# Looking for a summer car accessory **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085 "2016-06-11T05:17:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/1 "2016-06-11T05:17:41Z")
I used to see a special auto accessory in mail-order catalogs: a solar-powered fan that fits on a car window and keeps the air inside a car, presumably parked out in the hot sun on a summer day, from becoming an oven in terms of ambient temperature. I’m having no luck; the major auto parts places in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), O’Reilly’s and Pep Boys, don’t carry it. Any info? ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/2 "2016-06-11T06:43:27Z")
I had one for about two hours. When I opened the car door it fell out, landed on the pavement, and broke. My aunt had one when she lived in Tucson. She didn’t really think it helped that much. It didn’t chill the air. Allegedly it pulled hot air out of the car (somehow) and replaced it with cooler air, but in Tucson there wasn’t a lot of cooler air to begin with. I did see quite a few of them but I didn’t exactly hear glowing testimonials. (This was around 2002, so the technology may have improved. Or not.) That said, if you google “solar auto cooler” you will get hits–looks like they have them on [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) for instance, or from eBay. ETA: Scewed up link, try this: [https://www.amazon.com/Kulcar-Solar-Powered-Ventilator-Version/dp/B00J97X2YG?ie=UTF8&\*Version\*=1&\*entries\*=0](https://www.amazon.com/Kulcar-Solar-Powered-Ventilator-Version/dp/B00J97X2YG?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/3 "2016-06-11T07:29:21Z")
I loved this Q&A on the Amazon page: > [@](#): > > Q: How many snakes will crawl in the window if I don’t use the rubber gasket? > > A: If you can refrain from overfeeding your car’s mongoose, the snakes won’t pose a problem. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/4 "2016-06-11T12:53:24Z")
I once bought one of these at Goodwill for a couple bucks. I put it in direct sunlight and the fans barely moved at all. So, that’s why it was at Goodwill. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/5 "2016-06-11T13:14:19Z")
I looked around at JC Whitney but their search is screwy right now. That’s the kind of thing they’d have, though I bet you’d be disappointed in the product. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/6 "2016-06-11T14:54:17Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I looked around at JC Whitney but their search is screwy right now. That’s the kind of thing they’d have, though I bet you’d be disappointed in the product. J C Whitney? I’ve never seen one of those in southern Los Angeles County… ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/7 "2016-06-11T15:00:55Z")
I’m not sure where to get those, but I’ve heard they don’t work very well. They aren’t going to move very much air and it won’t make much of a difference if they do. Even if you had the car interior fan going at full blast, your car would still be pretty hot. One thing that can make a difference is getting your windows tinted. The tint will reflect the heat away from your car’s interior so it won’t be as hot and it will be easier to cool off when you turn the AC on. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/8 "2016-06-11T15:33:53Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I’m not sure where to get those, but I’ve heard they don’t work very well. They aren’t going to move very much air and it won’t make much of a difference if they do. Even if you had the car interior fan going at full blast, your car would still be pretty hot. > > One thing that can make a difference is getting your windows tinted. The tint will reflect the heat away from your car’s interior so it won’t be as hot and it will be easier to cool off when you turn the AC on. The disadvantage there is that you lose visibility through the windows, especially at night. If push comes to shove I may consider some kind of curtains. ---
**Author:** ![sbunny8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/9 "2016-06-11T16:47:08Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > J C Whitney? I’ve never seen one of those in southern Los Angeles County… J C Whitney is a mail-order catalog. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/10 "2016-06-11T17:24:01Z")
> [@sbunny8](#): > > J C Whitney is a mail-order catalog. Do you have a postal or Internet address for them? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/11 "2016-06-11T19:44:05Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I looked around at JC Whitney but their search is screwy right now. That’s the kind of thing they’d have, though I bet you’d be disappointed in the product. But it, like all their other products, would be made of “heavy-duty plastic”. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/12 "2016-06-11T20:23:43Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Do you have a postal or Internet address for them? > **[JC Whitney - Auto Parts and Car Culture](https://www.jcwhitney.com/)** > > Explore JC Whitney for premium auto parts & accessories, dive into car culture, & stay updated with the latest automotive events & tech trends ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/13 "2016-06-11T20:25:44Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > Do you have a postal or Internet address for them? > **[JC Whitney - Auto Parts and Car Culture](https://www.jcwhitney.com/)** > > Explore JC Whitney for premium auto parts & accessories, dive into car culture, & stay updated with the latest automotive events & tech trends Curses! Ninja’d! ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/14 "2016-06-11T20:42:59Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > The disadvantage there is that you lose visibility through the windows, especially at night. > If push comes to shove I may consider some kind of curtains. You’re right that the visibility will be affected, but it may be worth going by a tint shop and taking a look at what they have. Different tints will block different percentages of visible and infrared light. While they don’t have a tint which blocks 0% of visible and 100% of infrared, they do have some which block a lot of the infrared but not much of the visible. You may be able to find one which gives you the visibility you desire and can still keep your car cooler. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-summer-car-accessory/757085/15 "2016-06-11T21:39:18Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > You’re right that the visibility will be affected, but it may be worth going by a tint shop and taking a look at what they have. Different tints will block different percentages of visible and infrared light. While they don’t have a tint which blocks 0% of visible and 100% of infrared, they do have some which block a lot of the infrared but not much of the visible. You may be able to find one which gives you the visibility you desire and can still keep your car cooler. Sounds like a good idea.