# How is my car colder on one side than the other?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-my-car-colder-on-one-side-than-the-other/46528>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 20, 2000, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-my-car-colder-on-one-side-than-the-other/46528 "2000-12-20T15:44:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-my-car-colder-on-one-side-than-the-other/46528/1 "2000-12-20T15:44:45Z")

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This morning when I went out to my car, it was covered with the requisite coating of dew. However, while the front windshield and side windows were liquid, the dew on the roof and rear windshield were frost. How does that happen?

I have previously noticed a tendency for a similar distribution of dew and fog on other mornings. This is a recurring pattern of distribution, not a one time thing.

Could it have something to do with the front pointing toward the apartment building, or having trees nearby? The odd part is the sun comes up from the rear, so if it were a factor then the rear would be dew and front frost.

My mind is perplexed.

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**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-my-car-colder-on-one-side-than-the-other/46528/2 "2000-12-20T15:51:34Z")

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One would think that it has to do with car’s orientation vs shade. Try parking it the other way around and see if it happens in reverse.

If your question is the actual mechanism by which the presence or absence of shade causes that discrepancy, we’re out of my depth.

You only mention shade, but as important might be wind. i.e. Which end of the car is sheltered.

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**Author:** ![wooba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/aeb1de/32.png) [@wooba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wooba)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-my-car-colder-on-one-side-than-the-other/46528/3 "2000-12-20T16:07:15Z")

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It will almost certainly be due to how the sun shines on it.  
It drives me crazy that I have to scrape the thick ice off my car in the morning (my house faces north) when the people across the street only have to scrape gently and it just falls off because their car has been in the sun for a while and mine is in the fridgid shade ☹

That’s why whenever possible in the winter, I park in places with as much exposure to direct sunlight as possible.  
In the summer I try to park in the shade however…

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**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\
**Post date:** [December 20, 2000, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-my-car-colder-on-one-side-than-the-other/46528/4 "2000-12-20T16:28:31Z")

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Hey, my car is colder on one side than the other side too. Generally in the winter the inSIDE is warm and the outSIDE is cold; it reverses in the summer.

Too many Dixie Riddle Cups when I was a kid, I suppose.