Sun damage?

Keep it washed and waxed, the paint will last a very long time.

 

Try E-Bay, Prius seat covers. I found some for about $50 that are OK.

 

Now is the time to buy a 2010 with the solar roof panels.

Tom

 

Five years of parking uncovered in the Dallas Sun every workday (and with only one waxing; I'm still waiting for the first one to wear off has had no noticeable effect on the finish on mine. Of course it is silver, which may be the least affected color after white, and I do use a windshield Sunshade. And it doesn't have leather.

 

The single guy who lives next door has 3 cars and a 2 car garage. His Lexus RX300 has been parked outside since day 1 and still looks new. Just keep it clean and waxed, tint the windows and use a sunshade.

 

Change your name by deed poll. Problem solved, glad I could help. Best to change your name so it is the same as the CEOs, I would bet his name wouldn't come up in a coin toss for rooftop parking.

Yep in time the sun and rain will wreck any paint. It might be many years though.

 

Any chance of getting a good window film applied, eg Huper Optik?

 

Treat the interior and exterior vinyl with 303 Aerospace Protectant.

 

How about the hybrid battery damage from the heat? It gets terribly hot inside after a few hours in the sun, and, since the vents for the hybrid battery are inside the car, I guess the battery must get quite hot as well. What do you think?

 

Get the wind deflectors (available through the Prius chat store), so that you can leave the windows rolled down a couple of inches (safely), which will help with the heat buildup problem. Use a windscreen shade (also available through the PC store) to eliminate the BIGGEST source of heat gain.
I use Zaino finish on my Prius. I think it holds up to the weather quite well.

 

I would say that a car cover will help to keep sun off the finish and keep the interior cooler and in better condition. However, this requires you to keep the car's exterior quite clean at all times because any dirt or dust caught between the cover and the paint will scratch the paint. With the Prius's rooftop antenna, you'll have to figure out how to easily remove the whip when putting the cover on, or else install a sharkfin antenna (which offers lower performance) in its place.

If it happens to be windy at the top of the parking structure, then the car cover may blow away if it is not tightly fitting. Also, wind doesn't make it easy for you to remove and put on the cover.

Although it is possible to spend less for a car cover, typically this will be a "universal" one that doesn't have side mirror pockets and fits loosely, hence has greater chance of blowing away when it is windy.

I used car covers in the past when I was younger and more "anal" about the appearance of my vehicles. Now I find this is too much trouble for me to bother with this ritual.

 

It does get rather warm, but not close to what cabin temps likely are after an all-day baking by the sun. The battery is a large thermal mass and radiant heating and cooling is rather slow. I've seen battery temp on mine in those conditions only as high as ~100F. That shouldn't cause any physical damage.

Of course heat is an enemy of battery life, but the car takes steps during operation to keep the battery from getting too hot, including, when certain battery temperatures are reached, running the battery fan and using the engine preferentially for propulsion when it would normally use the electric motors.

 

paint it white

 

This.

Your car's paint is like your clothes. If you don't care for it, it will fade and degrade.

I personally try to follow this regime:

Wash at least once a month
Wax once (two coats) every quarter
Remove the wax in the spring (wash with dish soap, it will strip the wax. car wash soaps will not)
Clay bar in the spring (removes contaminants)
Polish in the spring followed by two coats of wax

I also treat my windscreen with RainX in the spring. (Avoid FogX on the inside, used it once and it sucked)


Your paint will look fine if you don't treat it like I treat mine.... for a while. Once you start seeing faded areas, usually starting on the roof line just above the windsheild - it's too late.


Adding:

DO NOT let your sponge fall on the ground. DO NOT use towels if they have fallen to the ground. DO NOT go through automated carwashes with those spinning brushes. All of those things pick up dust and dirt particles... which then get ground against your paint! Make sure your sponge is clean and wrung out before you wash. I personally recommend the Mr Clean Autodry system so that you do not need to use towels or chamois. When waxing or polishing, use clean dry microfiber towels. Target sells packages of 3 towels for cheap, and they work great!

 

Here's my suggestions for keeping the interior as cool as possible: (put to test in Central Texas summer heat)

1. Tint your windows. Use a nice quality film installed by a professional.
2. Get a front windscreen shade and use it religiously.
3. Keep a window slightly open if possible (vent visors should help keep rain out and allow you to leave a window cracked in all conditions).


To cool down when you get in and get going:

1. Roll your windows down! Let all that hot air out. Even if it's 100º outside, your car can get 20-40º hotter sitting in the sun all day!
2. Run the AC on fresh air mode with the windows down.
3. Once the AC is cool (not cold) and the hot cabin air is flushed out, roll up the windows. Leave the AC on fresh air.
4. Once the AC is blowing cold air, switch to recirculate.

Recirculate takes air in the cabin and cools it. If you start on recirculate with that HOT HOT air, your AC has to work harder. Conversely when the interior temperature gets lower than the outside temperature, leaving the AC on fresh will work harder to cool that hot air.

 

Remember: The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but the whining wheel gets replaced.