tops.

In modern times, our automobile dashboards are protecting various control panel functions and controls. Some so-called advanced control mechanisms are obviously going a little to far. For example, heated seats and yes heated steering wheels!?? Really lame! Dual heating systems allowing everyone to have their own temperature is another obvious example of how the control panel is more complex. The car radios are very complex in themselves offering various sources for entertainment that include more radio stations, CD inputs, satelite options, access via smart phones that themselves invite a huge array of possibilites all on the internet. HELLO ... WAKEUP - DISTRACATIONS. And now even more indicator lights of all kinds also exist.

Navigation systems are huge now and if not learned properly can add to vulerabilty to accidents because one is playing with too many functions. The voice activated function (giving the control panel demands via your voice) is great but only a very few cars (less than 1%) on the road have voice activation. The best navigation systems have voice recognition and direct the driver via voice/audio. This is the safest way to use a navigation system not a HUD navigation system. Driver's use a HUD navigation so the can still hear their radio. Drivers need to prioritize their distractions and keep these distractions to a minimum so they can concentrate on the road. The HUD navigation data let alone the HUD crooked box reflection are added distractions .

Navigation with Heads Up Display is now being offered mostly by BMW. Unfortunatley BMW has gone all in on the Head Up Display (HUD) function and created Dashboard Tops that ultimately disturb the driver side windshield view with an annoying crooked box reflection. There are some promising aspects of HUD in the areas of Collision Avoidance Systems (see Safety Concerns and Ensuing Inspections), but simple features like speedometers, music selection, and navigation are not necessary given the idiotic Dashboard Tops that reflect into the driver's windshield view (see Introduction). It is not worth disturbing the driver's clear safe view to offer these simple features best left to the control panel - for speed one merely needs to look 2 inches down in front of the driver from the Dashboard Top (idiots - that is why speedomoter is there over history), and navigation when used (less than 99.9% of a driver's time) is best and most safely used via auditory commands. Allowing/encouraging people to scroll radio stations with HUD is completely irresponsible. Loading up HUD with multiple data is a huge distraction issue/outrage because of the fact that driver's choose one control button at a time and not simultaneously nor in rapid succession. Multipe data in front of the driver within the windshield via HUD or HUS is a dangerous distraction and needs to be properly regulated, as well as the idiotic reflections of the HUD units themsleves upon the driver's side windshield.

Since 2013 in a popular way, some of the historical automotive control panel data and its growing complexity is now being addressed via "Head Up Display" (HUD). This allows the driver to see a holograph projected from the Dashboard Top into the driver's field of view. The Heads Up Display is projected from the Dashboard Top above the steering wheel and ends up in front of the driver about 2-4 feet in the form of a holograph between the driver side front light and hood ornament. The obvious under-reported upon issues are just how many of these numerous control panel functions do HUD advocates want involved with HUD? And should car companies be allowed to mess with safe, historically proven Dashboard Tops thereby making the driver's windshield view disturbed unlike any time in automotive history from the reflections from the crooked HUD apparatus upon the windshield?

A Controversial Type of Head Up Display Multiple Data Holographs

Imagine this - you read this page created by me .... and you think hey "I dont like reading the colored writing and color of the background color and wish I could read this in traditional black writing with a white background." Driving a car where one sees UNNECESSARY images in your windsheild does the same to driver's psychologically. If there are unaccustomed let alone unsafe refections upon the windsheild glass, one is less likely to have a comfortable driving experience. Much like reading a page that is blurry, one will not process the significant amount of information in front of them to make the proper decisions while driving. This cannot be a self-centered choice because there are others sharing the roads and every driver is responsible for being the most unencumbered, cognizant, safe driver one can be.

BMW has known of the importance of providing proper smooth Dashboard Tops throughout the 1970s-2010. Forty years of sensible Dashboard Top contruction in tune with giving the driver the clearest view possible. Somehow, the new generation of Dashboard Top designers failed to incorporate the lessons of the past into their current Dashboard Tops. For example, pictured here below is a 1968 BMW 3.3 Li, a car featured in BMW's museum, but a car which embodied the mistake of having too many contours within the Dashboard Top. Pictured here below is the 1968 BMW 3.3 Li with a Dashboard Top surface that has a bumpy/unsmooth surface. This car mistakenly allows the passengers to put things in compartments on the Dashboard Top. This faulty Dashboard Top also has audio speakers and/or vents in the wrong places - in the driver's field of vision. As you can see, this 1968 BMW 3.3 Li Dashboard Top resembles, in a way, the more current BMW Dashboard Top with Head Up Display (HUD). This BMW 1968 3.3 Li style Dashboard Top was not reproduced, hence the 40 years (for the most part) of sensible Dashboard Top designs and productions until 2011, when BMW started providing HUD.

BMW's 1968 3.3 Li with not smooth Dashboard Top surface which taught earlier generations of BMW Dashboard Top designers what not to do.

The Dashboard Tops of BMW 2011-present do not allow for the driver to be the best driver they can be. The relected image from the Dashboard Top cutouts for the Heads Up Dislay apparatus make driving more dangerous. The evidence is in the millions of cars that are currently out there. One merely needs to experience one of these cars to come to the same conclusions. The few simple features (outside of collision control) that HUD offers do not outweigh the NEGATIVE EFFECTS on the windsheild by the heads up display (HUD). The future could and will invite more HUD/HUS functions (i.e. collison control/sensing/warning of threats/bad driving (see Safety Concerns and Ensuing Inspections)) but these functions have to be limited given the complex decisions a driver contends with looking out into their field of view. Any more functions demands more trials and regulations to say the least. Cars are not planes where there is a clear view without threats of accidents, nor are cars a video game!!!! Cars are the largest anual killer of people. Disturbing the driver's side windshield with a very simple Heads Up Display (HUD) apparatus that reflects into the windshield in front of the driver (the driver!!!!) is one of the worst blunders in automoitve history.

Origin of the word Dashboard..?? Given the existence of HUD, it is time for new names differentiating between the Dashboard Control Panel and the Dashboard Top. Originally, the word 'dashboard' applied to a barrier of wood or leather (a board) fixed at the front of a horse-drawn carriage or sleigh to protect the driver from mud or other debris "dashed up" (thrown up) by the horses' hooves. Commonly these did not perform any additional function other than providing a convenient handhold for ascending into the driver's seat, or a small clip with which to secure the reins when not in use. When the first 'horseless carriages' were constructed in the late 19th century, with engines mounted beneath the driver such as the Daimler Stahlradwagen, the simple dashboard was retained to protect occupants from debris thrown up by the cars' front wheels. However, as car design evolved to position the motor in front of the driver, the dashboard became a panel that protected vehicle occupants from the heat and oil of the engine. With gradually increasing mechanical complexity, this panel formed a convenient location for the placement of gauges and minor controls, and from this evolved the modern instrument panel, although retaining its archaic common name. It is time to supplant this "horse and buggy" term Dashboard!!!!

IT IS FAR OVERDUE TIME TO FORMULATE AND AGREE UPON A NEW NAME FOR THE DASHBOARD TOP. The Dashboard Top became a regular and very significant part of the automobile after the invention of the windshield and need for defrost mechanisms. Now with the recent addition of Head Up Display (HUD) units and other navigation apparatus, the need for a proper name, education, and new laws for Dashboard Tops is inevitable and coming sooner than automotive companies might think. GIVEN THE FACT THAT AUTOMOBILES ARE A TOP KILLER OF PEOPLE, DASHBOARD TOP RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND NEW LEGISLATION AND REGULATIONS IS INEVITABLE IN AN EVOLVED AND CLEAR FUTURE DEDICATED TO PROVINDING THE SAFEST CONDITIONS POSSIBLE.