Hey, I took an old Sun reflector and modified it to lay on the rear pull out cover over the cargo area. Any problem with doing this?
A little but not much. I have it so it covers the back head rests and angles to the edge of the back hatch. You loose a little of the bottom glass strip and none of the top. I think laying on the head rests does more to block the bottom glass than anything. If I layed it flat on the rear cover you would barely notice it. The reason I am covering my rear head rests is that was the only crack I got on my leather Caddy years ago. Just curious about where the battery fan is.
Whether or not a sunshade "works" is a function of what you want it to do. In your case, it would appear you want to keep sunlight from falling directly on the rear seat and head rest leather upholstery. For that, it sounds like you found a successful alternative to a full window block. Good on you. Yet, there are other reasons for doing the blocking at the glass; one would be heat buildup in the car. I was reluctant to get the front and rear window sunshades. I knew there would be a lot of light/heat pouring into the car with the glass at such low angles, but I didn't believe a shade would do much good. But something had to be done. So, I sucked it up and bought the HeatShield shades from the PriusChat store. Well, I was wrong. Coupled with leaving the side windows open about 1/2 inch, they make a huge difference. The interior of the car is easily ~25 degF cooler. Sure, they're a minor pain to put in each time when you're running errands and there's no shade to be found in desert-like parking lots. And yes, other folks look at you and smirk... little do they know. It is indicative of the performance of the shades to feel the temperature difference on the inside and outside reflective surfaces when you take the shades down. The reflection outward and the ~1/4 inch foam in the center is a winning combination in my experience. FWIW, putting up the front shade is the more effective of the two as the dashboard is a real heat sink... cool seats and steering wheel too. EDIT: I often leave the rear hatch shade in place through multiple stops. I suspect there is the possibility of a minor legal question here. But, there are two perfectly usable side mirrors. As to rearward visibility, I can stii see through the little strip of tinted rear glass. I see it as not significantly different than having the hatch area full-up to the glass when vacationing which doesn't warrant a second look from the gendarmarie.
Using a sun shade in the front really DOES help a TON. It'll also help the longevity of your dash. I'm not sure I'd ever really want to get a shade for the back window, unless I had to park outside all day. Fortunately there's a parking garage at work, and I park in the garage at home, so my car will not sit in the sun all day. If it did, who wants to go through the hassle of opening up the hatch and removing the cover? I'd much rather tint the windows. I plan on doing that when I have some free cash. In past vehicles I've had my windows tinted with nice 3M metallic film, in the darkest shade that is legal in my state... and it is DARK. Combined with a front window shade and cracking the windows just a little, it REALLY makes a difference. On HOT summer days, it can reduce the interior temperature by as much as 30º.
My thought also. i orderd a front shield from Prius Chat today but the rear shield did not include 2009 model year.
Don't see the 2009 in the pull down for the rear! Also the tinting is the best solution for daylight but sucks at night.
