Hib Halverson
I was on the WeatherTech web site several weeks ago reading about the “TechShade” product. As I read, I wondered why anyone needs a sunshade costing $50.00 when you can go to any mass-marketer of auto accessories and buy one of those acordion-folded sunshades for less than 10 bucks. Nevertheless, for me, WeatherTech products have a history of being well-designed, quality-manufactured and incredibly durable accessories, so I decided to try a TechShade in my new ATS-V.
After acquiring a TechShade and using it for a couple of weeks, I’m a convert. The main difference I noticed between it and a mass-marketed sunshade is that, after letting the car sit in the sun for 10 minutes with a cheap sunshade and then 10-min. with a TechShade, I noted that, after getting in the car and closing the driver door, the front seat area was just a bit less warm.
Why was my ATS-V a little cooler with a TechShade in place? Some observations about the product may explain that. First, they are an exact fit for the windshield. Once in place, there is no uncovered glass nor any sloppy-looking overlap, typical of mass-marketed, universal-fit shades. There’s no unsightly accordion folds hanging down, either. When you unroll a WeatherTech TechShade and put it in place, it fits flat against the glass. Because a Techshade is designed for a specific application, it fits closely around or beneath devices located at the center/top of the glass such as OnStar/GPS receivers.
A WeatherTech TechShade is a “dual-mode” product. It can be used reflective-side-out in the summer to reduce heat radiation into the interior, or, if you live where winter means mornings which are freezing cold, you can use it black-side-out to absorb heat and resist or eliminate the formation of frost or ice on the windshield. When not in use, a TechShade is easily removed, rolled-up then banded with a Hook & Loop strap which is built into the product.
TechShades are available for Cadillac ATS-Vs, CTS-Vs and even the XLR-V. TechShades are made-in-USA at a factory in Illinois. For more information on WeatherTech products contact: MacNeil Automotive Products Limited, 841 Remington Blvd, Bolingbrook IL 60440. Ph: 800-441-6287 Web: www.weathertech.com
