Driving into the sun but avoiding the flames?
October 7, 2013 8:58 AM Subscribe
I recently moved. My new commute has me driving directly into the sun in both the morning and evening; as winter approaches, it is getting more and more hazardous. I slowed to a crawl this morning as there was so much glare I literally couldn't see the road/cars/anything in front of me and if a child had darted out into the road in front of me I honestly don't know that I would see. I tried rolling my window down and sticking my head out but maybe I didn't stick my head out far enough because it didn't seem to help the front view (it did make it easier to see what was going on leftwards though). I wear sunglasses and pop the visor down. I had my car's defrost on. What else can I do?
If it matters I drive a 2001 Honda Accord with standard, untinted windows.
My car's defrost is also weird and not always that effective - if that's part of the problem (I can imagine that a slight fog inside the car increases the glare) what is the ideal defrost setting? Mine seems to default to having the A/C on when the defrost is on regardless of whether I set the air temp to cool or hot. I can turn the A/C part off and still have defrost on but it seems like most of the time the defrost does work better with A/C.
If it matters I drive a 2001 Honda Accord with standard, untinted windows.
My car's defrost is also weird and not always that effective - if that's part of the problem (I can imagine that a slight fog inside the car increases the glare) what is the ideal defrost setting? Mine seems to default to having the A/C on when the defrost is on regardless of whether I set the air temp to cool or hot. I can turn the A/C part off and still have defrost on but it seems like most of the time the defrost does work better with A/C.
Best answer: How good are your sunglasses? If they're cheap plastic ones, it might be worth investing in some super fancy polarized ones.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:01 AM on October 7, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:01 AM on October 7, 2013 [7 favorites]
You may need to get a better pair of sunglasses. Go to an Optician and get a recommendation for a good glare cutting pair.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:02 AM on October 7, 2013
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:02 AM on October 7, 2013
Best answer: The AC helps dry the air so that it's better able to absorb moisture from the windshield.
Keep the windshield extremely clean. If it's old and scratched up, get a new one. Beat-up windshields are a known safety hazard, and many insurance companies will happily pay for replacement.
posted by jon1270 at 9:02 AM on October 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
Keep the windshield extremely clean. If it's old and scratched up, get a new one. Beat-up windshields are a known safety hazard, and many insurance companies will happily pay for replacement.
posted by jon1270 at 9:02 AM on October 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
A/C removes liquid from the air. If you turn off the A/C when you have the defroster on, it won't really work. Leave the A/C on (A/C is independent of temperature). The A/C being on is a feature, not a bug.
Make sure your windshield is clean, especially on the inside! There are all sorts of tricks to cleaning it, poke around online... you can also get it professionally cleaned. But if it has buildup on the inside it will glare more.
posted by brainmouse at 9:03 AM on October 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
Make sure your windshield is clean, especially on the inside! There are all sorts of tricks to cleaning it, poke around online... you can also get it professionally cleaned. But if it has buildup on the inside it will glare more.
posted by brainmouse at 9:03 AM on October 7, 2013 [5 favorites]
Quality Sunglasses is the way to go.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:03 AM on October 7, 2013
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 9:03 AM on October 7, 2013
Best answer: Is the windshield is foggy from moisture? Mine is impossible to see through when the sun hits the condensation on the windshield in the morning. My windshield wipers seem to make it worse. What works a bit is either to squeegee the windshield or even better, to hose off the windshield before I go. I'll bring out a big cup of water if I'm running too late to drag the hose over. Also, sometimes I notice that the windows on one side of the car are fine. If that's the case, can you park somewhere where the windshield is pointing in that direction? I've thought of asking this question myself on here but haven't. We tried rain-ex together with new windshield wipers and it worked but only for a week or so. I should try more rain-ex.
posted by artychoke at 9:13 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by artychoke at 9:13 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Defrost: Use the defrost setting on the car. It works fine if everything functions normally. Otherwise, set it to hot until the screen is clear and then adjust slowly (not suddenly) down to comfortable levels. Drop the windows if it is too hot and the screen isn't clear yet.
Leave the AC on (It is a dehumidifier based system).
Clean your windscreen properly. Use good glass cleaner and plenty of clean paper towel. Clean it inside and out a number of times, as screens that aren't cleaned regularly get a waxy/oily residue that is hard to shift. Keep the screen clean. If you haven't cleaned it in the last week, it is almost certainly not helping the issue.
The only other glare can be from poor sunglasses or a scratched windscreen. If you screen is clean, unscratched and de-fogged then there should be no issue with sun if you have good sunglasses on and are behind a sun visor. There should be no 'glare' from the windscreen, just a clear passage for the sun to come in through.
posted by Brockles at 9:14 AM on October 7, 2013
Leave the AC on (It is a dehumidifier based system).
Clean your windscreen properly. Use good glass cleaner and plenty of clean paper towel. Clean it inside and out a number of times, as screens that aren't cleaned regularly get a waxy/oily residue that is hard to shift. Keep the screen clean. If you haven't cleaned it in the last week, it is almost certainly not helping the issue.
The only other glare can be from poor sunglasses or a scratched windscreen. If you screen is clean, unscratched and de-fogged then there should be no issue with sun if you have good sunglasses on and are behind a sun visor. There should be no 'glare' from the windscreen, just a clear passage for the sun to come in through.
posted by Brockles at 9:14 AM on October 7, 2013
Also, maybe run the car for a few minutes before actually leaving. You may need to get the windscreen warm and demisted before you move to get the effect. Your car can't necessarily demist/fog as you drive, it may need the warm air from the engine in order to get a foothold on the issue first. 2 minutes of warming up before moving off may do that.
posted by Brockles at 9:17 AM on October 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Brockles at 9:17 AM on October 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
First, really, really clean your windshield with a high quality foaming glass cleaner. If you have any water spots/stains/residue on the glass that the cleaner doesn't get rid of, use a polish. If that doesn't get the glass transparent than you need a new windshield. Over time all windshields get pitted and sometimes the plastic laminate in between the panes of the windshield (this is what makes it safety glass) discolors and refracts weirdly and your description of the problem makes me thing this might be the case. It is even more likely if you life in a part of the country with lots of hot sun and/or sandstorms (like the southwest). From your profile it says you live in Kansas and while not as bad as say Phoenix, the winter road regimen (salt and sand with slush) is pretty tough on glass as well.
Also get a good pair of polarized sunglasses. Especially if you have a light colored/highly polished car. Reflection of the hood can be a real problem in some cases and polarized sunglasses can be a real help.
posted by bartonlong at 9:17 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Also get a good pair of polarized sunglasses. Especially if you have a light colored/highly polished car. Reflection of the hood can be a real problem in some cases and polarized sunglasses can be a real help.
posted by bartonlong at 9:17 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Your windshield is 12 years old. It's picked up pits and tiny scratches that all diffuse the light and make it hard to see. If you have a crack or small hole in the glass, check with your insurance, it may be free to replace.
If you can't replace it, clean it really, really well as other have suggested.
posted by Eddie Mars at 9:19 AM on October 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
If you can't replace it, clean it really, really well as other have suggested.
posted by Eddie Mars at 9:19 AM on October 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I was going to say polarized glasses too. I got a pair of polarized prescription sunglasses at zennioptical.com this year. The styles they have aren't abundant but for about $60 I wasn't complaining too much. If you wear a prescription I highly recommend that route. Tip: for your purposes you'll want to bypass all the cute fashion glasses with a small vertical dimension. Get the greatest coverage possible. But polarized, definitely.
As for the windshield, you might try using Fog-X on the inside. And Rain-X on the outside. It's been years since I've done this myself but the results are amazing.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 9:24 AM on October 7, 2013
As for the windshield, you might try using Fog-X on the inside. And Rain-X on the outside. It's been years since I've done this myself but the results are amazing.
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 9:24 AM on October 7, 2013
Response by poster: Defrost followup question: So if I leave the defrost A/C on (which I have been since as I said I have noticed it works better and did assume it was defaulted for a reason) does it matter what temperature I set the internal air on? Because I'd prefer it hot but don't know if that's wise for clarity purposes.
Also I have never cleaned my windshield on the inside and haven't cleaned the outside in a month or so beyond what rain does. I will try that with the Fog-X and Rain-X and see how it works.
I also just started trying contacts out last week so while I was previously wearing expensive polarized prescription sunglasses, I've been wearing the cheapest sunglasses available while I'm testing out the contacts. I did not put that together with how the sun has been worse, so I will now put the contacts in at work unless/until I commit to them and buy expensive polarized non-prescription sunglasses so that I can wear my prescription ones while driving.
posted by vegartanipla at 9:36 AM on October 7, 2013
Also I have never cleaned my windshield on the inside and haven't cleaned the outside in a month or so beyond what rain does. I will try that with the Fog-X and Rain-X and see how it works.
I also just started trying contacts out last week so while I was previously wearing expensive polarized prescription sunglasses, I've been wearing the cheapest sunglasses available while I'm testing out the contacts. I did not put that together with how the sun has been worse, so I will now put the contacts in at work unless/until I commit to them and buy expensive polarized non-prescription sunglasses so that I can wear my prescription ones while driving.
posted by vegartanipla at 9:36 AM on October 7, 2013
Decent polarized non-prescription sunglasses aren't THAT expensive. Like, more than $10 but unless you need a fashion-designer label on them, under $30.
But do clean the inside of your windshield. You will be shocked.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:45 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
But do clean the inside of your windshield. You will be shocked.
posted by Lyn Never at 9:45 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
As a followup to your followup, before lasik removed my need for contacts, I was super light sensitive when wearing them and found good quality sunglasses made a huge difference. When riding a motorcycle I would 'double up' with polarized sunglasses and a heavily tinted visor on my helmet being the only thing that would work good enough at low sun angles (and I kept my visor really, really clean).
The best defrost setting is full heat with the AC on, full fan speed and the side windows slightly cracked open. On an older car you may also have a minute leak in your heater hose system that causes a slight mist of antifreeze on the windshield and this would make the probably hugely worse. The best way to fix this is thorough cleaning of the inside of your windshield (and side glass as well).
posted by bartonlong at 9:52 AM on October 7, 2013
The best defrost setting is full heat with the AC on, full fan speed and the side windows slightly cracked open. On an older car you may also have a minute leak in your heater hose system that causes a slight mist of antifreeze on the windshield and this would make the probably hugely worse. The best way to fix this is thorough cleaning of the inside of your windshield (and side glass as well).
posted by bartonlong at 9:52 AM on October 7, 2013
Best answer: does it matter what temperature I set the internal air on?
Hot air defrosts/defogs better than cold.
posted by Brockles at 9:53 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Hot air defrosts/defogs better than cold.
posted by Brockles at 9:53 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
vegartanipla: "Also I have never cleaned my windshield on the inside"
This is really important. Do this and it will help. There is probably a film coating the inside of your windshield, and it messes with the light coming through.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 9:59 AM on October 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
This is really important. Do this and it will help. There is probably a film coating the inside of your windshield, and it messes with the light coming through.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 9:59 AM on October 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
My slightly-newer Civic runs the chiller from the AC any time you have the defrost on. Doesn't seem to make any difference to rate if the AC's on as well or not.
Rain-X is super awesome, but make sure you use a completely different set of cloths to apply it/polish it than you ever use on the inside of the glass. The resulting swirly mistiness is only fading after several concerted attacks with isopropanol, cotton rags and swearwords.
posted by scruss at 10:39 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Rain-X is super awesome, but make sure you use a completely different set of cloths to apply it/polish it than you ever use on the inside of the glass. The resulting swirly mistiness is only fading after several concerted attacks with isopropanol, cotton rags and swearwords.
posted by scruss at 10:39 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
I personally do not use any cleaning agents on the inside of my windshield as those interior streaks are the worst in glare. I've found that using a microfiber towel without any cleaner is the best, and here is a tip - clean the windshield during the time of most glare. You will be amazed at the dirt you pull off the inside of the windshield, and just how much your visibility increases.
Watch out if you do get your car cleaned at a car wash, as all but the most professional shops and car cleaners don't separate their towels with much concern and the last thing you needed Armor-all on your windshield.
And yes, Rain-X is truly, honestly, without a doubt the most miracle glass product available. Use it on the outside of your windows (but only after a good window cleaning) and much of the condensation will bead up and fall away as you drive.
It hasn't been mentioned much in the thread but new windshield wipers will also make a big difference. Old wipers lose their tension against the glass over time and gather road grime build-up like you wouldn't believe - go ahead, take a cloth and run it along the wipers to see the grime. That build-up makes clearer your window even more difficult, so either replace the wipers, or clean them with a mild solution like vinegar and water. While I love Rain-X, I don't find that their wipers and their unique styling and claims are worth it. I use traditional Bosch wipers and replace them when needed.
posted by lstanley at 10:44 AM on October 7, 2013
Watch out if you do get your car cleaned at a car wash, as all but the most professional shops and car cleaners don't separate their towels with much concern and the last thing you needed Armor-all on your windshield.
And yes, Rain-X is truly, honestly, without a doubt the most miracle glass product available. Use it on the outside of your windows (but only after a good window cleaning) and much of the condensation will bead up and fall away as you drive.
It hasn't been mentioned much in the thread but new windshield wipers will also make a big difference. Old wipers lose their tension against the glass over time and gather road grime build-up like you wouldn't believe - go ahead, take a cloth and run it along the wipers to see the grime. That build-up makes clearer your window even more difficult, so either replace the wipers, or clean them with a mild solution like vinegar and water. While I love Rain-X, I don't find that their wipers and their unique styling and claims are worth it. I use traditional Bosch wipers and replace them when needed.
posted by lstanley at 10:44 AM on October 7, 2013
Polarized sunglasses aren't necessarily expensive. I wear a pair I got at Target for under $20. However, they are guy's sunglasses. They seem to be less easily available for women. If you are a dude this shouldn't be an issue for you. If you aren't, get used to wearing guy's sunglasses... if you hate them then just leave them in the car and use them only for driving.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:51 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:51 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
oh and yes yes yes to cleaning the inside of your windshields. It's crucial as we get into defrost weather.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:53 AM on October 7, 2013
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:53 AM on October 7, 2013
I also have a 2001 Accord and got one of these to help clean the inside of the windshield. It can be hard to get to much of the windshield due to the slope of it.
posted by dforemsky at 11:37 AM on October 7, 2013
posted by dforemsky at 11:37 AM on October 7, 2013
My heater died last winter and the window defrost was really the worst part of it. The biggest help was definitely using Fog-x. You have to re-apply it every couple of weeks though, and don't forget to put it on the side windows too. Once I did, I had water droplets instead of fog-- which really was an improvement! Later, I discovered a few inches of accumulated water in the spare tire well in the back (it was a wagon), and in hindsight, of course that made the problem much worse - if you have anywhere that water might be accumulating in your car, now is the time to look for it and get it out.
posted by lemniskate at 12:17 PM on October 7, 2013
posted by lemniskate at 12:17 PM on October 7, 2013
If your windshield is old, it's probably very pitted from road sand and such -- which causes terrible glare.
Some car insurance will pay for a new one, or you could pay out of pockets if you are Mister Rich Guy Like In The Monopoly Game. (Actually, it was about $150 last time i did it, and the truck came to my office parking lot and took about twenty minutes.)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:38 PM on October 7, 2013
Some car insurance will pay for a new one, or you could pay out of pockets if you are Mister Rich Guy Like In The Monopoly Game. (Actually, it was about $150 last time i did it, and the truck came to my office parking lot and took about twenty minutes.)
posted by wenestvedt at 12:38 PM on October 7, 2013
I drive a Civic and have this exact problem (I was just thinking about posting a question)!
I haven't tried all these cleaning tips, though I obviously need to - but in the mean time for you, starting the car a few minutes before I need to leave is an easy fix. Rolling the windows down while running defroster seems to help even out the temperature difference that causes some of the fog.
posted by raspberrE at 5:37 PM on October 7, 2013
I haven't tried all these cleaning tips, though I obviously need to - but in the mean time for you, starting the car a few minutes before I need to leave is an easy fix. Rolling the windows down while running defroster seems to help even out the temperature difference that causes some of the fog.
posted by raspberrE at 5:37 PM on October 7, 2013
Also I have never cleaned my windshield on the inside and haven't cleaned the outside in a month or so beyond what rain does.
That's about 90% of your answer right there, I think.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:10 PM on October 8, 2013
That's about 90% of your answer right there, I think.
posted by Halloween Jack at 12:10 PM on October 8, 2013
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posted by mochapickle at 9:00 AM on October 7, 2013 [1 favorite]