Sunshade that fits

[Chaput87]

Anyone have any luck with a good sunshade?

I went to buy one today and the regular size is 23x58 and the Jumbo is 27x67 for the brand that AutoZone had, Walmart carried the same kind. They weren't really tall enough and the Jumbo was recommended for the Focus oddly enough even though it was wayyyy to wide and came up short in the height department.


I don't want 2 of the small pop-up shades either. I want one that will fold up and I can put behind the seat easily. I would consider a mounted retractable one too. This looked decent and mounts on the windshield: SHADE

The size that would work best seems to be in the area of 30x55. Has anyone found one that works well for a 1st gen?

[Sponsor]

[AZfocus2012]

This is what you want. Forget the price if it seems high. These are high quality and work great, and custom fit for every application. No universal, almost fits a lot cars here. It will fit like a glove. I have one for my 2012 Focus and am going to get one for my truck.

http://www.heatshieldstore.com/catal...roducts_id=951

Another place to get it if shipping is too high at the Heatshieldstore.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002L6JOI/...ectronicssh-20

[Tarmac]

I am a strong believer in custom cut sunshades. The universal fit ones are only good if you can somehow find one that fits. I have yet to see one that works will with the 1gen Focus. If you find one, tell us.

For custom fit, there are a couple of variations you will see and what I think are the pros and cons:

Folding (accordion-style) or roll-up: Folding is much quicker for most people. Also, I have read reviews where roll-up shades sag in the middle after a while. Folding is usually stiffened and will not sag.

Requires using the visors or not: Ideally there would be a really easy full-coverage sunshade that deploys easily and doesn't require the visors down. However in my research this doesn't exist. The shades that don't need a visor will take slightly longer to "pop" in and out. You should also consider whether you have a bunch of on your visor, like a garage opener, etc.

Winter option (black backside) or not: some high-end visors are black backed, theoretically so you can flip it around to absorb heat in the winter. Personally I think this is bad science. In sunlight, a clear greenhouse will be warmer than one with blacked out windows. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Lifetime warranty or not: Self-explanatory, I wanted lifetime warranty.

Lastly, as an aside, I prefer US-made, not because I think US is better, but because if it isn't, it is likely to be made in China, and I don't trust anything made in China except for electronics.

For me I ruled out rolling sunshades like the Intro-tech $35 model. It does get good reviews though. It came down to the $60 Intro-tech Ultimate vs. $55 Covercraft folding model. I went with Intro-tech ultimate due to the lifetime warranty. Covercraft is 90 days.

It fits well, is lightweight, there is a gap at the top where your visors will flip down. It comes with a case that is probably too big.

[AZfocus2012]

The HeatShield I use on my 2012 is fairly rigid, almost too rigid. I like it because it hooks behind the mirror and does not require the visors unless you want a really tight seal. It's stiffness and exact fit make it work really well. Instead of rolling mine, I just fold it 4 ways and leave it in the front pax floor/seat. It can be cumbersome to get over the high head restraints in the 2012 to get it in the back seat. Since I don't usually have a passenger, this isn't a real problem. From the 4 way fold/roll it can be returned to window and hooked behind the mirror in about 5 seconds, really. The reverse may take about 10 seconds, these times are from the front seat storage position. That is what I love about this shade.

[Chaput87]

Thanks for the feedback so far, I am still searching around and thinking of a way to maybe make my own.

[AZfocus2012]

Originally Posted by Chaput87

I am still searching around and thinking of a way to maybe make my own.

I had thought about making one out of the reflective bubble wrap stuff at home depot, but the HeatShield is working for me now.

[Chaput87]

We have about 40 sheets of that stuff that we throw away every week at work so I was going to see how hard it would be to make one. They are not rigid though and would have to be rolled. I think I would rather have a folding one.

I will probably make a decision this week or next

[Chaput87]

I decided to go with the mounted pull out one in the weblink I posted. I regularly use my focus as a camper and it would be one more thing in the way if I have to store it somewhere.

I will post pics after the install.

[Chaput87]

Sorry about the huge delay. My phone wouldn't transfer photos.

I ordered "The Shade" and I couldn't be happier with it. GREAT shade and it stays nicely out of the way. Instillation was super easy! Here are the pics!


Shade Open


Shade closed

It looks like it lets light through but it does not. It is from the outside being really bright and the flash lighting it up on the inside so that you could see. It's GERAT.

[Blue5ive]

Glad you found one. I personally would never mount any kind of retractable shade since imho they look tacky when not.in use.

The 1st gens are hard to accommodate buy I settled for a universal twin pop up one. In my 1st gen I actually get full side to side coverage and almost full top to bottle coverage. I do flip the visors down to help it stay in place. No big deal in doing so. It only takes me like 30 seconds to put in place or take out so there is no hassle. And I like the fact that with a quick twist it folds up to only about 10" across and fits right under the seat out of sight. Being that it was cheap was a plus too. Just my experience.