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I've had two Altimas (2015-S and 2022-SV), both with a charcoal (dark) leatherette interior. (The new car has a white exterior and the previous one was black.)
They both have the same problem: it gets really hot inside, with heat and sunlight burning my face from the direction of the sun. It's not just general heat, it's also specifically tied to sunlight, as if sunlight is magnified in stronger rays or "pockets." I don't recall this issue with other brands like Toyota. This is happening even when it's cool outside, like 50 F.
My theories are,
1. Something about Altima's windows is less heat-/sunlight-resistant
2. Something about the charcoal leatherette interior magnifies sunlight and heat
I can't really figure it out. I can tint my windows but I don't want them to be dark, so I'd have to go with like a 70-80% tint, I don't know if that would be enough. All I want is to drive normally in the car I have now. Any ideas what's going on?
The exterior color of the car is what attracts or repels heat. What color is your car?
Any car any color gets hot inside when the sun is strong, but a white car won't get as hot as a black car. In my black car, I have to run the AC if it gets about 50 degrees outside and the sun is bright.
First, order a custom fitted windshield shade for parking in the sun. This will reduce the surface heat from the dash and steering wheel. Look into ceramic window film to reduce heat without risking going illegally dark window tint. Ask about adding film across the top edge of the windshield. Another option to help is light color seat covers. Sadly too many brands offer the majority of their vehicle’s interior as all black. Some seat covers are better than others. Some are so well made they almost look like factory upholstery. Some are so cheaply made as to be uncomfortable because they’re constantly shifting on the seat surface from getting in and out and not actually fitting the seat well from trying to fit universal vehicles.
The exterior color of the car is what attracts or repels heat. What color is your car?
Any car any color gets hot inside when the sun is strong, but a white car won't get as hot as a black car. In my black car, I have to run the AC if it gets about 50 degrees outside and the sun is bright.
The new Altima is white, and the previous one is black. They have the same identical interior-heat problem (even when it's cool outside, like 50-55 deg. F, but there is some sunshine).
There's a company called QuickSnap that makes window shades that fit in the door frames and can be inserted and removed at any time. a set of 4 costs 80 bucks, here's their page for Nissan vehicles: https://quiksnap.us/product-category/nissan/
Between those and reflective covers in the front and rear windshields, that should help keep the interior about 40 to 50 degrees cooler in summer.
First, order a custom fitted windshield shade for parking in the sun. This will reduce the surface heat from the dash and steering wheel. Look into ceramic window film to reduce heat without risking going illegally dark window tint. Ask about adding film across the top edge of the windshield. Another option to help is light color seat covers. Sadly too many brands offer the majority of their vehicle’s interior as all black. Some seat covers are better than others. Some are so well made they almost look like factory upholstery. Some are so cheaply made as to be uncomfortable because they’re constantly shifting on the seat surface from getting in and out and not actually fitting the seat well from trying to fit universal vehicles.
So you're saying a light interior, like beige, wouldn't have this problem? I had the option of picking a lighter color when I was buying the SV. I thought the white exterior would take care of this, but the interior is still charcoal (not black, just dark) as it was in my previous Altima. I don't understand the physics of it. It's not just general heat inside the car, it's more so that the sun rays hit me with greater intensity wherever they're coming from. Is that still related to the interior fabric/color?
When I used to go to Phoenix for hot weather testing, they'd leave cars out on the blacktop to heat soak for several hours and the interior temps would easily hit 160F.
There's a company called QuickSnap that makes window shades that fit in the door frames and can be inserted and removed at any time. a set of 4 costs 80 bucks, here's their page for Nissan vehicles: https://quiksnap.us/product-category/nissan/
Thanks for the suggestion but the car is kept in a garage (I live in a high-rise with a garage) so it's not like it gets hot while parked outside. The problem is that when I get out of the garage and start driving in open air, at that point something about the windows or interior then instantly boosts the visible sunlight and makes it uncomfortable in certain spots on the face or clothing (not everywhere) while driving.
Thanks for the suggestion but the car is kept in a garage (I live in a high-rise with a garage) so it's not like it gets hot while parked outside. The problem is that when I get out of the garage and start driving in open air, at that point something about the windows or interior then instantly boosts the visible sunlight and makes it uncomfortable in certain spots on the face or clothing (not everywhere) while driving.
The side window shades are meant to be used while driving so they should help mitigate that to a significant degree. Or you could go with a conventional tint which should also help.
So the sun will to some extent heat up the car via the metal body, and so a dark body makes some difference, but it's the car interior we're talking about here. The larger contributor is I believe the windows, which pass short wavelength solar radiation in, and can't easily pass the "red-shifted" radiation back out - that's the greenhouse effect. Finally, if the upholstery is dark, it can be hotter than the interior generally, as it will then be soaking up much of that energy trapped inside.
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