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Rear glass sun shield

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by harry r, Sep 14, 2014.

  1. harry r

    harry r slowly turning green

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    Wondering if anyone has designed and installed a rear glass sun shield/headlight deflector? What i am trying to replicate is some cars, mainly luxury ones, have power sun shields for rear and side glass. I am looking for something similar just for the rear glass to reduce the amount of light coming in from cars and worse trucks. Not looking for a total block, just to reduce/defuse it like those power shades on some cars. I am not looking for power versions, just something i can roll up and down at will. Getting tired of those dam bright lights annoying me.

    The lip of the cargo cover kinda does it when its in the up position. Just need it taller.

    Just wondering if someone has had the same issues and was smart enough to solve the problem. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
     
    #1 harry r, Sep 14, 2014
  2. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    I have a 2014 Avalon Hybrid XLE Touring. It does not have the power sun shade on the rear but it does have an inside rear view mirror that is the best that I have ever seen for night driving. When I bought the car the salesman set it on anti-glare setting and I have never changed it. It just completely solves the bright headlight problem.
     
    #2 Okinawa, Sep 14, 2014
  3. DoubleDAZ

    DoubleDAZ Senior Member

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    The auto-dimming mirror works great on my Prius too. My windows are tinted and I assume that also helps. I always thought the shades on the luxury cars were designed to keep the sun off rear seat passengers, not to dim lights of cars coming up from behind at night. I suppose you could fashion an extension to slip over the tonneau cover lip using smoke colored plexiglass or something. Or maybe a sun shade like this one from Amazon.
     
    #3 DoubleDAZ, Sep 14, 2014
  4. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    You are right about the purpose of the rear shade on luxury cars. It is to keep the sun off rear seat passengers, not headlights.
     
    #4 Okinawa, Sep 14, 2014
  5. harry r

    harry r slowly turning green

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    Tks for the replys so far. My prius does have the auto dimming rear view mirror and it works great. I guess what i find annoying, and maybe cause my other car is a truck, is the vast amount of light that floods the interior when another car or truck gets too close. Its like living in a fish bowl. Those rear sun shades DO work on cutting down the light of other cars. My friends have them and they work for that also. Sun or headlights, they do the same thing....
    I have the windows tinted, but only to the legal limit in illinois, which isnt much.

    Tks double daz for the amazon link. I will check that one out. I guess i was just hopeing someone had found one more like the ones that roll up and down, making it easier to engage when needed. I hope others chime in with constructive comments too.

    Tks
     
    #5 harry r, Sep 14, 2014
  6. harry r

    harry r slowly turning green

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    That amazon listing is the material I was looking for and that actual device might work especially for under $8. The add even says for headlight glare. I was just wondering if someone has incorporated an existing device, maybe from another car, into a prius that can be deployed easily, maybe manually. Sort of like sun shades in the house.

    Tks again.
     
    #6 harry r, Sep 14, 2014
  7. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    You might be right about the sun shade cutting down on the lights from headlights entering the car. Probably right as well about the amount of light entering the rear windows of the Prius. Lot of window space back there. I don't drive much at night. Probably why it did not bother me too much. The rear window in my Avalon is really slanted a lot. That probably helps as well.
     
    #7 Okinawa, Sep 14, 2014
  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It can help somewhat. I remember an instance when a Land Cruiser had its high beams on and the auto-dimming mirror and rear sunshade on the Gen 5 Camry cut it down so that it wasn't annoying at all.
     
    #8 Tideland Prius, Sep 14, 2014
  9. Okinawa

    Okinawa Senior Member

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    Here is another thing that will also help as an addition to whatever you may install. If you wear eyeglasses the next time you buy a new pair you can have an anti-glare coating put on them and that helps as well.
     
    #9 Okinawa, Sep 14, 2014
  10. harry r

    harry r slowly turning green

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    Its not so much that the glare is the issue, its how much light get into and lights up the cabin. Has anyone added anything onto the rear cargo cover, the part that flips up? That might be an alternative.
     
    #10 harry r, Sep 16, 2014
  11. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    A removable sunshade for the rear in a Prius is somewhat frustrating.

    On my Honda Fit, the rear window was much more verticle. During the hottest summer months I could use those temporary sunshades with suction cups and it worked fine.

    I tried them this summer with the Prius, and found that the horizontal nature of the rear window made keeping one in place almost impossible.

    So I pretty much gave up and just lived with the sun coming in the rear window and the extra heat it generated.

    I don't know what I'll do next summer. I suppose just actually having the window tinted is an option. BUT....I'm not really a "tint" guy. The Prius came from the factory with a degree of a yellow tint, and I don't really want to add more.

    But I'd just say, that in my experience none of the temporary, removable products so far have worked very well on the horizontal main rear window of The Prius. I tried the suction cup type and the static cling film. Neither stayed in place very long.
     
    #11 The Electric Me, Sep 19, 2014
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