Mike@ihuxj.UUCP (06/20/83)
A question concerning coating the rear window glass of an hatchback automobile. I have a 1982 hatchback automobile. I would like to mask out the character- istic of the suns light which causes the fading of the car interior under the rear window. Hopefully I could meet this objective without installing a sun shade. I have considered applying some type of coating on the glass but I don't know if this will solve the problem. My uncertainty arises from an article which I read about 8 years ago in Consumer Report on sunglasses. The article stated that nonglass sunglasses would not filter out the UV rays of the sun. Could a nonglass coating applied to the hatchback glass pre- vent the fading of the car interior? Mike Petersen Western Electric RV @ BTL IH !ihuxj!mgp
leichter@yale-com.UUCP (06/23/83)
3M, I think, makes a plastic coating that can be applied to glass. It is specifically designed to keep out IR - which should cool the car down - but I think it will also screen out some of the UV. You might get in touch with an appropriate dealer; while they may not have dealt to much with the question of protecting car seats, I am sure there is a market for protecting stuff in store windows... It's a interesting question, BTW, as to just what in sunlight causes the fading. While UV carries more energy, a good fraction of it should be cut out by the two layers of glass - typically slightly tinted - and a layer of plastic laminate in safety windows. I expect that just plain visible light plays a measurable part in the problem; plus, when the car sits in the hot sun, the temperature inside goes way up, which can only help to encourage oxidation. Also, all the plastic gives off plasticizers, which will settle on anything inside; and if you smoke in the car...well, what clouds up your windows also dirties the upholstery. Combining all these things, while you can probably slow the fading down somewhat, I doubt that you can stop it completely. -- Jerry decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale