Always in the sun

are you concerned about the paint, rubber and interior, or the battery? some people use window shades to keep the interior cooler.

 

I've purchased a dash-mat for every car I've owned for at least 3 decades, as I've seen many of them crack from the sun. I don't have a Prius (yet), but I've had 2 cars which had steering wheels which degraded in the sun - a Mazda where the outer urethane part came adrift from the inner core, and another where the outside became sticky. Since then I've always put a cheap silver cover over the wheel when I park in the sun.

 

I have to park outside in the sun about 80% of the time. I have the front and back HeatShield sun shades (purchased from the PriusChat shop). I've only had my Prius a few months, so I can't speak to the long-term impact. However, when I get into the car after work, the temp inside is comfortable, even when the outside temp is in the 90s.

 

California Duster, Quick Wax and Microfiber Cloth.

All good. No worries.

 

No garage, so car always outside. Seriously hot sun in summer. I don't do anything special. Everything looking fine, both inside and out, after more than 6 years.

 

Direct sun hazes the %*!*&#%! plastic headlights I think.

 

Ooops, forgot about that. Yes, after about 5 years I had to repolish the %*!*&#%! plastic headlights

 

A great amount of interior heat soak comes from the back light (back glass). The windshield can be blocked with a reflective curtain but what do you do for the backlight? Well, I have found that tinting is the answer to that question. I have all of my windows (not windshield) and back glass tinted. The back glass and quarter windows have very dark, high rated UV and reflective Limo tint. From front to rear, the side windows are graduated darkness to keep the law of my tail. I spent a little extra money on the best tint that was available and I can tell you that it was a very good investment.
Just a footnote:
Traveling through the Mojave dessert at 108 degrees the a/c set at 72 degrees I had no idea of the outside temperature until lowing the driver window to test the temperature. I didn't believe the outside temperature on the dash thermometer.

 

You can remove the glaze with any fine abrasive. Toothpaste and a lot of elbow grease works if the glazing is not too bad, but you need to use sandpaper with an electric sander when the glazing is really bad. Once you have cleaned off the glazing, you need to coat the plastic headlamps with some sort of protective coating. There are many commercial products that include such a coating - Meguiar's is one that comes to mind.

 

If you have a designated parking space and if location allows, I would install a car tent/canopy.

 

Maybe tires start cracking sooner with being parked in the sun? More of a factor if you're a low mileage owner.

 

All of my cars have always lived outside. I wash & wax a few times per year. The VentureShield film seems to have prevented the headlights from hazing. I noticed that the logo on the nose has hazed but I'm not planning on doing anything about it.

I know I shouldn't keep the Scangauge & the Garmin on the dash but that's where they live. The dash mat is melted to the car and the Roadster sticky pad is also melted.

Wetting the suction cup will help your mount stay on the window longer but it will still pop off.

 

We have 2 Prius's now, we have a "California" Garage so we keep one parked outside otherwise we couldn't get to anything in the garage. I bought the window shades from the Priuschat store I found a link for 32.95 cover the front and side small windows and I also bought a 30 car cover from ebay, seems ok just to take some of the sun off the car.. Now if I had an electric or plug in, I would almost build one of those solar charging covered things in my driveway...

 

I have no tricks for "suction cup" devises and the heat.
Keeping the cups and glass extremely clean does not seem to increase stick-ability.
Best to remove the devices before they drop if parked in the sun.

Sunshades are awesome.

Window tinting can help, yet sunshades work better IMO.

Tilt the seats forward so sunlight goes to the back of the seats.

Some slightly open a window to reduce heat (vs dust ingestion or possible thief access)

Car cover would also help, yet you risk the grit/ dirt on the car scratching the paint as the cover is install and/ or removed. Plus wind may lift and blow the cover around or off.

Waxing can help, yet I believe UV rays can fade the paint waxed or not.

Hence my vote... sunshades...good luck

 

I park outside...all the time.
I use a sunshield.-A Must IMO.
On the hottest days, also crack the windows when parked in the sun.
I use plastic protectants that claim to have UV protection.
I keep the vehicle clean and waxed, and pay above average attention to the exterior.

And my vehicles have always IMO looked above the average, and maintained well.

That being said?
You can't really beat a garage for overall protection.
You can only work to minimize the damage being out in the elements constantly does produce.

Years of NOT having a garage, has taught me lots of little maintenance tips.
In general it's easier to keep your vehicle clean, protected, and "maintain" than let it go, and then face yearly or bi-yearly resurrection efforts.

I should say, that I imagine my living in the Northwest, which spends a large portion of the year with great degrees of cloud cover, probably helps in keeping my paint from fading.
Might be a lot tougher to minimize that damage if you live in a sunshine climate.

 

And is it worth getting the windows tinted?

Yes it is worth the average 150.00 cost. Also, buy the sunshade for the windshield. This helps keep the car cooler on sunny days and will protect the plastic dashboard. Finally, the window vent shades are a great add on and allow you to discretely leave your windows cracked open. Hope this helps..