Can a carport help me protect my car from the heat?

Lena - July 11, 2022

I always park my car in my backyard. But summer coming, and the temperature gradually increases. Now, it is hot. I found online that a carport can help me protect my car in the summer. It is true? And how should I pick a carport?

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The shade of a carport can provide many benefits to your car and you can test this by parking directly in the sun and then the next day parking in the shade of a tree and comparing how hot it is when you go and get in that car. The shade automatically is 10-15 degrees cooler than in the direct sun, but that is even magnified more with cars probably because they act like a green house and the air inside is heated from the direct sun.

The carport will also protect the paint of your car from sun damage like this: 

it will protect the plastics in your car from dulling over time and it prevents plastic headlights from yellowing and oxidizing:

People can receive minor burns from touching hot metal or plastic like on a steering wheel that has been sitting in direct sun. Your car will probably be bird pooped on less which is acidic and eats away at the paint as well. And in the winter, it will keep snow off your vehicle making it easier to get out in the morning without having to scrape off your car.

When looking for a carport, look for one with sturdy poles that can be secured down against high winds. Get one from a company that sells replaceable canopies if yours gets ripped or damaged from the UV light itself. This can save you from needing to buy the entire frame again.

 

Like Frank said, a carport can protect from direct sun, saving both exterior and interior finishes not to mention keeping the interior cooler for when you hop in. It can also protect from damaging hail, and the occasional flying pig (or whatever it is that leaves those huge, nasty calling cards on my hood).

 

Since it sounds like you live in a hot climate, I highly recommend window tinting to prevent the inside of your car from heating up. I got the ultimate tint job from tint world, and chose the light shade that doesn’t change the appearance at all. Even in Florida summers, parked in the sun, the car never gets very warm. Also protects against sun burns while driving, which previously happened to me a lot.

Window Tinting

 

It’s that effective!? Do you mind me asking a ballpark of what you paid? I know it depends on car type, amount of windows, and prices have gone up with inflation but this is something I’d like to look into.

 

I paid $700 in 2019 for their most expensive “ultimate” package. The less expensive packages will block lower percentages of various problematic frequency bands. The link above has details about each package, except for prices which they don’t like to post online.

 

Conrad B, I live in the Phoenix area of Arizona. Car window tinting is standard, here. You rarely see a car that isn’t. Yes, it does help A TON. 

 

Thanks guys! I just did some errand running and it was miserably hot in my car each time I had to get back in it. I’m definitely going to look into tinting.

 

If you get TintWorld Ultimate I’m confident you’ll be happy with the result. If you’d like to shop around, or don’t have a TintWorld nearby, here are the specs to compare for other tint products:

1) whether all windows, including windshield, are included.

2) how dark it will look – mine were 5% visible absorption which is barely noticeable.

3) heat rejection is the portion of heating from the sun that is prevented – 75% for ultimate. (50% sounds close, but would heat up twice as much.)

4) UV rejection prevents sunburns – 99% for ultimate.

 

It will help a lot.

 

Here is a nice portable carport I found on the internet.

 

I use a carport where I live and it makes a huge difference. If it’s a hot day and I repark my car for even a little, I can tell the car has taken in a lot of heat from being out of a big shaded area. It also blocks a lot of snow from getting on my car in the winter. 

 

It’s also pretty damned useful in climates where it rains heavily. It’s nice to be able to keep your car somewhere safe and in better condition whatever the elements are throwing at you.

 

I ended up buying a blue carport on Quictent.

It looks great and I think I can use it in early fall, spring and summer.

I don’t know if it can withstand high winds yet

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Without having sidewalls on the carport, it should be more resistant to high winds. It does look great!

How deep and beefy are those stakes that you tied off those lines to? If they aren’t that great upgrading to some beefy spiral stakes would make that thing immovable