A large number of automobiles are manufactured today with leather or cloth interiors. Most have vinyl dashboards. Sunlight shining into the car can damage these materials in a number of ways. Cloth can fade in color over time. Excessive heat buildup during the summer can cause both leather and vinyl to dry out and crack. In many cases, these materials can fade in color as well. Fortunately, there are some ways to protect automobile interiors from damage.

Tinted windows can be a big help in this area. The tinting reduces the amount of light that enters the auto. However, most states have strict laws about how dark the tinting can be. None allow tint on the windshield below the top three to six inches. This leaves a wide area that provides essentially no protection from the sun’s rays.

Many people work around this by placing a shield made of cardboard or other foldable material in the windshield when parking outside. Such covers can be simply opaque to block light entering the automobile, or reflective. However, unless they are fit tight against the glass, light will still enter the vehicle and have its frequency shifted into the infrared range. This converts the light to heat that can accumulate inside the vehicle and still cause drying and other damage.

A growing number of people park inside a carport while they are at home. This can help slow down the damage done by limiting the amount of sunlight that strikes the car. However, it does not provide any protection when parked outside or while away from home. Some use parking decks that allow them to park inside while at work or running errands. However, many businesses do not have access to such facilities.

Covering vehicles completely provides the most protection from such damage while parked away from home. These coverings are manufactured in such a manner that they match the exact shape and contours of the vehicle they are made to cover. They feature elastic around the edges that holds them in place while on the vehicle. Some may be tied to the automobile to provide extra security.

By covering the vehicle entirely, a cover ensures that no light enters through the glass. These car covers keep cloth interiors fading as a result of sun exposure. It also prevents light rays being bent and shifted so that heat accumulates inside the vehicle unable to pass back out through the glass. This protects both leather and vinyl from the damaging effects of heat.