I don't understand the solar ventilation

Had a 2013 Prius 4 with solar rental for a day. Hopped back into it in sun at the park. Could defintely hear a fan blowing and it was surprisingly cool inside. Fan continued to blow while sitting inside, but it turned off when I powered the car on.

You bought the car used?

 

Did they give you owner's manual with car purchase?

 

You can download PDFs of the manual from Toyota Online Owners Manuals and Warranty. What is really annoying is that it's broken up into so many files instead of a single file per book.

 

roof looks like this?

 

Yes make sure button pushed in not a big difference there's no led on clicking of the button, but when you get in car you will hear the fan running it does help I just forget to hit the A/C button!

 

Keep in mind the fan does not start when you press in the button. Just make sure the button is in the "in" position. Then, when the car is sitting in the sun and you come back to it after about 10-20 min you should be able to feel the air coming out of the vents (ones on the dash closest to the door) and hear the fan if it's in a quiet location. The fan will stop as soon as you put the car in "ready". It will also stop if you activate the "pre-cooling" function.

As far as lowering the interior temp to ambient, ain't going to happen! Even with all windows open that doesn't happen. It will lower the temp. How much depends on the colour of the car among other things. It helps if you place a sun shield in the windshield to cut down on the solar insolation.

 

yes the dash gets really hot and heavy tinted windows will help I've put some mesh window sun blockers on the rear window they have suction cups, really meant for side windows though

 

Yes.

The button must absolutely be depressed BEFORE you power the car off in order for the ventilation fan to run.

Also, there must be sufficient solar radiation striking the panel to cause the fan to run, so make sure that you try the test on a sunny day. The fan is fairly quiet but still quite audible if you listen carefully.

The fan helps by a few degrees, but keep in mind that cars are effectively greenhouses. I have a greenhouse for growing vegetables, and even when ventilated as much as I can make it, the greenhouse is quite a bit hotter than the ambient temperature.

As David Beale suggested, it is a major help to also use a sun shield as a radiant barrier in the front windshield. I don't enjoy wrestling with my sun shield, but I like coming back to a cooler car!

 

Just Tint the windows it will help

 

You can tint the windows with 3m product that is not really tint, its clear but it's reducing heat and glare if you are worried about tickets. 35 percent tint is nice and not too dark.

 

Well, I could not have the solar roof on my Five with ATP but I am somewhat glad after reading this. Testing to see if it works is like testing if the light turns off in your fridge after you close it. You just never know.

 

When its hot, it's hot. It's a gimmick. Very minimal actual temperature difference, especially in hot climates.