How to protect the interior of the car from the sun when the air conditioner does not help

The hot season is the period when car owners suffer the most from the bright sun. The air in the cabin at the very least cools the air conditioner, but it does not prevent the burning sun from burning through the car windows. Can something be done about this nuisance?

When there is not a cloud in the sky in the summer, the rays of the sun almost all the time penetrate through the glazing into the cabin and warm, warm, warm ... It seems like nothing can be done about it. And here it is not. There is such a thing as athermal glass and athermal coatings for car windows. When talking about athermal coating, most often they mean only a certain type of tint film.

It really cuts off a noticeable part of the radiation spectrum of our star. Due to this, much less solar energy penetrates into the car. At first glance - an ideal and inexpensive solution. Moreover, many manufacturers of such products say in their advertising that the athermal film minimally reduces the light transmission of automotive glass. In fact, almost any film (if it is not perfectly transparent, of course) seriously reduces light transmission.

Technical requirements for vehicles operated on the roads of Russia insist on at least 70% transparency of auto glass for light. Any glass from the factory already blocks light by itself. By sticking an athermal film on it, the very principle of operation of which is based on the absorption and reflection of a fair amount of light, we are almost guaranteed to make it not fit into the 70 percent norm for light transmission.

And this is a direct provocation of problems with the police, fines, the threat of a ban on the operation of a car, and so on. So the film is not an option.

But there is a solution to the problem, it is called athermal glazing. This is when almost transparent glasses are installed on the car with light transmission that meets the requirements of the technical regulations, but is capable of retaining and reflecting "extra" sunlight. On many models of cars (mostly expensive, of course), automakers put such glazing even in the factory. To put it simply, iron and silver oxides are added to the composition of athermal glass even at the stage of its production. Thanks to them, the material receives its specific properties, while meeting the standards.

You can immediately distinguish athermal glazing from ordinary glazing by paying attention to the bluish or greenish tint in the light reflected from it. Athermal glass is not included in the package of all cars. But this can be fixed. Installation of glazing with such properties is easy to order in specialized auto repair shops. This event will cost at least twice as much as installing conventional auto glass on a particular car model.

However, for some, the game will be worth the candle. Moreover, there is always a chance to save money: if you equip only the front of the car with new glass, and it is quite legal to paste over the windows of the doors of the rear passengers and the stern of the car even with the darkest tint film, not a single policeman will say a word across.