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how do you block sun glares on driver side?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by hanshinji, Jun 12, 2014.

  1. hanshinji

    hanshinji New Member

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    i drive at least 2 hours for my commute. unfortunately i get a strong californian sun glare directly on my face from the driver side on my way to work and way back home. yes, both sun rise and sun set gets my left face with harmful UVs. soon, my face color will be different for each side.

    i called the local tint shop and their quote averages $28o (for front and back window). i have a detachable sun shade which is a rectangle with rounded corner but it just cannot cover the corners because prius windows aren't rectangle.

    i could just get window tinting done and local shop, but my prius is driven by me alone 99% of times, and i just need to block the sun glares for me. has anyone done anything creative to solve this problem? i searched google and amazon for removable shade/tint for drivers window, but i guess the law prohibits from having anything on driver's side of window. any advice?
     
  2. IanIanIanIan

    IanIanIanIan Member

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    1. I doubt that much UV penetrates the Prius glass.

    2. In the UK it was once fashionable to use a 6" wide strip of green film across the top of the windscreen to cut out low sun and announce your and your girlfriend's names. I don't know how your laws would cover having just the strip as it does not obstruct the view out. They are still available here.

    IMCDb.org: 1972 Reliant Regal 3/30 Saloon in "Tracey Ullman: They Don't Know, 1983"

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAR-WINDSCREEN-SUNSTRIP-self-adhesive-vinyl-FREE-NAME-/270606843395
     
  3. Astolat

    Astolat Member

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    ... but nobody actually USES one... :). Wouldn't want our friends across the pond to get the wrong idea.

    Can't remember the last time I saw one, except in a TV show (I think Del and Rodney had one too...)
     
  4. se-riously

    se-riously Active Member

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    Rotate the visor to the left?
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i use a face cloth and suction cups.
     
  6. Squirt

    Squirt Member

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    Here's an example of a static-cling vinyl window tint/sun block sheet. My wife uses one of these in her car for our daughter. It's basically a thick plastic sheet that can be removed and replaced many times over. Could also be easily cut to match the curve of the window. Not the most elegant solution, but it would be cheap and do the job. The only caveat is that it does work well if you leave it in place and roll the window down.

    Sunshade | ToysRUs | Safety 1st
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that's excellent! i may have to trade in my towel...
     
  8. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    I use a rubber band and a piece of black cardboard matched in size to visor. Can slide full width and angle to block sun. I've tried several commercially made gadgets but this is, by far, the best solution. Can buy matching plastic on Amazon.
     
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  9. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

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    I don't understand the apparent distress here. Why are the corners important ?

    And as said, ordinary glass filters out most of the UV anyway.
    Auto parts stores have roll-down sun shades that attach to the window with suction cups.

    You ARE talking about sun coming in through the SIDE window, right ??
     
  10. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    Have you ever driven directly into the sun at sunrise or sunset in heavy city traffic? Scary VERY scary. Driving blind makes The Terminator look like a sissy.
     
  11. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

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    This is why I asked for clarification on which window he is concerned with.
    It sounds to me like it is the SIDE window, which is a whole different game than you are talking about.

    But yes, in 55 years of driving, I've seen and done a LOT......and if the glare really is THAT bad I stop and park for a few minutes.
    The really bad part doesn't last THAT long.

    I think driving next to a pine forest with the sun shining through the trees is almost worse: LIGHT....dark.....LIGHT.....dark.....most disconcerting.

    P.S. I lived in Illinois most of my life and am absolutely convinced that many drivers in Chicago drive blind most of the time. :eek:
     
  12. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I think there is actually simply a pretty limited amount of choices here.

    Visors, Tinting...or Sun Glasses.

    I haven't yet done it with The Prius, but in my previous vehicle I had an "eye brow" tint strip legally done on the front windshield. Laws vary from location to location.

    I have to say, I really liked it, and it helped considerably when I was driving without sunglasses. Also kept the sun from shining directly down on the steering wheel.
     
  13. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    The OP is correct about the CA law regarding the driver and front passenger windows. The law will allow a removable, day-use only shade/tint device provided you get a letter from your doctor (maybe a dermatologist?) stating your need. I have a couple of collapsible sun shades I found at a car wash years ago which attach with suction cups. You can see through them, but they are technically illegal except as described above. I've had a long history of skin cancers, but many years ago when I asked my then dermatologist for a letter, he said the glass in the car had enough UV protection. Haven't asked my current dermatologist about it yet, but I do use a high SPF sunscreen daily now.
    Another idea just came to mind. I've seen on TV a translucent amber panel made to clip on the visor and then fold down so that it extends lower than the regular visor. Maybe that would provide protection without attaching to the window glass. Check CVS in the "as seen on TV" section. Good luck.
     
    #13 rogerv, Jun 12, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 12, 2014
  14. hanshinji

    hanshinji New Member

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    yes i was talking about side (driver) window. it doesn't affect my driving vision, but my face is definitely getting hot and tanned. i do have the sun shade that is originally made for passenger side windows in the back, but since driver side window is less square-y it misses the corner (just imagine fitting a rectangle inside of a triangle) and that's where the sun glares right through my face.
     
  15. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    One of the problems with the visor is that it doesn't slide out to extend along the side window for a taller driver sitting further back like the ones in other cars, including my Lexus. Kenoarto has a good idea in #8 above about adding material to enlarge/extend the visor. I've thought about that but have never tried it.
     
  16. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

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    Yes it is......and no it isn't getting tanned, at least not because of the sun coming in through the car window glass.
    Did you notice what another owner's dermatologist said ??
     
  17. acceleraptor

    acceleraptor Member

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    hashinji: The factory glass for all the windows states it screens 99% UV, at least on the 2014 Prius Plug-In Base model that we both drive. So at most 1% of UV is getting through.

    I had an additional full coverage of tint installed on all windows, including corners, that also screens at least 99% or 99.9% of UV so I'm now theoretically getting only 0.01% or 0.001% of UV.

    I have to say, prior to the tint, although the factory tint of the glass was supposedly screening 99%UV, the skin on my arms, face, or neck being hit by sunlight still felt notably like just those parts were getting very hot relative to the rest of my skin. I actually felt like I was getting tanned or burned even though I didn't appear to get either, at least while in the car. After the tint, I don't quite feel that distinctive sting anymore, although the car still gets very warm and feels stuffy. (Make of this what you will.)

    Since you seem averse to paying for tinting costs, and since those lower cost tint primarily addresses UV more than general heat, my best suggestion would be to find one of those mountable, and removable, screens for your front driver side window--some of them look like they're pull-down--and not sure about the corners but you might want to consider just stuffing something there, or finding some low cost DIY tint film from a store and cutting a piece for the corner. Most of those DIY tint films from auto stores, like Gila, aren't particularly glamorous, but for screening UV, it might do the job.

    You might also be able to mount or attach something directly to the visor and leave it swung to the side cover most of the window.
     
  18. JacksonMs

    JacksonMs Junior Member

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    I would not necessarily rely on second hand information supplied by a dermatologist without doing research for myself. I have a family member who is pretty sharp, and is also a board certified dermatologist who has been in practice since 1962. I asked him this question, and his reply was, "I don't know. I am sure there is some protection from auto glass, but I would imagine it is not the same in all cars. I sure see more sun damage on the left side of face and left arm (drivers passenger window side) than on the right side. I would not skip the sunscreen with hope that your windshield is offering excellent sun protection." He added that if someone has a long daily drive of an hour or so in direct sunlight, even with sunscreen, sun exposure for that long a time day after day year after year can cause a fairly great amount of sun damage.
     
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  19. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    So does this mean you will be doing research yourself? Please share what you find out. For years I had a habit of driving with my window down in nice weather, sun shining right in on my face and my arm on the door. I would imagine that contributed to many of the skin cancers I've dealt with, whether or not the glass had UV protection.
     
  20. Easy Rider

    Easy Rider Active Member

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    Heat is generated by infrared light (low frequencies); tanning occurs from ultraviolet light (high frequencies).
    Your experience indicates that the factory glass blocks UV but not IR.You CAN feel extreme heat without getting a "tan".
    If you get a burn in those conditions, it is not a "sun" burn but a heat burn.

    If the window is DOWN, meaning open, why would it make any difference what the glass does or does not block
     
    #20 Easy Rider, Jun 14, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 19, 2014
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