I would like to hear results from those of you who have installed the snap-on type sunscreens. We have the MCD sunscreen and privacy shade install for the windshield, however with both shades down in late afternoon (we are facing WNW) and sun hitting the windshield, the privacy shade is like a heat radiator. Today for example, both shades down, I measured 105 degrees between the sunscreen and the windshield. About 6 inches from the privacy shade on the dash, I measured 84 degrees. Yesterday after both shades had been down for about 3 hours, I used the IR thermometer and at random locations on the privacy shade measured temperatures ranging from 96 to 114 degrees. So I guess I would like to hear how effective they might be from someone who is not selling them. I have talked to the guy from RV Sunscreens here in Spring and looking at $325.00 for the windshield screen. I have seen his work on several coaches here at Rayford Crossing and he appears to do a good job. Your thoughts and opinions are appreciated.
We love the outside screen, always install it if the sun will shine on the front shields. Feels much cooler, but I have never shot temps. Pulling the inside shades across does not seem as effective.
I have 2 sets both made of Sunbrella that I got in Mexico (cheaper by far). I cut them out myself and had a local seamstress sew the folded over edge and then I put snaps on 4 corners and top and bottm centre. Installed myself and would not be without them. The Beige one is see thru and the burgundy that matches awnings is not and Ruth does not like that one as it makes it darker inside-hence the other I made. Simple simple to do and most probably a fraction of bought price. I made others for driver side window and door panel.
JohnH
I also have not shot the temp. and am not sure that the data would be meaningful as we are at a different angle and altitude. I would like to have your MCD shade setup but I would keep my exterior shade as I believe that shading the window from the outside does more to reduce the heat than shading from the inside only. I have no data to support this statement. If you can wait until Sept. we can shoot both and see the difference. ;D
We don't have the snapon shade we have a Magnashade. The difference is only in the mounting I believe the material is probably the same. I have put the shade up with the coach windshield facing the sun you can feel the temperature drop when you put the shade up. Our shade is dark "black" I was led to believe that the darker shade provides more cooling than the lighter material but that is only hearsay.
Roland
I have the MCD also, wish I had the exterior one. I have had both black and white. Didn't notice much difference in heat protection, but the black was easier to see thru from the inside, and harder to see thru from the outside.
I have 2 sets both made of Sunbrella that I got in Mexico (cheaper by far). I cut them out myself and had a local seamstress sew the folded over edge and then I put snaps on 4 corners and top and bottm centre. Installed myself and would not be without them. The Beige one is see thru and the burgundy that matches awnings is not and Ruth does not like that one as it makes it darker inside-hence the other I made. Simple simple to do and most probably a fraction of bought price. I made others for driver side window and door panel.
JohnH
Pictures, please John . I can't get my brain wrapped around your descriptions.
I have the inside MCD's, both of them. I know they do not drop as much heat as the outside screens do, but I am very happy just pushing a button and rolling them up or down. If I really want to add something to that, I would go to Lowes, or Home Depot and buy a roll of the rollup insulation ( looks like aluminum foil) and put in inside the windshield. Met a couple with a Foretravel, not on the forum, who have been using that for years and love it. Can't see out, but they say it keeps the heat out and while visiting in their coach one sunny afternoon near Laughlin, NV, it was very comfortable.
I like it simple and easy, don't want to climb on step stool or ladder each time to add outside screens, even though they do work great.
Do what makes you happy and have fun
Camco makes an RV version specific for windshields of the reflective material - bought mine cheap at Amazon - I think that CW also carries it
can get it here on Amazon - dirt cheap - works well
Amazon.com: Camco 45164 62" x 30" SunShield Reflective Window Cover: Automotive (http://www.amazon.com/Camco-45164-SunShield-Reflective-Window/dp/B003VASH2Y/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1435177861&sr=8-16&keywords=windshield+cover+for+rv)
We have the outside RV Sunshade for front window, drivers window and the entry door. Very pleased with them and am convinced they reduces heat as well as brightness, if in the sun. Do not yet have MCD, but if real hot, I put the aluminum looking sunshades (like for cars and trucks) inside and pull the inside shades across. If you get the RV Sunshades, suggest not folding them, but roll them, to avoid creases. I carry mine in PVC french drains which fit in the bay.
Eric
Bill, we have the outside screens and would not be with out them. They came with our first coach and it was the first thing I bought when we got our current coach. You will like being able to see out during the day.
The MCD shades on the inside may help a bit with heat reduction. But the windshield will still be like a furnace radiating heat. The screen on the outside reduces the windshield heat,I never measured by how much but it is a significant difference by touch. I don't know what took me so long to get an outside screen, but I would not part with it now. And the Magnashade is easy for me to put on our U280, no ladder or step stool required.
Roland
Forewheelers, we are away from home and coach right now but if you look at the picture I posted a few days ago in "what is the view from your coach" topic you can see the cover on our coach windscreen. I can take some pics on saturday when we get back home from Pender Island here.
JohnH
Bill I am here in the same Park as you and have an outside sunscreen if you wish to look at it. Makes a Huge difference. It also lets light in but gives you privacy so people can not look in, at least during the day. Would not be without it.
Howrd
I was trying to figure out the stitching thing. I had it confused with stitching a tire cover - instead of a windshield cover. I just couldn't figure out how you made those tire covers snap together ........😳 .....senior moments seem to happen more and more, nowadays.
Roland,
Not to hijack this thread but what are the size of the magnets that they used on your Magnashade , what is there placement, and has it ever blown off?
Pamela
Magnets are an inch in diameter and there are five for each windshield. There are three magnets across the top of each windshield and two on the outside edge. Takes me less than two minutes to put it up. Shade has never blown off. Magnets are very strong.
Roland
Thanks for the info Roland
Pamela
I think I am going to suck it up and buy a magneshade for the windshield. There are a few snaps installed from what I guess is a shade previous owners had that is long gone.
I haven't decided about driver window and door magneshade yet. I'm not sure it's really needed.
I have the side magneshade side screens I do not use them very often. Not sure I would get them.
Roland
Thanks for all your responses! This forum is truly a magnificent resource. I now feel comfortable that the outside shade will be a good investment. I've decided on the Magna Shade and will order on Monday.
Same here, probably order Mon or Tue. Will also get the door shade. Black seems to be the best choice for us.
We have something that is apparently somewhat unique. Ours "Sunshade" looks just like the outside shades but it attaches on the inside by Heavy Duty Velcro. It is so easy to put up and is now at least six years old. We have had no problem with the Velcro coming loose.
Sadly it was installed on the coach before I got it so I don' t know where they got the Velcro or Sun Shade. Ours has four parts. Two for the split windshield and two for each side window. It is in a light cream color so it does not draw solar heat on the inside of the coach and yet still provides great privacy in the daylight hours. We have an automatic MCD shade for the night privacy.
We have the same type for the inside of windshield. Haven't found a High Temp Velcro that would stick. Each one failed in the hot Florida sun. Hopefully with Magneshade, we will be able to use our current inside shades when needed.
We too are in the hot Florida sun for the summer and I have had the same velcro issue with my inside shades in the past. I have a few ideas that I will play with to eliminate the velcro. A lot of dirt accumulates on the windshield after a few days and I wonder how the exterior shades deal with that. It look like to me that the screen/mesh texture of the Magneshade will catch all that dirt and not sure what that will do the windshield over time. For several years now, I have used Reflectix on the inside. I used the inner sunshields as templates and cut the Reflectix. They fit well and work well, the only issue is where to store them when not in place. We slide them behind the couch and that works well for us.
Good luck,
We too have the "Sunshade" on the inside. We bought extra black sunshade material, when we had MCD shades installed, and we (Nancy) made our shades and fitted to the windows. We attach with Velcro. Also, replaced the screens on screen door with this material. We are very happy with the "ease of use".
We use this High Temp Velcro, works well. Link: Coil nWrap a Cool RV Products Store - Search Results for "velcro" (http://www.coilnwrap.com/search.php?Search=&search_query=velcro)
Good Luck to everyone, Dave A
Ok, I reneged on ordering the Magna Shade. After totaling the price of the shade, storage bag and shipping, the grand total was $580.00 and would take a few weeks to get them. So RV Sunscreens arrived this morning and by lunch the new sunscreen and wiper covers were in place. Excellent fit & finish and the temperature differance this afternoon inside the coach, compared to previous days was most noticeable. All total, I'm out $360.00. I'm a Happy Camper!
Yea.....
Did you also get the cover for the driver's window and the cover for the entrance door window?
So glad that it is working for you. We really like ours. ;D
Looking at the magnashade, but feel its WAYS over priced, compared to others out there. Good concept though.
Good morning Scott. Did not get the side shades. We rarely get heat through these windows...I guess because of the awnings.
Toyman, I came to the same conclusion. The Magna Shade is a great concept but in my case, I did not think the benifits of not having to climb a ladder was worth the extra cost...since I won't have to put it on every time I stop. I routinely climb ladders without problems I just can't do it excessively. If climbing a ladder is very difficult or dangerous, the Magna Shade is a great option.
Maybe use your exsiting shade add some magnets Apex Magnets - Neodymium & Rare Earth Magnets (http://www.apexmagnets.com/magnets/discs) and make your own,might be a less expensive option if you are a crafty kind of person. ^.^d
please post some pictures.
I figure less than $50 for magnets, and any shade can be put on from the ground. Had a similar one on mt Sprinter Van, worked well.
Krush,
Sorry for the delay. Let me know if you would like specific detail shots.
How strong do you think the magnets would have to be in order to hold it up through the windshield?
So we will really be twins when we get to Spring. Of course I do not have a door bell or a tag axle. ;D
I just saw the new sunscreen in person - looks great!!
Thanks Howard, very nice meeting you and Rose the other day! Hope we get to visit some more before you pull out.
Scott, can't help with the tag but will trade my doorbell for your ground effects lighting!
How are they held on? I don't see any snaps in the pictures. They do look great... I would like something like that for certain situations, but I don't want to put any snaps on our coach.
Don
I'll have to think on that for a while.....
Don, it is held in place with black snaps. We felt the same about using the snaps. I have put off shades and tire covers because I was worried the snaps wouldn't look good or they would pull out or come loose over time. So after deciding not to spend the additional $'s for the Magna Shades I rethought the snaps. Walking around Rayford Crossing and looking closely at the coaches I noticed that several had snaps (but no screens in place) that I had not casually noticed before. In talking with a few owners who had shades in place, the snaps coming loose does not appear a problem. Allen, with RV Sunscreens used stainless steel "easy" snaps that take less force to fasten and unfasten. He also said to keep the snaps lubed and recommend a little vasoline as needed when putting the shade on. So that's about all I can add...hope it is some help.
Nice Shades, Bill! Very good choice!
Don,
We had three (door, windshield, and driver's side) of the "RV Sunscreens" Brand on the 1998 U270.
They were installed in 2004 and they were just as Tight/Taut/Laid just as flat in 2014 as the day they were made. Many (Most?) other brands do not seem to have material of that quality or that track record. Ours had 5 Silver (one can also have Black or mixed, Black on the shade, Silver on the coach) SS snaps; center top, and then one on each of the four corners. I can see Bill's Black SS snaps in the pictures that you ask about in this thread.
I always tried to wash the sunscreen material thoroughly a day or two before stowing them (rolled tightly and stored in 4" (white PVC) pipe mounted high on a bulkhead. The sunscreen material is very stable over the long term. If anything, it shrinks rather than stretches. Cold, they had to be manhandled a bit to get the snaps to meet, but the slight shrinkage keeps them looking excellent over the long haul.
Easy to put up: hang the total sunscreen by the center snap, move the stepstool first to the streetside and then the curbside upper corners, then do the bottom two corners from the ground -- two minutes tops.
I didn't want to put snaps in the bodywork either, but the RV Sunscreens Brand material looks so good and works so well at reducing heat and providing privacy that the snaps quickly disappeared from my concerns. The only fault that I had (over ten years of use) was that the material started to UV deteriorate after about 8 years (roughly 6 months per year) of winters in the South and Southwest exposures. The deterioration took the form of the material losing its gloss, becoming a bit soft and tacky-feeling as well as throwing a bit of pungent odor (noticeable only when in the storage tube). But the material was still as strong and taut as 10 years ago. It was just near the end of useful lifetime, I believe. We certainly got our money's worth and will probably do again with this coach although the MCD powered shades worked very in FL last winter. I'm torn between the good looks of the RV Sunscreens, the quality of their material and the convenience that we would have with additional, powered, light-colored MCD day-shades to complement the existing solid MCD windshield nightshades.
The light colored material located inside would not be nearly as efficient at blocking (south facing) solar gain as the external dark material, based on our experience from last winter, and the light colored material does not look nearly as good (to my eye), but the convenience of the MCD's wins "hands down".
More food for your thoughts,
Hope this helps,
Neal
Snaps to me are the "snaps" and I do not let my little brain worry about them. As I mentioned ours are Sunbrella and never change in quality or looks. Had one set 5 yrs. There are so many other issues that one has to deal with on an RV that the press snaps do not even register!! As I said also I made yt own and would put them up against any Brand out there in effectiveness and looks.
JohnH
The snaps don't/wouldn't bother me but draging out a ladder to snap a snap that's 12 feet off the ground would.
When I bought my coach the outside shade came with it. I wish I knew the msnufacturer, There is a small bracket mounted on curbside and has a rubber hook on drivers side that hooks to window. It goes up very easy from the ground. I have never seen another with that type mount. Maybe PO engineered it, I don't know but agree with others, makes a Huge difference inside coach.
Jerry
Jerry,
Your sunscreen is from Prompt SunScreens in Florida RV Sunscreen | No More Snaps, Drilling or Climbing (http://www.rvsunscreen.com)
Had one for years and never use a ladder, works great and long lasting.
Mike,
I've seen Prevost conversions where the top of the windshield is 12 feet off the ground, but mine is about 8'6". So , while I have the ladder out to do the bug cleanup before they petrify, about 2 feet off the ground is all that's needed to snap the three top snaps (30 seconds). What coach do you have where the top of the windshield is 12' off the ground?
Neal
John I'm a huge fan of Sunbrella from Zip Dee, Girard experience and my own work on boats (see my storage cover for the Donzi, below). Sunbrella is highly stable and long lasting if sewn properly with Tenera thread.
I searched high and low for translucent Sunbrella material that could be used for sunscreen and didn't find any that was really very translucent. Sunbrella says that their
screening material, is translucent but what I was able to find was pretty dense and blocked the view out more than I cared for. Do you have any "with and without screen installed" views (like below for the RV Sunscreen material) that show the view through your material? Do you have the Sunbrella part number for your fabric?
Thanks,
Neal
Neal. got it in Mexico as 1/3rd the price and it IS genuine Sunbrella. I do not have any pics on and off but in next few days will do that and post. I really do not care about having to see thru it and if I want to look out I go outside!! I know you can see thru it but am sure it is not that clear as I use it to keep sun and people from looking thu into coach. The Burgundy ones are definitly not see thru and match the awnings, so solid colour. We have so many boats going past the house every day so the last thing I need is to see one when in coach!
John
From pictures, it looks like Snap style covers the rubber gasket around the windshield and the magnashade does not. This is another plus of the snap style.
Prompt design covers gasket too.
Rudy,
Thanks for the info. on Prompt designs. I had no idea on the manufacturer. Good info.
Jerry
yes there are quite a few different designs etc but I am in no big rush to worry about the 2 mins it takes to climb a few feet off the ground to snap on the cover as I am retired and lots of time to spend doing all the little things that have to be done when setting up for the night etc. The 300 to 500 $ I saved making mine goes in the Diesel tank, and no one can see in to boot- just like all the others.
JohnH
I'm envious of you John; a place to work and the needed tools. Before we sold our S&B and started full timing, I kinda felt like I had done so much for so long with so little...I was qualified to do anything with nothing. So would tackle most any project. But now, without a shop with all the tools, like many others, I have to rely on others from time to time.
We have the magnaeshade..and with knowing any better we hung them on the inside lol lol and it seems to work rather well.
So you glued the magnets on the outside of your windshield?
No Mike they are on the inside.the previous owner must have had it done.when we were at quartzite in January one of the folks We met mention that they are supposed to go on the outside.but we put them on the inside.
Magnets are supposed to be on the inside of the windshield. The shade goes on the outside of the windshield, that be how it is designed.
Roland
Our 1989 coach had the snaps on the outside when we bought it, but no sunscreen. We got one from Encore, thanks to Carol S.
In the interest of safety I made a safety harness that "hooked" onto the hand bars right below the wipers on GVs. I climb up on the bumper after hooking one end of the safety harness to the bar, then sling the other end around my big butt and then hook the other end to the bar. This leaves both hands free to manipulate the sunscreen.
All it took to make the harness was two of those snap pins (just can't think of the name this morning) that mountain climbers use and a piece of 3/8 dia nylon rope and a little tape to secure the ends after knotting the rope on the pins. Hope someone else can post the name. They have to be at least the 3" size to clamp onto the bar. Harbor Freight usually carries them. Make sure you have just enough rope to go around the derriere and a little bit to move around. (Do not underestimate) >:D >:D
This harness also works great when washing the windshields.
Is a carabiner what you used?
nitehawk.. does the screen for your GV wrap around the drivers and passenger windows?
Dub, I have a 92 GV - same front as yours. I have a outside snap down sun screen and it does wrap around the driver and passenger windows. It works great and we use it all the time. Since our coaches are much lower than most, it only takes a small ladder to reach the snaps, although the middle one in front of the coach does require a bit more stretching. We got ours from sun guard
Yup, carabiner is the word. The 3" or even a 4" works great. I roll them up with the rope and store it just inside the door to the right between the wall and the recliner.
No, our sunscreen only does the windshield. Separate covers were available for the sides but we opted to not purchase them as we didn't know if we would have to add extra snaps in the event the existing snaps weren't in the same place as the ones on the new covers.
I did purchase a roll of aluminum faced bubble wrap--3' wide and cut it into lengths as long as ALL the side windows are wide. I then proceeded to put male snaps up close to the valances so not readily visible. I added the female snaps to the bubble wrap and now the coach stays quite a bit cooler than it used to when it is closed up. I do lower the blinds and close the curtains inside also. Quite dark inside and even cool seeing as how the coach sits in the open under the hot sun.
By the way, our sunscreen is a Sunguard also. Makes quite a difference in heat penetration up front.
10-4.... mine has the snaps, and the cover "somebody had" wrapped around the passenger and drivers window as well.. I will google up sun guard.. I want one.
will take a picture and try to post it. will add sun guard info from the label.
Thanks..