Review: WeatherTech Sun Shades - Full Coverage (every window). (3 Viewers)

[RT Cruiser]

We've been needing sun shades for all of the windows on our 2008 salsa-red cruiser for several reasons such adding privacy, blocking out the sun when it's parked, and when possible blocking out the sun for my family on long-distance jaunts.

Two weeks ago I ordered the WeatherTech Sun Shades full coverage. Cost was $170 plus shipping. They arrived in about 4 days.

Thanks to @serpico1 , I want to clarify:

• The shades are not permanently fixed to the windows.
• There is no velcro or similar to keep the shades in the windows. They sit within the window frame. There is enough friction between the shades and the windows to keep them in place. I've driven with the third row shades, and the one in the second row behind me, and they stay in place.
• Except for the windshield shade, the shades are easily and quickly installed and pulled down. When they are pulled down, they have to be stowed. I keep mine in the cargo hold when I'm driving.
• The shades cannot be rolled down while in the windows. The material is sturdy and not flexible. So it's either in the window or out. You can roll them all up together within the windshield shade and use the attached velco to keep them together. I've been laying them flat in the cargo hold because unless we're on a trip somewhere, the cargo hold is mostly empty.
• In essence if you want to roll them together, which you can do (because they come packaged this way), they'll be about 5-8" wide. Be sure you see the photo below of the box they arrived in. Their natural tendency is to be flat, not rolled.
• You can NOT see through these things. They block out all the light.

Here are some photos:

They arrived in this box, about 3' tall.

There is a shade for every window, one piece each and every shade has a pull-tab to make it easier for removal. Here's the pull-tab:

Here is the windshield shade. I have the Blackvue dash cam DR900S-2CH on the windshield and rear window. I have the front and rear shades behind the dash cams so they can continue to record when the cruiser is parked.

Here is the windshield shade outside the cruiser:

Here is the front row shade:

 

[RT Cruiser]

Here is the second row shade:

Here is the third row shade. I have the Blackvue DR590-2CH dash cams on the third row windows. These dash cams are smaller than the front/rear dash cams. Just like the front/rear dash cams, these also record when the cruiser is parked:

Here is the third row shade from the inside:

Here is the rear shade:

Here is the rear shade from the inside:

 

[RT Cruiser]

Here are photos from the inside:

Looking from the front to the rear. Doors are closed.

Looking from driver's seat to passenger's seat. Door is open.

Looking from the rear to the front. Tailgate is open.

Another look from the inside. Doors are closed:

Looking from driver's seat to passenger's seat, towards the corner. Doors are closed. I didn't fully secure the windshield shade near the corner.

 

[RT Cruiser]

Here's my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

Pros:

• Generally speaking, all the shades fit each window very well. The front row has a small gap at the top, but it's probably no more than 1/8".
• All shades go on the windows very easily, except the windshield. See below.
• Due to the great fit, it's nice to have the pull-tabs.
• It's been in the 90's here in Denver. When I have all the shades in place and then I go for a drive, the interior is very cool and the a/c does not have to be on full blast.
• When I've gone for a drive lately, I've kept the third row shades up and the second row shade behind me. I remove the second row right side for visibility. Leaving these three shades up have reduced the interior heating up from the sun.
• They definitely block out approx 99% of the light. You can not see through these shades.
• On our interstate travels, I'm assured they'll definitely keep others from looking at our stuff when the cruiser is parked. They'll be a huge help when I go truck camping, especially if there's a full moon.
• On our last few long trips, the cargo area has been full. I'll probably keep the rear shade up (along with the third row shades) to help keep the food coolers out of the sun.
• They work great with my four-side dash cam system. The third row shades and the rear shade have enough friction with the window-sides to keep them in place while maintaining room for the dash cams to record.
• All the shades, except the windshield shade, are installed very quickly. I've not timed it, but with the shades laid flat in the cargo area, I can have all shades up (except the windshield) in about one minute or less.
• All the shades can be wrapped within the windshield shade. There's a long velco strap attached to the windshield shade to secure them for storage, and then placed in the cargo hold.
• I think the value for the price is worth it - even if you only want to use the shades for the sides and rear.

Cons:

• The windshield shade is big and is not the easiest to use. It's not flexible. Due to WeatherTech's goal to fit the entire windshield and the materials used, this windshield takes more time to put up. This shade is not like the flexible-round-thingy my wife uses in her crv that you can store between the seat and the center console. Here's a tip: be sure to have the shade clear the hand-holders before going under the rear-view mirror.
• As you can tell, the shades take up a lot of storage space in the Cruiser. I did not pay $20 for the storage bag. My opinion is the bag should've been part of the deal.
• The windshield shade has seen a bit of separation of the front and back materials. I'm monitoring this to see if it becomes worse. Next week I'll call WeatherTech to verify if the separation will stop.
• WeatherTech offers a $10 "insurance" fee to protect the shades during shipping. I did not opt for this. I used Paypal Credit to give me shipping insurance. But again, this should be freely offered by WeatherTech. (Off topic but we love Paypal Credit. They've been running a deal where orders over $100 are 6-months interest free and offer free return shipping and product insurance).
• On one set of windows (I think it's the second row), you gotta remember to insert one corner first. Otherwise this could lead to unnecessary bending of the material.
• Due to the fact the material is sturdy and not flexible, I don't roll them up together when I stow them but simply lay them flat in the cargo hold. If you gotta roll them up, it's not a quick process like most other shades.

I'll be glad to post more/larger photos if needed. These photos were taken during a cloudy day.

UPDATE Sep 05, 2020: Two days ago I returned from a 2,981 mile trip from Denver to the coast of Alabama, and back. The shades were a welcomed relief at one hotel that was next door to a very sketchy hotel.

Also, I learned before my trip that some states have strict laws about having tinted windows that reflect light. So one great thing about these shades is you can swap the left and right sides and have the dark side facing outward. For my entire drive, I had third row shades in place with the dark side facing outward. And during the hot part of the Texas drive where it was remote, I had the shade up in the second row behind me, dark side facing outward, and I used another shade to partially block the sun at my driver's window while leaving room to see to the outside mirror.

 

[sdnative]

Thanks for the review. I have been considering full window shades, good to have options.

 

[mcgaskins]

Good review and thanks for the heads up. I have often looked at the Australian ones but never pulled the trigger due to the expense. This is pretty reasonable however, so I went ahead and ordered a set as well.

 

[RT Cruiser]

Good review and thanks for the heads up. I have often looked at the Australian ones but never pulled the trigger due to the expense. This is pretty reasonable however, so I went ahead and ordered a set as well.

Give us your review as well. Just like you, I've held off on ordering others due to cost and/or not being a secure fit.

 

[serpico1]

Super review thanks for sharing.
Question please.

Do the shades in the side windows ie 2nd and third row, stay on always and are rolled down when you drive? Is it fixed to the window and rolled back in but is it always attached ? Or do you need to take them down completely when you drive snd then put them back up When parked?

Thanks again, wonderful pictures.

 

[RT Cruiser]

Super review thanks for sharing.
Question please.

Do the shades in the side windows ie 2nd and third row, stay on always and are rolled down when you drive? Is it fixed to the window and rolled back in but is it always attached ? Or do you need to take them down completely when you drive snd then put them back up When parked?

Thanks again, wonderful pictures.

You're more than welcome. If you need more photos, just ask specifically what would help you the most.

Great questions. I'll update my review based on your observations. Thank you.
1) The shades are not permanently fixed to the windows. They easily attached inside the window frame, then via the pull-tabs they easily come off.

2) The shades cannot be rolled down. It's either put them in the windows or take them down. The material is sturdy, not flexible. So when they are stowed in the cargo hold I usually lay them flat. I could take the time and roll them up together and use the long strap on the windshield shade to keep them together, but it's a pain to do so.

3) When I drive, I have to pull the shades from the windows and store them (usually in the cargo hold). From the day I've had the shades (about two weeks), the shades in the third row windows have been in the windows about 95% of the time. So when I'm about to drive, I pull the shades to the windshield, rear window, front row, and the right side second row (five shades). Then when I park, I put those five back in those windows.

Did I address your questions clearly?

 

[serpico1]

Wonderful, yes its very clear now, thank you again.
I will probably pull the trigger based on your review. And I don't even have my new LC yet! Thats how excited I am. I am getting a 2021 LC in the very near future.

In essence it would be nice to have a bracket perm on the windows to roll them up into it, if it was clean and not in the way, but the ones I have seen online are not. They are bulky and take up too much space so Weathertech it is, and not the end of the world to take them up and down before one drives off.

Ok thanks and have a good rest of the weekend,

 

[RT Cruiser]

Wonderful, yes its very clear now, thank you again.
I will probably pull the trigger based on your review. And I don't even have my new LC yet! Thats how excited I am. I am getting a 2021 LC in the very near future.

In essence it would be nice to have a bracket perm on the windows to roll them up into it, if it was clean and not in the way, but the ones I have seen online are not. They are bulky and take up too much space so Weathertech it is, and not the end of the world to take them up and down before one drives off.

Ok thanks and have a good rest of the weekend,

Wow a new 2021! How fortunate you are! You'd think these rigs would have sliding shades in the windows, but I digress. Keep in mind the material on these shades are sturdy, not flexible. If you lay them flat in the cargo hold they'll easily fit back there. If you roll them up, they will take up space. Be sure you see the photo of the 3' foot box they came. You cannot compress these - they'll be at least 5-8" wide when rolled up. These shades really don't "roll" up easily.

 

[ATwoZ]

I'd highly recommend full ceramic tint (including windshield). I'm local too, and have left my LX out in the sun without anything but the tint and while the inside is warm it's nothing bad, and on any trip etc the car stays nice and cool. If you're interested let me know and I can recommend a local shop.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Thank you for posting such a thorough review.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I've been looking at options like this to provide some light blocking and additional privacy while camping. I sleep in the truck. Seems ideal and a better value than most I have seen. Thanks for the well constructed review and for sharing your experience.

 

[TomEf]

I did a set a lot like this in my 100 from Heatshield. They wedged in pretty nicely but also had suction cups on all but the windshield shade. I think they ended up being about $20 per pair of windows on sale. It looks like they only have the windshield and front two window at the moment, but I'm pretty sure they'll send a pattern for you to mark up so they can make custom or new shades no problem.

I bought my 200 with everything but the windshield tinted dark as night so I probably won't bother with more shades than the windshield, but they're definitely nice to have if you sleep/camp out of the back or if you're in a wicked sunny place or want to store it etc, etc.

 

[RT Cruiser]

I've been looking at options like this to provide some light blocking and additional privacy while camping. I sleep in the truck. Seems ideal and a better value than most I have seen. Thanks for the well constructed review and for sharing your experience.

They will block over 95% of the light and give you full privacy. The dark inside of the shades will also give the ambience of rest during the night. They are a great value. Like I stated, they work great if you can have patience with the windshield shade. It works great but it's big and not flexible.

 

[Forerunner]

Good review and thanks for the heads up. I have often looked at the Australian ones but never pulled the trigger due to the expense. This is pretty reasonable however, so I went ahead and ordered a set as well.

Good review from the OP. I didn’t know that WeatherTech offered such a solution. That being said, I ordered the Solar Screens from Australia (link below) for my 60. I would very highly recommend these for a 200. I’ve completed several trips and they make a dramatic difference in the in cab vehicle temperature. Worth the premium to get them from AUS; just my .02.

Solar Screen AU

 

[RT Cruiser]

Good review from the OP. I didn’t know that WeatherTech offered such a solution. That being said, I ordered the Solar Screens from Australia (link below) for my 60. I would very highly recommend these for a 200. I’ve completed several trips and they make a dramatic difference in the in cab vehicle temperature. Worth the premium to get them from AUS; just my .02.

Solar Screen AU

That looks like a great solution. Thank you for sharing! Maybe you can give a full review when you have time.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I got mine, used them and they are great. Needed to leave one off to allow airflow and because sleeping in back with them all in I got a bit claustrophobic. Strangely I think that is a testament to their effectiveness.

 

[RT Cruiser]

I got mine, used them and they are great. Needed to leave one off to allow airflow and because sleeping in back with them all in I got a bit claustrophobic. Strangely I think that is a testament to their effectiveness.

One idea I learned from others online is to get small plastic-coated magnets and use them to hold a flexible screen on the outside of a moveable window - just in case you want to keep bugs and skeeters out.

Good to hear the shades worked well for you.