[sathya_nars]

Folks,
Nowadays I can't avoid parking the car under direct sunlight in my office. It gets tooooooo hot in the evening while getting in !

I thought I'll get some sun screens to cover windshield and rear glass.

Plz throw your inputs on what product, where to get in Bangalore, etc.

Btw I have SX4.

[kaush666]

I think you needn't throw in money . Jus throw in some fuel . When you get in to your car just roll down all the windows and then switch on the a/c at the 3rd or 4th blower speed (or maybe in sx4 its different so the highest blower speed) for abt 3-4 mins and then roll up your windows . This should do the job . This is what I do on my Alto when it gets heated up when parked under sunlight

Cheers

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by sathya_nars

I thought I'll get some sun screens to cover windshield and rear glass.

Get the silver screen which can be reflect sunlight from the front and rear windshield. This is available at almost all auto accessory shops.

Also roll down the windows a wee bit when the car is parked in the sun, so that hot air can escape. When parked under direct sun the air temperature inside the car rises a lot and can damage leathers and dashboard etc. As hot air is lighter and it rises to the top, lowering windows and providing a small gap for the hot air to escape can protect interiors to a large extent.

Ensure that this is done only in a trusted parking area like for example - your office etc.

Kaush also has a point. Instead of cooling the hot air which takes a long time, let it escape by switching on the blower and driving with windows down for a km or 2. Then switch on the a/c and roll windows up.

[suvi]

is it legal to use the screen? when RTO (esp Delhi) rules state that you should not even use dark tints, using a total black out might be violating it (security concerns)

[Thad E Ginathom]

...while the vehicle is parked? especially on private property?*

I'd echo n_aditya's advice not to use the AC to cool down the very-hot air; that's just a waste of energy. The blower can help move it around, though.

Sun roofs are excellent for letting hot air out of the car, but rare in India.

However we cover the glass, that flat roof is still going to absorb a lot of heat; maybe a silvered car cover would help?

Covering the windscreen with anything, though, even newspaper or cardboard, should help reduce the radiant heating effect inside. One of the worst things is when the steering wheel is too hot to touch!


*Err, I guess someone might say it was a "security concern", yes. Daft, because if anything dangerous was in the car it would surely be out of site!

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by suvi

is it legal to use the screen? when RTO (esp Delhi) rules state that you should not even use dark tints, using a total black out might be violating it (security concerns)

The silver screens are reflective and are not transparent. Hence you cant drive when they are covering the windshield (rear too). But the black ones which come with suction cups for placing on window glass are ok. They are not completely opaque.

[rkbharat]

I faced similar issues in my SX4 yesterday, so went to accessory shop for some solution and found some really good one.

1. A complete heat resistent steering cover..
2. Silver curtain for front.
3. Black perforated curtain for rear.
4. Shadow gaurds for Windows. which cover like 2 inches of the top edge of the windows. This is good for leaving the window open a bit without letting anybody know. Also I feel It will good in rains, I can leave 2-3 inch of window open and no rain inside.

I will get all these this weekend.

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

1. A complete heat resistent steering cover..
2. Silver curtain for front.
3. Black perforated curtain for rear.
4. Shadow gaurds for Windows. which cover like 2 inches of the top edge of the windows. This is good for leaving the window open a bit without letting anybody know. Also I feel It will good in rains, I can leave 2-3 inch of window open and no rain inside.

Hey Bharat, do post some pics for the benefit of others when it arrives.

Shadow guards are "rain deflectors" if I understood right?

[sathya_nars]

Originally Posted by rkbharat

I faced similar issues in my SX4 yesterday, so went to accessory shop for some solution and found some really good one.

1. A complete heat resistent steering cover..
2. Silver curtain for front.
3. Black perforated curtain for rear.
4. Shadow gaurds for Windows. which cover like 2 inches of the top edge of the windows. This is good for leaving the window open a bit without letting anybody know. Also I feel It will good in rains, I can leave 2-3 inch of window open and no rain inside.

I will get all these this weekend.

What is the cost of each? Where do you get? MGA?

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Get the silver screen which can be reflect sunlight from the front and rear windshield. This is available at almost all auto accessory shops.

This is what you are referring to, right Adi?

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by benbsb29

This is what you are referring to, right Adi?

Spot on Benny.

P.S. Guessing thats your car in front of your house. Nice looking house. Is it you standing behind the car?

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

P.S. Guessing thats your car in front of your house. Nice looking house. Is it you standing behind the car?

OFF TOPIC :
Adi, thats not my house, the person standing behind the car is not me either. The house you see is a rented place in a gated community, where my relatives used to live. Wish that was my house, though.

[Esteem77]

Hi Sathya,

I had 3M film on all window glasses, rear glass and windshield glass and it cost me 12K approximately. I was not very sure whether the decision was right but today afternoon I had the first test and i was amazed with the results. I parked my car in blazing sun, have seat covers of composite leather and after 2 hours when I returned, there was absolutely no problem. I was expecting that I would have to keep all doors open for some time to let outside air cool the furnace like interiors but it was absolutely as I had left it. It was unbelievable. And the film also helps me at night when it cuts the high beams to a bearable level.
And as per the accessory shop brochure for the film, this is the only film which is approved by world skin cancer prevention association.

Cheers

[Rastapopoulos]

Hi All,

I am facing a Problem with cooling my car and I am not sure what’s the root cause of this. Let me give you a background so I can get some suggestion to identify the cause and fix it.
Mods- I have not posted this in the Technical help section as I think the problem is not technical but more related to the accessories I have. Please move it to appropriate section if required.
Car and Accessory details -
Car - Silver Ford Fiesta
Film - Garware
Seat Covers - Leather (default Fiesta Leather Upholstery)

Problem Summary -

The Summers are getting intense and my car AC is unable to cool my car quickly. I park my car in the sun and obviously it has become an Oven by the time I go to it around 5.
I roll down the windows and put the AC on high (4) so as to let go off the hot air inside the car as I drive for approx 5 minutes. I then roll up the windows and still keep the AC on 4 for the next 10 minutes. But the car just wont cool. I still feel sitting on a hot seat and I can still feel different temperature zones in the car. Everything on the blower path is cool but anything outside it is still very hot.
Now I am very confident that the AC is working fine as it does. This can be very much checked when I take my car out of covered parking or any other time situation.

Root Causes which I identified -

1. The Film which I have is not effective in filtering out the heat. This adds on the temperature and thus the AC cannot cool the car quickly.
2. The leather is taking time to cool as it absorbs much more heat and so the whole interiors are still fuming the heat emitted by it.
3. The combination of above two reasons.
4. I am not adjusting the AC vents direction and flow correctly. Open windows for 5 minutes also brings outside heat as the outside air is also too hot.

I listed out what could be the possible reasons. Could the experts suggest what can be the reason and what should I do? My instinct is change the Film as I can feel the heat when sun rays fall on my face even after passing through the film. If I am right with the film cause then which film should I go with?
Imp note - I am looking for a film which still gives me a good visibility (Pune Traffic is chaotic), something which is RTO approved.

If the cause is the leather upholstery then Do I have a solution? Would those heat reflectors help when I park the car.

Please help me solve this as the summer is really burning me out.

Thanks in Advance.

[raghu230506]

Leather seats absorbs heat a lot, I have them on my car. When ever I park my car out in the sun (quite rear) I make an habit of rolling down the window little if I feel the place is secured else put the A/C in to out flow(breeze from outside to in). This way I see an improvement, it doesn't solve completely but can aid in keeping it bit low or making it equal to outside temperature.

On the other hand, it can avoid issues with glass on the car. There are cases where an overheat would break the glasses.

One more thing I try is I drive with AC and windows open, all the four for some time before closing them.

Why don't you try it once.

What are the specs of current film you have?