Donger

Okay - this is a silly post, but just curious. I purchased my '05 during the winter months. Well, it is starting to warm up here in Phoenix. The GX was out in the sun for a few hours and it was a mild 94 degrees. I grabbed the wood part of the steering wheel and about burned my hand.

Has anyone lived with the wooden steering wheel in extreme heat (110+)? It didn't even cross my mind that the wood could heat up so bad in the summer. Do they cool down rapidly? I am okay for a while just touching the leather part, but if this keeps up, I am going to have to get some oven mits to drive the thing this summer

<VENOM>

The sun likes to heat things up especially cars, I remember the older cars with metal seat belts buckles and when you touched it, holy crap

Throw a towel on the wheel or get 1 of those giant folding windsheild things that blocks the sun out and tint the side windows and keep the moon roof shade closed

superpats

I agree with edge the best protection against the sun heating up the interior especially leather interior is to tint your windows and put a sun visor up on the windshield. Oven mits LOL that was good.

nyc11370

use windshield sunshade to block the sun

Donger

Thanks for the posts. In Phoenix, tinted windows and windshield screens are standard equipment. I am guessing that when it is 110 outside and the interior heats up to about 160, the wood is just going to be hot. The leather wheels I've had in the past were hot, but you could grab them okay. I'll have to learn to hold the leather part until the A/C drops the temp inside.

I like the towel directly over the wheel idea - I will try that. If nothing else, it will be better to grab a towel than the hot wood part of the wheel. When it gets really hot, you have to watch door handles, seat belt buckles, metal fasteners on doors, etc. You even have to watch your key if you take short trips, the metal part of the key will heat up as it sits in the ignition. They'll all burn your fingers. legs, etc., even with tint, screens and shaded parking.

And yes, I ask myself every summer why the heck I live in this heat - it was 97 today in the area of Phoenix I am in - if we hit 100 in April, it is going to be a looooong summer.

<VENOM>

..............

rj4510

Donger,

I live in phoenix and have been using the pre-fab double insulated visors from the dalers for around 5 years. They cost around $30 - $40, but fit the windshield like a glove and work 10 times better than any generic fold-out sunshade. Since I've been using the custom sunshades, I've never had any "oven mit" issues.

gs400jon

If this is for a GX, I would be interested in getting one. My dealer doesn't offer anything other than the standard roll up heat shield.

Donger

Which dealer did you get the shade at? Bell, Scottsdale or Superstition Springs? I got a custom fit one a while back from Scottsdale Lexus for my old GS4 - if I remember correctly, it was covered in a silver material. It rolled into a tube, does yours do that or does it fold up like the cardboard ones?

I didn't notice that the custom fit tube shade made much of a difference, but the GS4 was black and I guess nothing would have helped. My GX is silver pine, so I have a better shot at keeping this one cool (relatively). I'll check at Scottsdale over the weekend and see what they have. Thanks for jogging my memory.

rj4510

Donger,

The one that folds up into a tube is the one I wrote about. As you have already expressed they make a huge difference. I began using one in my black 91 CRX and was pleasently surprised at its performance. I pickued up my shade at Scottsdale Lexus. I live 10 minutes away from Superstition Springs Lexus and wont set foot in that place again. They tend to treat their clients as though they have bought a used Chevy! ...Just my opinion and experience of course...

gs400jon

Is your shade for a GX or another model?

rj4510

Im currently using one in a GS400, but the make and model shouldn't make a whole lot of difference, as they are available for almost all vehicles.

I'm also using one in my 4Runner and have used them in a red Protege5, white Camry and black CRX. The CRX had a vinyl wheel, so I really noticed the difference in this car.

I've used both the fold up (silver on both sides) and the roll up (silver on one side) type. Although the fold up type offered a bit more protection, it was very stiff and tough to handle. The worst part is, they trap heat between the two layers making them too hot to handle on the real hot days. I used to have to grab a corner, pull it out of the car and fan it a few times, before attempting to fold them up

My guess is they are more affective than universal ones, because they install flat against the windshield, instantly reflecting the heat back. A flat, gapless installation also protects the entire dash area

Rx900

that is strange. i don't remember the steering wheel (wood) being too hot when i parked my GX out last year the whole day in sunlight in Vegas!

gs400jon

WOW!!!! It really must get hot in AZ. I remember on business trips to Tucson, having to touch the door handle on the rental car with the back of my hand to see how hot it was before trying to open the car door.

I use the GX heat shield from the Lexus dealer, silver on one side, and it fits well accept for the too large of a cut out for the rear view mirror.

et415

Leaving the windows open a crack may also help by allowing airflow through the car while you're gone.

And don't forget the neat GX trick: hold the open button on the keyfob down for a few seconds and all the windows and sunroof will open remotely. That way you give the car time to air out and cool down for a few moments before you get into it.

It's too bad Lexus doesn't offer remote start, so the a/c can get started too.