Heat Absorbtion from the Sun

[Orf]

I am waiting delivery of a 2006 Prius and am wondering with all that glass whether or not the interior of the car gets overly hot in the summer. Here in Australia, our summers are mighty hot. Fortunately, we do not have cold winters as does America.

[Tideland Prius]

Well, surprisingly the HSEA glass does pretty well to minimise heating in the cabin of the Prius compared to my dad's Camry's HSEA glass. Naturally, no matter how good the absorption, if you must park it in the sun, then a sunshade or tinted windows will be advantageous. There are custom Prius sunshades available for a fairly low cost. I have the windshield and it works pretty well. Also, if anything to protect the black dashboard and the screen from heating up.

[Aussie56]

Originally Posted by Orf

I am waiting delivery of a 2006 Prius and am wondering with all that glass whether or not the interior of the car gets overly hot in the summer. Here in Australia, our summers are mighty hot. Fortunately, we do not have cold winters as does America.

Hi from Central Queensland.

I drive a 2005 Prius, and yes with our ambient temperatures in the 40's in the summer months, it does get hot. I find that just putting one of those aluminised shades up in the front windscreen makes a lot of difference.

Incidentally, I get about 5.0 litres per 100km on hilly country driving. Location West of Gladstone.

If you do a lot of shorter trips in the summer, you'll also notice a drop off in economy.

Which part of Australia are you in?

[Orf]

Originally Posted by Aussie56

Hi from Central Queensland.
I find that just putting one of those aluminised shades up in the front windscreen makes a lot of difference.
Which part of Australia are you in?

Fortunately I am from the cooler climes of Devonport, Tasmania.
What brand of shade have you? The reason I ask is the ones I have seen in stores do not seem to cover the entire windscreen.

[Aussie56]

Originally Posted by Orf

Fortunately I am from the cooler climes of Devonport, Tasmania.
What brand of shade have you? The reason I ask is the ones I have seen in stores do not seem to cover the entire windscreen.

I don't know what brand it is, but I got it in Supercheap Auto. It seems to cover the windscreen pretty well, with a little bit to spare. I park in the shade where I can, but that's not an option where I work. I only use it in the summer.

[chinito77]

I would like tinted windows but the manual says that the GPS signal might be weak if tinted.

[lexusmech]

I got creative and made a car cover that just goes over the windows. It is held in place with thin material that is sewn into the underside of the cover. I lay the cover on top of the car, open the doors, drop the thin material into the door seal, close the doors, the flip the sides of the cover down. I paid about $25 US in materials and $20 to a friend to sew it up. I used a real basic stitch to hold it together, and the friend used her machine to do the final sew. Took about 3-4 hours of cutting and sewing while watching TV.

[Orf]

Originally Posted by chinito77

I would like tinted windows but the manual says that the GPS signal might be weak if tinted.

The GPS antenna is in the dashboard between the MFD and the windsceen. As long as you do not tint the windscreen you will not affect the GPS.

[Orf]

Originally Posted by Aussie56

I don't know what brand it is, but I got it in Supercheap Auto. It seems to cover the windscreen pretty well, with a little bit to spare. I park in the shade where I can, but that's not an option where I work. I only use it in the summer.

I have looked around for a suitable sun screen but the best I have found is only 70 cm tall. Seeing the windscreen is approx. 80 cm I have not bought one as yet.
Anyone know of a brand that is 80 cm?