I Feel So Exposed
August 26, 2017 11:54 AM Subscribe
Does it matter which direction I park to minimize heat to car?
I live in Florida. The parking lot at my workplace parks in an east-west direction. Depending on how I position my vehicle, my windshield can either face east or west. There is no parking garage available and no shade. It's an open parking lot with minimal landscaping. There is a 4-5 foot hedge I can pull up or back into, not sure if this matters.
If I work from 7am-3pm which direction should my windshield face to protect interior and minimize baking the interior and exterior, or will direction not make a difference? I have a sunshade for the windshield. I just purchased it and haven't had it long enough to experiment. I have been parking where my windshield faces east, reasoning that afternoon sun is the "strongest". I have a black car and black interior. I am concerned about my exterior paint and don't like it "baking all day".
There is a fancy car owner who arrives at the same time and parks facing west, facing the hedge. I wonder if she's on to something. Or am I completely overthinking this?
I live in Florida. The parking lot at my workplace parks in an east-west direction. Depending on how I position my vehicle, my windshield can either face east or west. There is no parking garage available and no shade. It's an open parking lot with minimal landscaping. There is a 4-5 foot hedge I can pull up or back into, not sure if this matters.
If I work from 7am-3pm which direction should my windshield face to protect interior and minimize baking the interior and exterior, or will direction not make a difference? I have a sunshade for the windshield. I just purchased it and haven't had it long enough to experiment. I have been parking where my windshield faces east, reasoning that afternoon sun is the "strongest". I have a black car and black interior. I am concerned about my exterior paint and don't like it "baking all day".
There is a fancy car owner who arrives at the same time and parks facing west, facing the hedge. I wonder if she's on to something. Or am I completely overthinking this?
Get your windows tinted. Between that and your sunshade, it won't matter how you park.
posted by wierdo at 1:21 PM on August 26, 2017
posted by wierdo at 1:21 PM on August 26, 2017
Face west, and use the sunshade.
When you get to your car at the end of the workday, use Technique Number 4 from this article: roll down the passenger window and then open and close your driver's-side door over and over (or just fan it-- you don't have to close it all the way). It'll give the cooler outside air a chance to displace the hotter interior air.
Your exterior paint really is made for this kind of thing. It definitely has a lifespan that's shorter in Florida than, say, a lifetime closed in a garage, but the car companies have been working on this stuff for 100 years.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:44 PM on August 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
When you get to your car at the end of the workday, use Technique Number 4 from this article: roll down the passenger window and then open and close your driver's-side door over and over (or just fan it-- you don't have to close it all the way). It'll give the cooler outside air a chance to displace the hotter interior air.
Your exterior paint really is made for this kind of thing. It definitely has a lifespan that's shorter in Florida than, say, a lifetime closed in a garage, but the car companies have been working on this stuff for 100 years.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:44 PM on August 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
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posted by amanda at 12:01 PM on August 26, 2017 [2 favorites]