We use a reflective window tint on windows at work, it really makes a difference, its not going to make your car 17 degrees, but it will help. Has a mirrored finish to it , could use it around car and sunroof depending on legalities regarding light getting thru windows. My wife and i love your channel, we reminisce about our own trips to France and have visited many of the places you have. Love it, the style, music and your humour and facts make it still watchable today! 😎👍
Hi What about a car roof umbrella. Available on the A platform. Though the wind will blow it off . Maybe copy the idea by making Elton a white hat so that the hat gets hot without transferring it to the car roof. Cheers
I have a 60 seater bus. It was yellow. I painted it grey and tinted the windows. It got very hot inside. I painted it white and it immediately became about outside temperature inside - a shade higher. I covered over some of the windows with white painted aluminium since they were no longer in use. Big difference. Parking with the windshield facing away from the sun would make an even bigger difference. The windshield magnifies the sun's heat.
I used to live in India and found either 1) a damp face cloth over the vents worked ok (the air goes through the cold water on the cloth and cools the car - but you need quite a few cloths as they do get dry) or 2) fill a bottle to 2/3 full of water (to allow for expansion) and freeze it. Again place it in front of the fan (needs to be secured) to get a little cooler. Admittedly they are not as good as A/C but they make a difference, they are eco-friendly, renewable and for a die hard Yorkshireman - cheap!! Good luck...
There’s an old AC technology called swamp cooler, really easy to do with cheap parts by following some TH-cam tutorial, basically works like you described.
The problem with these swamp coolers is, that they only perform there best when the air humidity is low! They will create a humid atmosphere in the car, that makes you feel sticky! Airconditioning cool's and dries the air at the same time. There are airconditioner's that operate on 12V and even AC on their own battery pack! That last one is available as a heatpump(!), which means that it's cool in summer and warm in winter! But these AC's are rather expensive though.... They start around €2.000,=!
Lots of good advice here. One more thing to consider, taking the example of desert explorers in the early 1930’s. They incorporated a false roof which allowed airflow past the roof when driving. Roof rack with a reflective panel mounting solar panels would achieve this, plus top up your additional battery all day. You will need a gap/window so the driver could see traffic lights when at the front of a queue waiting for green, however the principle remains the same reflect, insulate, maintain an air gap and encourage an airflow when moving.
Good heat study Tim! I can relate some of my experience refurbishing aircraft and interiors, and upgrading the old factory tinted acrylic windows to newer windows that reflected infrared light (heat) made a huge difference in cabin temps on the ground and in the air, and there are high-tech window films that feature a heat reflective coating that reduce heat with a light tint say 10 to 20%. Tint could be applied to the sun roof as well, perhaps in an 80% dark tint. I recall a low-wing Mooney aircraft I had that was painted black on the aluminum fuselage, and it used to so hot you could not touch the door latches to open the door on hot days After having the aircraft repainted white, fuselage was only warm to the touch and interior temps dropped noticeably, so if a vinyl wrap will stick to Elton's top I think that might well drop the top temps to a tolerable level, and the wrap could feature some creative elements as well or a reflective metallic? You might try something like white fabric or plastic on part of the roof to see how much it drops the inside temp. Have you seen the window wraps on buses that often feature some are perforated that might work for Elton's sun-roof and rear side windows. As for insulation, In aircraft I used both a lightweight fire-retardant foam and an aircraft grade of reflective bubble wrap Reflectix ( th-cam.com/video/0k1-sbyXPZk/w-d-xo.html ) applied with some 3M industrial adhesive to the interior of the aluminum fuselage behind the interior side panels, and both did wonders for sound and heat. My thought is that you might be able to attach Reflectix with Velcro to the framework and by stitching it to the film, but it might be a bit unattractive, and a white external wrap might do better than the black roof with interior insulation. You might be able to cut and fit Refectix in between the roof frames in spots. In Aircraft I was reselling I often cut Reflectix window inserts to apply from the inside small bit of adhesive velcro stuck to the glass and stitched to the inserts as seen here th-cam.com/video/FslbmQTGhaY/w-d-xo.html helped when parked outdoors on a ramp. I had my interior shop stitch a bit of fabric binding around the edges to protect the edges and hold the inserts in place, and sew-up a thin fabric duffel bag to store them in, as they can be rolled-up to be pretty compact. You might be able to power Elton's vent fan at low speed with a small solar panel when parked, It could be placed in the windscreen in front of a reflectix windscreen insert.
To reduce the heat coming through the glass portion of the roof use a metalised tinting film. To reduce the heat coming through the black portion of the roof, paint it white. It makes a difference here in Australia where our summers are far more harsh than yours.
well it is cork so it will indeed expand when wet and shrink when dry. unless it is "boxed" by another material, like corks in wine bottles expansion and shrinkige should be taken into account. not that that phenomenon can't be avoided using cork "fabric", or a segmented cork layer . the effect could be achieved by using a sponge but a natural material for the ami's roof would improve the machine. ps: great videos.@@MeandMonAmi
I installed a low profile, 12v, motorised extractor fan into the roof of my small van. On the hottest day of last year in the UK (40+ degrees centigrade), the running fan plus the two part open front windows kept air circulating inside and massively reduced the inside temperature. Inside, putting your hand up to the part open window, you could feel the air flowing in. Installing even a manual, wind-operated vent on the roof (one of those spinning ones) would give somewhere for the heat to escape. Heat travels upwards so it'll get trapped in the roof space. Installing them on your plastic roof would just mean bravely using a hole drill, poking the fan through and screwing on the retainer underneath.
@@MeandMonAmi I know how you feel. I put a bigger one in my last van - it needed a fourteen inch square hole in a roof that was formed in channels (and made of metal). It was terrifying. It's a big step but ultimately, it would make Elton both unique and super stylish! Well, sort of!
Holy Smok'n Eyeballs , Tim and Mr. Boo, that is HOT! 🥵Most definitely a deterrent for taking drives when it's so stink'n hot! Definitely not good for Twiggy! I think that a white roof with insulation would take away some of the heat for sure, and perhaps even a few 'vents' up there couldn't hurt! Tinted windows would be a bonus. Have you considered perhaps getting a insulated cover that engulfs the entire car, rather than just the roof, when it's in the sun?...
If things go proper commando, you could ask NASA whether they got any "End-of-Line" Extra Vehicular Space suits used for the Apollo programme, you know they ones that had the fluid cooled "String-vest" undersuits. I think you'd cut quite a dash going round the local watering holes whilst doing the Marcel Marceau impressions when exiting Elton. Trouble is the cooled undersuits were powered by a miniature refrigerator in the 60 pound back-pak probably requiring extreme exertional training beforehand.
One could try a "safari" roof. Just a skin spaceed just above so eliminating direct solar contact and allowing airflow, i know landrover did them back in the day..
I think you guys need to insulate the car. Would cost a pretty penny but the temperature should be more tolerable than uninsulated Elton! The R factor needs to keep the car cool in the summer and warm in the winter. An automotive shop can help you select the right material to clad the Ami for year round comfort. Good luck!
Definitely change to something that reflects the heat rather than absorbs it would help, a way to cover the outside of the top glass in particularly with something that will reflect the heat would help a lot as well.
So happy to a see a Wednesday posting. I agree applying a white wrap might be the best option. Good luck guys. Love the vlog. 😍😀Oh yes congratulations on 10,000+ subscribers!! 🌟⭐🌈
@@MeandMonAmi The Topolino sunroof would be a great addition as suggested by @andyeastyorks. Like I said in reply you could then call Elton a AmiLino! LOL😂
Here's another trick which works for me here in the Tropics. If the interior of my car is too hot after bing parked in the sun, I open all the doors and even the rear hatch, then I slam the doors on one side. This pushes out some of the hot air out through the open doors on the other side. I can often almost normalise the temperature inside the car with the ambient temperature just by slamming the doors in this manner maybe twice. You only have the two doors in the Ami but do try this and see if it works for you.
Reminds me of a Hillman estate with black vinyl seats we had when I was in short trousers. Not a lot of fun in the summer! 🥵 Just a thought... Once you get underway, if you open those back-hinged doors as you're driving, they'll scoop up lots of Mediterranean sea breeze!
How about using your roof rack to attach a big white (or silver) board to the car when you park overnight at home. It doesn't need to be anything fancy but it'll reflect the sun BEFORE it gets to the roof and also allow some airflow under it to aid cooling. I'm sure you could cobble something together for a few Euros just as an experiment.
A variety of heat reflective roof paints are available here in Australia. We used one very successfully on a flat roof to keep the room below much cooler in summer
@@MeandMonAmi it's very well possible! There's a special 'primer' that is painted on first. This is needed because it is made to paint the plastic! For instance, my Mehari's bodywork is made from plastic and it's always beige nowadays. First they put on plastic primer and then the colour of your choice! (that's how my 4x4 became jaune mimosa 😊
because you let the inside heat up by the sun. Already told you to get reflective stuff to cover the windows, or a party tent that you can basically put up over the Ami so its in a shade.
whe I was younger and less trained I would have said insulation, but all that does is add a layer that is slightly cooler to the touch, but traps the heat inside the car, the two that I would personally look into is getting rid of the black plastic as it attracts the heat. the 2nd thing is checking the laws on window tints in France, Italy etc that you take the Ami to, and then getting the required tint rolls that you can buy either online or in a motor shop, should be around 15 euro a roll of about 2 metres, but I am talking back in the days of boy racer childhood, but found the blacker the tint, the less heat in the car during a blazing summer. it is tricky to fit as need to use a hair dryer, and also a cloth, and a pin to burst bubbles if it goes on wrong, or get a professional to fit it. but those would be my main two suggestions.
I remember in Gibraltar they used whole car covers in white . Plus they used reflective mirror film on the roof we are talking normal cars here . Just another idea if you park against a wall can’t you leave the window open wall side ?
Aluminised Bubble-wrap on the inside of the roof (bubble-wrap is the most cost-effective..)(an architect friend of mine used this on his own house..) or Superfoil if you're feeling flush!
Why not order a full opening roof panel for the Fiat Topolino? If the frame is the same on both vehicles a garage could easily swop it for you. Open top in summer would make a huge difference as you drive. :)
So you need to prevent the solar radiation from hitting the roof. It's a shame you can't fit a roof rack because you could place a reflective surface on the rack above the roof and have the additional benefit of an air gap between. I know you've used a strap-on (🤗) roof rack but that may not provide the air gap, but it might be an interesting experiment to see if strapping down something reflective is still effective.
The white wrap on the roof was also my first thought. I would also suggest in combination with the white wrap on the roof, have the insulation on the inside. The reflective you use on the roof in the test add that on the inside with the reflective bit facing up.
I would experiment with the 3M double sided tape and insolation foil, they use under laminate flooring! If you do it neat, you'll cover the whole roof for the summer! But having it wrapped (incl.the glass) in a mirror foil is the best option I think....
Down here in Australia, two of best ways I think we keep a cooler car are to: 1. Have a light coloured car 2. Have your windows tinted I’m of a similar opinion to some of the other comments here. A white reflective roof wrap, and tinted windows (including sunroof) could work wonders. Some of those tints block over 70% of the sun’s heat.
It feels like a combination of approaches is needed. Firstly you need to reduce the heat getting to Elton so white roof plus solar reflective film to roof and back window then darkest legal tints possible to the side windows. Stick with the temporary shield to the windscreen. You then need to deal with the heat that is left and reduce its transmittal so using something to insulate the roof and the metalwork will help further. My Ami Vice has used pipe lagging to cover the interior bars (with the added bonus of padding for your head 😊) and you could use one of your silver quilts to line the interior of the black plastic area. In short a full combination of all of the above suggestions. There are also USB air coolers on the market for when your driving.
I live on a steel boat painted white and insulated inside, i cannot walk on it without shoes when sun is up. So, white is not enough, I suggest you keep that stuff you're using right now but try to keep it not so tight, you need some air in between, i use white plastic tube in between cover and roof. You can glue those tubes to any cover.
I thought about wrapping the roof white or a light sandy color until I found out that wrapped cars should not be stored outside. The vinyl used to wrap is easily damaged and the continued care sounded like a nightmare to me. My daughter wrapped her Chevy Malibu (a collector's car). She lives on the California coast. She keeps in a garage only taking it out to display shows. Still, she doesn't expect the wrap to last more than 5-7 years. The vinyl wrap is easily damaged. She avoids parking under any trees because of tree sap, falling leaves, insects and birds. I am insulating my interior now. I like the idea of your reflective shader. I think I will try that.
As you know, black absorbs heat. If the roof was white as mentioned the interior wouldn’t get so hot as white reflects heat. Why hadn’t the designers at Citroen worked that out 🙄 I’d be tempted to have the roof sprayed white Tim My little smart 4-2 has a tinted glass roof but can get unbearably hot when left standing in the sun. Luckily it has efficient air con. Be interested to see how you tackle this
I would guess the cheapest heath robinson solution would be to use a couple of strap on inflatable roof racks one behind the other. This would introduce an air gap on the roof to test the theory. You could then sew in on the straps reflective radiator insulator cut to fit. Then its removable, its probably not going to make the AmI less aerodynamic and it would also be stable.
Here in Cyprus our car is white but it's still a billion degrees inside if it's been parked in the sun 😀 Your relective blanket is a good idea for when you're parked up, I'd just go with that as it seems to work. Maybe, as others have suggested, have those two sewn togother.
Mister Me and Mister Boo!,crikey that was bloody hot inside Elton 😳 😱😱 the silver top coverage certainly helped reduce the heat getting in to the car but it's still bloody hot 🔥 😳 what we all are spoilt with is air con & never think what it must be like without nowadays! Have to say Tim I've not had that problem July/August in North West England as it's been so bloody cloudy nearly every day we've been lucky to even see the sun some days suchnare the leaden skies!!!!!😂😂stay well and stay charged 🙏 👍
You don't get accurate temperatures with infrared thermometers unless all the surfaces are the same I used to stick black tape where I needed to take readings or you can get correction charts for different materials, no point using on glass most of the infa red you pick up if from the other side. Hang wet towels inside the energy required to evaporate the water out of them reduces the temperature a lot, fine water sprays into fans also works its how the old fashioned air conditioning worked ( but legionella was a problem if not maintained correctly )
Two decades ago, I used to live in an apartment, where the afternoon sun made it unbearable at night. I got a roll of tinfoil and som sticky tape and covered the windows. I left about 1-1.5 cm of glass arrpund the edges, for the sticky tape. It looked like trash, but I was a student with a small budget and it reduced the temperature to a comfotable level.
My suggestions woud be: Cover black/dark exterior in reflective silver wrap, or white. Possibly also rear side and roof window Infrared blocking window foil. Check rules to make sure to stay within legal restrictions. Get white/bright covers for seats and interior. Black interior is a "heat magnet" when its in the sun.
You can replace the black plastic with white on the roof or go the more expensive route, insulate the car! The reason the Ami is cheap is where Citroen cut corners: insulation. Cars are well insulated; a quadricycle, not so much! That would be a significant upgrade to Elton and you guys would have to decide if that’s financially feasible.
Good video. This has inspired me to see if I can create a permanent roof liner for my sans permis van - using one of these reflective sheets. I have a similar problem. Plastic roof with interior metal cage - although there is less metal work in my cab than in the Ami.
@@MeandMonAmi It is a 2011 Mega Multitruck Phase 2, manufactured by Aixam. The newest version is called a D-Truck. Both have electric versions, unfortunately mine is a 400cc Kubota diesel. Bought second hand in 2018 it was new to a Parisian boulangerie. I'm the second owner. HTH. 👍🏻
Wrapping the vehicle in tin foil is just going to make you two look like jacket potatoes 😆 ... but you do need a tint and you can get a mirror tint for the sunroof ... good luck with it guys 🙏
I used to live in the Middle East and most cars are white to reflect the heat. In summer once I left my car parked in the sun and it was 60c inside. It was horrendous!
Perhaps buy a camping tent big enough for Elton and park him in it. His weight would keep it from being blown away. It would also collapse to a portable size when unused.
I was thinking “wow that car really got hot” until I notice you are using Fahrenheit 🙄 Probably not more hot than a car here in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), today we got the hottest day of winter ❄️ with 39°C 🔥 A white, silver or light gray roof probably will help a lot to reduce temperatures, tinted glass also makes a huge difference, you may want to get a light silver one instead of black so won’t make driving at night too bad. There’s also a termal shield sticker that the vanlife people put on the roof of their vans on the inside side to block heat from outside, maybe clueing it on the inside of the plastic roof would help.
@@MeandMonAmi I remember seeing on a TV News several years ago on that “flashing news stating the obvious” about some black car under the summer sun getting up to 70°C with thermal sensation of 80°C because humidity. Imagine how hot a car gets under the sun on a 50°C summer 🔥 A cheap way to try to isolate the car roof would be using a thin polystyrene layer clued (double side tape) on it, excellent and cheaper for thermal isolation 😉 Maybe doing like a pillow cloth stuffed with a flat polystyrene and using magnets 🧲 to hold on the car frame. Would be nice if the car had a sunroof like the fiat sibling, at least would get more air during driving.
@@MeandMonAmi look on TH-cam how to build a swamp cooler for the car, it’s an old way to get AC using basically a PVC tube, water and cheaper materials, would be an Interesting project/video. Or use a icebox full of ice, 2 holes, one with a USB fan to put air inside and the other one with a bend piece of PVC tube to direct the cold air exiting the box.
Try throwing a big wet towel over it and leave it for a few mins. It may then hopefully cool down before you get in. Worth a try anyway. PS am in Japan at the mo - Temps 27C-37C most days.
Thinking of what the military do with high tech jet aircraft operating on airfields in hot climates, they always stick the aircraft in one of those lightweight readiness hangars or, if the can't do that, stick a cover over the cockpit canopy to protect the valuable high-teching instruments inside. In that vein, Halfrauds in england used to sell those lightweight/compact polyester car dust covers (In white) . . the sort they use in car showrooms and the windscreen covers for winter . . wonder if something like that if supported on a stand away from the roof (A book, a plastic cup, a piece of plastic domestic waste pipe even a bag of frozen ice cubes etc) would be man enough and keep the sun off.
When thinking of heating up of parked cars people tend to over-emphasize the closed surfaces of the cars concentrating very much on the reflective quality of the paintjob. The main problem are the windows, though. Sunlight gets in and heats up the surfaces inside the car that then heat up the air inside and also give off a lot of thermal radiation. So blocking the sun from passing the windows and covering the larger dark surfaces in the interior with lighter cloth or foil is the way to go. Careful with methods involving vaporizing water inside. Though the process actually cools the object that the liquid water is coming from (not so much the surrounding air), but the increase in humidity makes the heat much more unbearable compared to a few degrees more with dryer air.
also fyi you won’t get accurate readings from reflective surfaces like glass or shiny metallic surfaces. put a bit of dull tape on the shiny surface to measure, or your just reading reflections. All the same that’s one hot vehicle, the new open roof version would surely suit you best? more cash but probably worth it 👍
Tim, can you please tell me, who is the singer of that song you are playing in alot of your video's? It goes like: 'sweatheart do you want to be mon mari, oui oui oui'... I have searched on TH-cam music, but I can't find it!
very hot here too in Portugal these last days, around 34º and 20º during the night. that helps a lot indeed, but no way you will fell pleasant inside the car even with the tin foil covering the entire roof, anyway much better than without any covering at all. let's hope this heat vanish soon, thank god I have air con.
You need an UV filter for your windows. Then you need a white reflective roof. Not the black one. You could also try an aerogel insulation, but that’s expensive and not easily available. So, the option could be to be a test object for such insulation. That will save you costs.
Yes, white car and black windows. Those are the first steps. Wraps would be the way to go. Then perhaps also your SUV blankets. Perhaps to can start a fashion trend? I've never seen a wrap on an Ami. But it should work!
@@MeandMonAmi I do like how it looks currently. It's iconic. But maybe there's another design that's competitive and not so hot. But it would be hard getting it done in a heat wave, you're right.
Any luck with such a solution for @@MeandMonAmi ? Many high quality marine deck vents that might suit - but also some designed especially for vehicles like the Flettner Slimline LPV Ventilator which is passive (no fan), but inexpensive and might do a great job - especially once under way. Keep up the great videos and stay cool :)
What I heard was.. this way of testing temperature on glas, does not work properly. Glas and shiny stuff give wrong readings. But anyways .. it is very very hot. The roof I can agree with. No insulation to be seen. How do "normal" cars cope with this. I do think a white wrap would be good.. also thinking of the extra weight.
Anything water based will ultimately evapourate in open air, and whilst the first effect is to extract heat from tne surface the damp rag is attached to, the long run effect will be to raise the humidity in enclosed spaces and raise the Wet Bulb temperature . . . Think steam-based hospital autoclaves and steam sterilisers of old . . If you want to kill the bugs . . Inject steam and the Wet Bulb temperature increases ! Not good if that happens. Sticking some ice cubes in a bag and allowing the breeze from a fan to play over the bag surface might work a bit better . . and, of course, every bar and restuarant can do a top-up.
Get a wrap on the car. White for the roof, cover the skylight while you're at it and pick a suitably funky color for the body. And put a (legal) mirror tint on all the windows. It shouldn't cost an arm and a leg on such a small car.
I would say any campervan conversion company in the area would be able to fabricate a sunroof that opens for the Ami including (if it requires it) any strengthening metal to allow for the missing part. I agree with others that I reckon painting the roof white, then putting flexible solar panels on top of that would get you the best of both worlds in terms of cooling and also free electricity while parked away from a charger in addition to insulation and tinting. Of course, then it'll probably snow ;-) At the end of the day you could mke your own insulation with tin foil, bubble wrap and duct tape for things like inside the door panels etc. I've been told that hanging a canvas bag of cold water from the windows of a car was the old method of air conditioning in hot climates, the hot air basically being cooled so that cooler air came in. I don't know how the panels are in the back, but would it be possible to fit a fan on what would be the back seat (if it had one) that could draw air in (or out) from the air gap between the frame and the rear outer panel of the Ami? If so you could maybe wire it up with a temperature sensor to come on if the interior got too hot, or just turn it on manually say an hour before you wanted to actually be inside it. Of course, I don't know how it is there, but in the UK all these modifications would be notifiable to the insurance company, not sure about Citroens' warranty etc. either.
Maybe you can kill two birds with one stone here. How about a reflective solar roof covering. Keep the car cool and extend the range dramatically? Probably horrendously expensive but an option non the less.
White or silver metallic roof. Of course you won't get any heat gain in Winter that you so desperately need with your anemic heater. P.S. the Law may have something to say about a highly reflective roof shining in other motorists' eyes.
Couple of ideas why don't you get someone with sewing/Tailoring skills to sew those two covers together and cut to shape overlocked round the edges. Then sew some Velcro and straps as required glue a few Velcro tabs on the roof for fitting purposes and straps on the inside similar to your roof rack.. The other one is to wall paper the car roof with white washable wall paper? we it may work well.
Despite the high IR heating . . The doors and windows still operate ? But the UV overtime will kill the plastics (See the Dutch pilot girl vids and the landing at Maderia, Funchai. The plastic sunguard over the Flight Director panel, above the co-pilots instrument panel, absolutely decimated by UV at altitude. But you've got the extra protection of the troposphere). But the combined effect of direct effect of IR (Heating) and UV (Plastic unfriendly) on contact with the outside of the vehicle will kill any plastics on the outside of the car (And the occupants inside) . . .mainly through promoting the process of plastic "Out-gassing" and causing the plastic to lose mass and shrink. That's when the fun and games really begins. Think plastic headlights, vinyl windlow egding and windscreen wipers on modern cars. . .recent London temperatures have done for those items on my car. Even in London, summer temperatures at Northolt 2 years ago were sufficient to melt the glue holding the fabric + foam headlining to my Skoda Fabia interior and detach it from the cabin roof. As the car is always parked in a public car park, I'm contemplating getting one of those framed clamshell covers for protection . . Once I get tne headlining repaired . . . I would suspect, that like my car, Elton is parked-up 80-90% of the hours of daylight, so dealing with static heating is the main problem. You have two issues here . . Radiated and conducted heat from the suns rays impacting poor Elton's bodyshell and convected heat from the surrounding air mass entering his cabin ! And the heating affect of the sun is worse when you're parked-up and there's no slip stream to cool you or the car. So the first job is to get the car cool enough to use from start i.e. keep it cool while parked-up. Temperature insulation is all about layers. . . Whether you are insulating to retain heat or keep it out. To stop dear Elton heating you've got to keep the sun off any part of his body and also ensure that cool air reaching his cabin ! As regards avoiding direct radiation hitting the bodyshell and then conducting throughout tne body, when I've gone camping to France in the past, I've found that a cheapo polypropylene tarpulin (Acting as a flysheet) hung over the top of a polyproplene rope above the tent and secured to a tree/fence at each end is great for keeping the temperature in the tent down (And for keeping tne monsoon rain off - two birds one stone). It works by keeping the direct heat of tne sun off tne object you wish to keep cool and by creating a lower temperature zone between the object and the outside World . Even better . . A tarp with an outer surface bearing a reflective coating would get you even more brownie points. The thing to avoid is contact between the flysheet and the bodyshell. .. .because that would allow conduction of heat between the flysheet and tne bodyshell leading to Elton getting hot and bothered. Alternatively you could rigg and secure the tarp, bivvy/sanger style to that stone wall using some of that magic picture hanging polymer or some loose stones or laiundry pegs ? At a stetch you could get a couple of those cheapo restuarant/beach umbrellas with a weighted base, positioned at each end of Elton, or purloin some of that lightweight portable fencing, with tne weighted base, that you see on building sites (Hint), cover the sides in reflective material and demarcate the peripherary of the sunside of the car with it, putting Elton in the shade .anhhh ! . A cheapo gazebo will probably have the same effect. Even a beach wind guard with weighted bases would do. Now there's a new market for Banksie prints ? Wonder if somebody makes a collapsible breiz soleil ? Solutions depend on how radical you want to be versus the social and cultural conventions which you must be seen to obey. Personally, I say sod tbe conventions, I'd rather not fry . . . No matter how good the local scran. As regards convected heat in the cabin turning you and Mr Boo into boil-in-the-bag lobster en croute (Or is that en-route ?), . . can you run a mains power line to Elton. . Then a fan and/or one of those peltzier semi conductor chillers for the beach becomes an option . .leave the chiller door/lid open . . .perhaps even run it off your luggable Li-po power pack . . On a timer or . .as I do with the household fan in tne bedroom, use one of those plug-in greenhouse electronic thermostat/ timers . . Turns the fans on when temperature exceeds set threshold and off when the temperature falls below the threshold. . I use that mechanism for cooling down the bedroom when I first go to bed . .and it switches off as the outside temperature falls during the night, saving power and ensuring that you don't wake-up in the morning feeling as if you are one of Captain Birdseyes frozen fish fingers.
The solution you have there is excellent but perhaps it could get stolen. Here cheap solutions. Cheap like me. The cheap solution of a roll of kitchen tin foil would work but one attaches it normally with adhesive tape. Perhaps this sticks not on the car or.. sticks well but leaves hard to remove glue traces. There is a kind of tin foil on a roll which goes on the wall before the wallpaper if the walls are the old, humid type. It has a white side and a reflective one. I think both sides would work. Perhaps it's easier to attach and remove that. And more, perhaps it could stay on if the tape really leaves no marks and then one could drive around with it. An old white sheet works too but it looks perhaps a bit strange. Disposed older perfect sun block , long curtains have sometimes a white back and this works really perfect. They are harder to find today , one sees more these roll up types. If they are cheap perhaps one could make something with those too. Even using white wallpaper or the back of it rather would do much. And that would not invite any thieves, but attaching it could be a problem since it always tries to roll up. Perhaps there are other type (glass fiber ?) wall papers that would work also.
Simple thing to try to build a land-rover safari roof style add on. Roof bars and a reflective board or add solar panel.
Shall look that up. Thanks
We use a reflective window tint on windows at work, it really makes a difference, its not going to make your car 17 degrees, but it will help. Has a mirrored finish to it , could use it around car and sunroof depending on legalities regarding light getting thru windows. My wife and i love your channel, we reminisce about our own trips to France and have visited many of the places you have. Love it, the style, music and your humour and facts make it still watchable today! 😎👍
Thanks Pete, We are certainly going to look into this for next summer!
Have a look at how the Land Rover Safari tops wrk to reduce heat.
Hi What about a car roof umbrella. Available on the A platform. Though the wind will blow it off . Maybe copy the idea by making Elton a white hat so that the hat gets hot without transferring it to the car roof. Cheers
nice one... yes a white wrapped roof or or silver blanket should help... "Stay Cool"
Yes I think that seems most popular choice simon
I have a 60 seater bus. It was yellow. I painted it grey and tinted the windows. It got very hot inside. I painted it white and it immediately became about outside temperature inside - a shade higher. I covered over some of the windows with white painted aluminium since they were no longer in use. Big difference. Parking with the windshield facing away from the sun would make an even bigger difference. The windshield magnifies the sun's heat.
Absolutely a white roof will make all the difference together with dark tinted side windows, then always park in shaded areas.
Yup but not always or often possible here (you’d be amazed how few charge points are in the shade and yet heat effects battery charge times etc)
I used to live in India and found either 1) a damp face cloth over the vents worked ok (the air goes through the cold water on the cloth and cools the car - but you need quite a few cloths as they do get dry) or 2) fill a bottle to 2/3 full of water (to allow for expansion) and freeze it. Again place it in front of the fan (needs to be secured) to get a little cooler. Admittedly they are not as good as A/C but they make a difference, they are eco-friendly, renewable and for a die hard Yorkshireman - cheap!! Good luck...
There’s an old AC technology called swamp cooler, really easy to do with cheap parts by following some TH-cam tutorial, basically works like you described.
The problem with these swamp coolers is, that they only perform there best when the air humidity is low! They will create a humid atmosphere in the car, that makes you feel sticky! Airconditioning cool's and dries the air at the same time. There are airconditioner's that operate on 12V and even AC on their own battery pack! That last one is available as a heatpump(!), which means that it's cool in summer and warm in winter! But these AC's are rather expensive though.... They start around €2.000,=!
Lots of good advice here. One more thing to consider, taking the example of desert explorers in the early 1930’s. They incorporated a false roof which allowed airflow past the roof when driving. Roof rack with a reflective panel mounting solar panels would achieve this, plus top up your additional battery all day. You will need a gap/window so the driver could see traffic lights when at the front of a queue waiting for green, however the principle remains the same reflect, insulate, maintain an air gap and encourage an airflow when moving.
Thanks that makes sense
Good heat study Tim! I can relate some of my experience refurbishing aircraft and interiors, and upgrading the old factory tinted acrylic windows to newer windows that reflected infrared light (heat) made a huge difference in cabin temps on the ground and in the air, and there are high-tech window films that feature a heat reflective coating that reduce heat with a light tint say 10 to 20%. Tint could be applied to the sun roof as well, perhaps in an 80% dark tint.
I recall a low-wing Mooney aircraft I had that was painted black on the aluminum fuselage, and it used to so hot you could not touch the door latches to open the door on hot days After having the aircraft repainted white, fuselage was only warm to the touch and interior temps dropped noticeably, so if a vinyl wrap will stick to Elton's top I think that might well drop the top temps to a tolerable level, and the wrap could feature some creative elements as well or a reflective metallic? You might try something like white fabric or plastic on part of the roof to see how much it drops the inside temp.
Have you seen the window wraps on buses that often feature some are perforated that might work for Elton's sun-roof and rear side windows.
As for insulation, In aircraft I used both a lightweight fire-retardant foam and an aircraft grade of reflective bubble wrap Reflectix ( th-cam.com/video/0k1-sbyXPZk/w-d-xo.html ) applied with some 3M industrial adhesive to the interior of the aluminum fuselage behind the interior side panels, and both did wonders for sound and heat. My thought is that you might be able to attach Reflectix with Velcro to the framework and by stitching it to the film, but it might be a bit unattractive, and a white external wrap might do better than the black roof with interior insulation.
You might be able to cut and fit Refectix in between the roof frames in spots. In Aircraft I was reselling I often cut Reflectix window inserts to apply from the inside small bit of adhesive velcro stuck to the glass and stitched to the inserts as seen here th-cam.com/video/FslbmQTGhaY/w-d-xo.html helped when parked outdoors on a ramp. I had my interior shop stitch a bit of fabric binding around the edges to protect the edges and hold the inserts in place, and sew-up a thin fabric duffel bag to store them in, as they can be rolled-up to be pretty compact.
You might be able to power Elton's vent fan at low speed with a small solar panel when parked, It could be placed in the windscreen in front of a reflectix windscreen insert.
Th l’as Jack i just watched the video. I think we are going to try something similar inside roof
To reduce the heat coming through the glass portion of the roof use a metalised tinting film. To reduce the heat coming through the black portion of the roof, paint it white. It makes a difference here in Australia where our summers are far more harsh than yours.
Not sure it would take paint but a wrap might work
cork. a layer of cork on the roof, well wet under the sun. the evaporation of the water in the cork will suck up heat from the car.
That’s interesting does it keep shape?
well it is cork so it will indeed expand when wet and shrink when dry. unless it is "boxed" by another material, like corks in wine bottles expansion and shrinkige should be taken into account. not that that phenomenon can't be avoided using cork "fabric", or a segmented cork layer . the effect could be achieved by using a sponge but a natural material for the ami's roof would improve the machine.
ps: great videos.@@MeandMonAmi
I installed a low profile, 12v, motorised extractor fan into the roof of my small van. On the hottest day of last year in the UK (40+ degrees centigrade), the running fan plus the two part open front windows kept air circulating inside and massively reduced the inside temperature. Inside, putting your hand up to the part open window, you could feel the air flowing in.
Installing even a manual, wind-operated vent on the roof (one of those spinning ones) would give somewhere for the heat to escape. Heat travels upwards so it'll get trapped in the roof space. Installing them on your plastic roof would just mean bravely using a hole drill, poking the fan through and screwing on the retainer underneath.
Thanks I can see how this can work. I lm not sure I quite have the courage to do the drilling yet!
@@MeandMonAmi I know how you feel. I put a bigger one in my last van - it needed a fourteen inch square hole in a roof that was formed in channels (and made of metal). It was terrifying. It's a big step but ultimately, it would make Elton both unique and super stylish! Well, sort of!
Holy Smok'n Eyeballs , Tim and Mr. Boo, that is HOT! 🥵Most definitely a deterrent for taking drives when it's so stink'n hot! Definitely not good for Twiggy! I think that a white roof with insulation would take away some of the heat for sure, and perhaps even a few 'vents' up there couldn't hurt! Tinted windows would be a bonus. Have you considered perhaps getting a insulated cover that engulfs the entire car, rather than just the roof, when it's in the sun?...
If things go proper commando, you could ask NASA whether they got any "End-of-Line" Extra Vehicular Space suits used for the Apollo programme, you know they ones that had the fluid cooled "String-vest" undersuits.
I think you'd cut quite a dash going round the local watering holes whilst doing the Marcel Marceau impressions when exiting Elton. Trouble is the cooled undersuits were powered by a miniature refrigerator in the 60 pound back-pak probably requiring extreme exertional training beforehand.
One could try a "safari" roof. Just a skin spaceed just above so eliminating direct solar contact and allowing airflow, i know landrover did them back in the day..
This is my thought to. It could extend a bit over the windscreen to give even more shade
I think you guys need to insulate the car. Would cost a pretty penny but the temperature should be more tolerable than uninsulated Elton! The R factor needs to keep the car cool in the summer and warm in the winter. An automotive shop can help you select the right material to clad the Ami for year round comfort. Good luck!
Thanks Norman we’re going to look into that
Definitely change to something that reflects the heat rather than absorbs it would help, a way to cover the outside of the top glass in particularly with something that will reflect the heat would help a lot as well.
So happy to a see a Wednesday posting. I agree applying a white wrap might be the best option. Good luck guys. Love the vlog. 😍😀Oh yes congratulations on 10,000+ subscribers!! 🌟⭐🌈
Thanks. White wrap is definitely number one choice this far
@@MeandMonAmi The Topolino sunroof would be a great addition as suggested by
@andyeastyorks. Like I said in reply you could then call Elton a AmiLino! LOL😂
Here's another trick which works for me here in the Tropics. If the interior of my car is too hot after bing parked in the sun, I open all the doors and even the rear hatch, then I slam the doors on one side. This pushes out some of the hot air out through the open doors on the other side. I can often almost normalise the temperature inside the car with the ambient temperature just by slamming the doors in this manner maybe twice. You only have the two doors in the Ami but do try this and see if it works for you.
Thanks we are deploying something similar now
Reminds me of a Hillman estate with black vinyl seats we had when I was in short trousers. Not a lot of fun in the summer! 🥵
Just a thought... Once you get underway, if you open those back-hinged doors as you're driving, they'll scoop up lots of Mediterranean sea breeze!
How about using your roof rack to attach a big white (or silver) board to the car when you park overnight at home. It doesn't need to be anything fancy but it'll reflect the sun BEFORE it gets to the roof and also allow some airflow under it to aid cooling. I'm sure you could cobble something together for a few Euros just as an experiment.
I was thinking of that to! But these roof-racks has to be pumped up and I think they will explode when exposed to continuous heat....
Maybe You can install a tropical roof like the ones on old Landrovers.
its called albedo in architecture - white reflects heat
Your so lucky , here in Scotland it's autmn, today was 12 degrees , thinking longer trousers will be in order soon :)
A variety of heat reflective roof paints are available here in Australia. We used one very successfully on a flat roof to keep the room below much cooler in summer
I don’t think the plastic would easily paint sadly but I may be wrong
@@MeandMonAmi it's very well possible! There's a special 'primer' that is painted on first. This is needed because it is made to paint the plastic! For instance, my Mehari's bodywork is made from plastic and it's always beige nowadays. First they put on plastic primer and then the colour of your choice! (that's how my 4x4 became jaune mimosa 😊
because you let the inside heat up by the sun.
Already told you to get reflective stuff to cover the windows, or a party tent that you can basically put up over the Ami so its in a shade.
whe I was younger and less trained I would have said insulation, but all that does is add a layer that is slightly cooler to the touch, but traps the heat inside the car, the two that I would personally look into is getting rid of the black plastic as it attracts the heat. the 2nd thing is checking the laws on window tints in France, Italy etc that you take the Ami to, and then getting the required tint rolls that you can buy either online or in a motor shop, should be around 15 euro a roll of about 2 metres, but I am talking back in the days of boy racer childhood, but found the blacker the tint, the less heat in the car during a blazing summer. it is tricky to fit as need to use a hair dryer, and also a cloth, and a pin to burst bubbles if it goes on wrong, or get a professional to fit it. but those would be my main two suggestions.
Thanks very much
I remember in Gibraltar they used whole car covers in white . Plus they used reflective mirror film on the roof we are talking normal cars here . Just another idea if you park against a wall can’t you leave the window open wall side ?
black attracts heat in sun, but it also cools down quicker in shade
Aluminised Bubble-wrap on the inside of the roof (bubble-wrap is the most cost-effective..)(an architect friend of mine used this on his own house..) or Superfoil if you're feeling flush!
Thanks going to look that up!
@@MeandMonAmi some have self-adhesive pads included..(off of the 'bay)....carpet/spray adhesive alternatively
Why not order a full opening roof panel for the Fiat Topolino? If the frame is the same on both vehicles a garage could easily swop it for you. Open top in summer would make a huge difference as you drive. :)
I think this is a very good option as they are the same car. It should work. Then they could call Elton an Amilino!
True but the Topolino isn’t out yet so I doubt the specialist roof is available yet
@MeandMonAmi once the vehicle is available, hopefully a parts list will be available so you could enquire. A sunroof on Elton would be lovely.
@@andyeastyorks it certainly would!
So you need to prevent the solar radiation from hitting the roof. It's a shame you can't fit a roof rack because you could place a reflective surface on the rack above the roof and have the additional benefit of an air gap between.
I know you've used a strap-on (🤗) roof rack but that may not provide the air gap, but it might be an interesting experiment to see if strapping down something reflective is still effective.
Yes I think it would but running with a roof rack all the time even a strap on isn’t really viable
The white wrap on the roof was also my first thought. I would also suggest in combination with the white wrap on the roof, have the insulation on the inside. The reflective you use on the roof in the test add that on the inside with the reflective bit facing up.
Yes I think we may try reflective facing up first
Love it, should start your own car wrapping company 😂
I’ll do it in my spare time!;
You could consider a PV roof. Sono Motors has the tech. Maybe, you can get a test module from them?
Will look them up now
❤❤ white roof, plus insulation on the ceiling ❤❤❤
I have to admit confusion with Fahrenheit temperatures. You should have switched the gun to Celcius.
The ambient temp of car was in C the rest F
I would experiment with the 3M double sided tape and insolation foil, they use under laminate flooring! If you do it neat, you'll cover the whole roof for the summer! But having it wrapped (incl.the glass) in a mirror foil is the best option I think....
Yes I think we will try when it cools down enough to fit it!
Down here in Australia, two of best ways I think we keep a cooler car are to:
1. Have a light coloured car
2. Have your windows tinted
I’m of a similar opinion to some of the other comments here. A white reflective roof wrap, and tinted windows (including sunroof) could work wonders. Some of those tints block over 70% of the sun’s heat.
Thanks Alex. Yup I think changing tombe roof colour for next summer is inevitable sadly and we’re going to look into tinted windows
It feels like a combination of approaches is needed. Firstly you need to reduce the heat getting to Elton so white roof plus solar reflective film to roof and back window then darkest legal tints possible to the side windows. Stick with the temporary shield to the windscreen. You then need to deal with the heat that is left and reduce its transmittal so using something to insulate the roof and the metalwork will help further. My Ami Vice has used pipe lagging to cover the interior bars (with the added bonus of padding for your head 😊) and you could use one of your silver quilts to line the interior of the black plastic area. In short a full combination of all of the above suggestions. There are also USB air coolers on the market for when your driving.
Thanks. Some good ideas there! The usb coolers really don’t do anything in this heat we’ve tried
I live on a steel boat painted white and insulated inside, i cannot walk on it without shoes when sun is up. So, white is not enough, I suggest you keep that stuff you're using right now but try to keep it not so tight, you need some air in between, i use white plastic tube in between cover and roof. You can glue those tubes to any cover.
That’s very interesting to hear
I thought about wrapping the roof white or a light sandy color until I found out that wrapped cars should not be stored outside. The vinyl used to wrap is easily damaged and the continued care sounded like a nightmare to me. My daughter wrapped her Chevy Malibu (a collector's car). She lives on the California coast. She keeps in a garage only taking it out to display shows. Still, she doesn't expect the wrap to last more than 5-7 years. The vinyl wrap is easily damaged. She avoids parking under any trees because of tree sap, falling leaves, insects and birds. I am insulating my interior now. I like the idea of your reflective shader. I think I will try that.
As you know, black absorbs heat. If the roof was white as mentioned the interior wouldn’t get so hot as white reflects heat. Why hadn’t the designers at Citroen worked that out 🙄
I’d be tempted to have the roof sprayed white Tim
My little smart 4-2 has a tinted glass roof but can get unbearably hot when left standing in the sun. Luckily it has efficient air con.
Be interested to see how you tackle this
Yes I’m so reluctant to change the aesthetic as I like it but…
What a clever idea!
I know nothing about anything related to cars … however, I do remember seeing little awnings over cars in Paris …
Indeed!
I would guess the cheapest heath robinson solution would be to use a couple of strap on inflatable roof racks one behind the other. This would introduce an air gap on the roof to test the theory. You could then sew in on the straps reflective radiator insulator cut to fit. Then its removable, its probably not going to make the AmI less aerodynamic and it would also be stable.
Yup
Ideal car for Scottish weather! I wonder how could it work in cold temperatures when there’s no isolation
...I thought about that too, but I think without insulation it would be cold. Very chilly. Not at all comfortable...
It gets chilly in winter hence we sell draft excluders on Meandmonami.com. The irony!
Here in Cyprus our car is white but it's still a billion degrees inside if it's been parked in the sun 😀 Your relective blanket is a good idea for when you're parked up, I'd just go with that as it seems to work. Maybe, as others have suggested, have those two sewn togother.
Mister Me and Mister Boo!,crikey that was bloody hot inside Elton 😳 😱😱 the silver top coverage certainly helped reduce the heat getting in to the car but it's still bloody hot 🔥 😳 what we all are spoilt with is air con & never think what it must be like without nowadays! Have to say Tim I've not had that problem July/August in North West England as it's been so bloody cloudy nearly every day we've been lucky to even see the sun some days suchnare the leaden skies!!!!!😂😂stay well and stay charged 🙏 👍
Yup if we had air con we could cope but once the heat is in there it’s so hard to get rid of
You don't get accurate temperatures with infrared thermometers unless all the surfaces are the same I used to stick black tape where I needed to take readings or you can get correction charts for different materials, no point using on glass most of the infa red you pick up if from the other side. Hang wet towels inside the energy required to evaporate the water out of them reduces the temperature a lot, fine water sprays into fans also works its how the old fashioned air conditioning worked ( but legionella was a problem if not maintained correctly )
stick a solar pannel on the roof reflect the heat and bonus free electricity to charge the powerbank
Oh to have that problem here in Scotland 😊
I’ve had a sunny day in Scotland. I once wore shorts in edinburgh!
all in degree of Fahrenheit?
Two decades ago, I used to live in an apartment, where the afternoon sun made it unbearable at night.
I got a roll of tinfoil and som sticky tape and covered the windows.
I left about 1-1.5 cm of glass arrpund the edges, for the sticky tape.
It looked like trash, but I was a student with a small budget and it reduced the temperature to a comfotable level.
My suggestions woud be:
Cover black/dark exterior in reflective silver wrap, or white. Possibly also rear side and roof window
Infrared blocking window foil. Check rules to make sure to stay within legal restrictions.
Get white/bright covers for seats and interior. Black interior is a "heat magnet" when its in the sun.
If you put dark tint on your windows it won't get so hot
Yes but the roof ..
You can replace the black plastic with white on the roof or go the more expensive route, insulate the car! The reason the Ami is cheap is where Citroen cut corners: insulation. Cars are well insulated; a quadricycle, not so much! That would be a significant upgrade to Elton and you guys would have to decide if that’s financially feasible.
Good video. This has inspired me to see if I can create a permanent roof liner for my sans permis van - using one of these reflective sheets. I have a similar problem. Plastic roof with interior metal cage - although there is less metal work in my cab than in the Ami.
What is your sans permis van I’m intrigued
@@MeandMonAmi It is a 2011 Mega Multitruck Phase 2, manufactured by Aixam. The newest version is called a D-Truck. Both have electric versions, unfortunately mine is a 400cc Kubota diesel. Bought second hand in 2018 it was new to a Parisian boulangerie. I'm the second owner. HTH. 👍🏻
@@MegaBreadvan Thanks. There’s a little aixaam e truck lives near us it’s very cute
@@MeandMonAmi They are, aren't they? 😊 I bought mine because I didn't want a sans permis car, although this was before the Ami came along.
Wrapping the vehicle in tin foil is just going to make you two look like jacket potatoes 😆 ... but you do need a tint and you can get a mirror tint for the sunroof ... good luck with it guys 🙏
How about using a white fold-away pagoda to give shade to your Ami? You might have to tie or peg the legs down.
I used to live in the Middle East and most cars are white to reflect the heat. In summer once I left my car parked in the sun and it was 60c inside. It was horrendous!
LZZNB car cover for citron ami 🤷 might be affordable...
Good luck
167F = 80c ... you can cook a meal on it.
Try to rebuild it to the Topolino open roof :)
167 you can bake lamp😂. Can you isolate the roof with thin heat isolation?
Perhaps buy a camping tent big enough for Elton and park him in it. His weight would keep it from being blown away. It would also collapse to a portable size when unused.
I would definitely go with a white rap and window tint film.
I suspect we may have to but I love the original look: aesthetics v practicality!
@@MeandMonAmi i suppose you could mockup in photoshop just to see what it would look like! Also I wonder if a interior roof insulation would help?.
What about having the roof wrapped in white 🤔👍
Nice video.
Maybe a cover of the black roof can be effective. Like cover done on normal car to change the colour.
I think it would help
I was thinking “wow that car really got hot” until I notice you are using Fahrenheit 🙄
Probably not more hot than a car here in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), today we got the hottest day of winter ❄️ with 39°C 🔥
A white, silver or light gray roof probably will help a lot to reduce temperatures, tinted glass also makes a huge difference, you may want to get a light silver one instead of black so won’t make driving at night too bad.
There’s also a termal shield sticker that the vanlife people put on the roof of their vans on the inside side to block heat from outside, maybe clueing it on the inside of the plastic roof would help.
Going to look up the thermal shield sticker. The car was 60 c when we got in!
@@MeandMonAmi I remember seeing on a TV News several years ago on that “flashing news stating the obvious” about some black car under the summer sun getting up to 70°C with thermal sensation of 80°C because humidity.
Imagine how hot a car gets under the sun on a 50°C summer 🔥
A cheap way to try to isolate the car roof would be using a thin polystyrene layer clued (double side tape) on it, excellent and cheaper for thermal isolation 😉
Maybe doing like a pillow cloth stuffed with a flat polystyrene and using magnets 🧲 to hold on the car frame.
Would be nice if the car had a sunroof like the fiat sibling, at least would get more air during driving.
@@MeandMonAmi look on TH-cam how to build a swamp cooler for the car, it’s an old way to get AC using basically a PVC tube, water and cheaper materials, would be an
Interesting project/video.
Or use a icebox full of ice, 2 holes, one with a USB fan to put air inside and the other one with a bend piece of PVC tube to direct the cold air exiting the box.
Try throwing a big wet towel over it and leave it for a few mins. It may then hopefully cool down before you get in. Worth a try anyway. PS am in Japan at the mo - Temps 27C-37C most days.
Trouble is we’d then have to dry it to attach cameras to roof!
Thinking of what the military do with high tech jet aircraft operating on airfields in hot climates, they always stick the aircraft in one of those lightweight readiness hangars or, if the can't do that, stick a cover over the cockpit canopy to protect the valuable high-teching instruments inside.
In that vein, Halfrauds in england used to sell those lightweight/compact polyester car dust covers (In white) . . the sort they use in car showrooms and the windscreen covers for winter . . wonder if something like that if supported on a stand away from the roof (A book, a plastic cup, a piece of plastic domestic waste pipe even a bag of frozen ice cubes etc) would be man enough and keep the sun off.
When thinking of heating up of parked cars people tend to over-emphasize the closed surfaces of the cars concentrating very much on the reflective quality of the paintjob. The main problem are the windows, though. Sunlight gets in and heats up the surfaces inside the car that then heat up the air inside and also give off a lot of thermal radiation. So blocking the sun from passing the windows and covering the larger dark surfaces in the interior with lighter cloth or foil is the way to go.
Careful with methods involving vaporizing water inside. Though the process actually cools the object that the liquid water is coming from (not so much the surrounding air), but the increase in humidity makes the heat much more unbearable compared to a few degrees more with dryer air.
Indeed and even with the reflective it was 40 Celsius to get into which is hardly healthy
Speak to someone like Funk motorsport, specialists in heat management for racing cars and such.
you can get silver wrap too, will be better than the white.
also fyi you won’t get accurate readings from reflective surfaces like glass or shiny metallic surfaces. put a bit of dull tape on the shiny surface to measure, or your just reading reflections.
All the same that’s one hot vehicle, the new open roof version would surely suit you best? more cash but probably worth it 👍
I did wonder about the reflective readings as they seemed relatively low
today every day really hot, it is like an Sauna - also in Bavaria
Yup crazy
Could you not install a small portable AC unit inside the car? 🤔
We have yet to come across one that is small enough and we have looked!
Tim, can you please tell me, who is the singer of that song you are playing in alot of your video's? It goes like: 'sweatheart do you want to be mon mari, oui oui oui'...
I have searched on TH-cam music, but I can't find it!
The devil’s sway
@@MeandMonAmi Thank you so much! I really like that kind of music! In my youth I was a big fan of Stevie Nicks!
Yesterday it was 98 where I live in Minnesota so I can't wait till fall gets here.
I also live in MN and in West St. Paul yesterday, the temp reached 100 degrees at one point!!!!
Absolutely hideous here last three days
very hot here too in Portugal these last days, around 34º and 20º during the night.
that helps a lot indeed, but no way you will fell pleasant inside the car even with the tin foil covering the entire roof, anyway much better than without any covering at all.
let's hope this heat vanish soon, thank god I have air con.
My wife suggested she could come over and sew the two heat shields together. Make installation a lot easier. You up for it?
I suggested the same to mr Boo.! When is she available?
For you guys? Anytime. We'll be on the plane at your call!@@MeandMonAmi
You need an UV filter for your windows.
Then you need a white reflective roof. Not the black one.
You could also try an aerogel insulation, but that’s expensive and not easily available. So, the option could be to be a test object for such insulation. That will save you costs.
Correction: you need an infrared ray filter screen. Not UV.
White roof would definitely help
Yes, white car and black windows. Those are the first steps. Wraps would be the way to go. Then perhaps also your SUV blankets. Perhaps to can start a fashion trend? I've never seen a wrap on an Ami. But it should work!
I think people have done them but I kind of like the aesthetic as it is but it’s undeliverable in a heat wave
@@MeandMonAmi I do like how it looks currently. It's iconic. But maybe there's another design that's competitive and not so hot. But it would be hard getting it done in a heat wave, you're right.
My car has a whute roof and dark body. I use a foil sunshade and it never gets too hot
Google: Low profile weatherproof solar ventilation fan with battery for roof, attic, RV, boat
P.S. Love the videos - thanks for all :)
Will do. Thanks
Any luck with such a solution for @@MeandMonAmi ? Many high quality marine deck vents that might suit - but also some designed especially for vehicles like the Flettner Slimline LPV Ventilator which is passive (no fan), but inexpensive and might do a great job - especially once under way. Keep up the great videos and stay cool :)
th-cam.com/video/gih4OX60BrA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=zvOIvo9eB7v0wDKT
What I heard was.. this way of testing temperature on glas, does not work properly. Glas and shiny stuff give wrong readings. But anyways .. it is very very hot.
The roof I can agree with. No insulation to be seen.
How do "normal" cars cope with this.
I do think a white wrap would be good.. also thinking of the extra weight.
I think you are probably right re glass but as you say the plaggy is hot!
@@MeandMonAmi Hope it works. Maybe someday I'll buy one, so your videos give a lot of experiences. 💖
Anything water based will ultimately evapourate in open air, and whilst the first effect is to extract heat from tne surface the damp rag is attached to, the long run effect will be to raise the humidity in enclosed spaces and raise the Wet Bulb temperature . . . Think steam-based hospital autoclaves and steam sterilisers of old . . If you want to kill the bugs . . Inject steam and the Wet Bulb temperature increases ! Not good if that happens.
Sticking some ice cubes in a bag and allowing the breeze from a fan to play over the bag surface might work a bit better . . and, of course, every bar and restuarant can do a top-up.
You can just paint the roof ultra white . We used it and it made a big difference.
Paint the roof white and check the temperature.
put some zilver reflictive tape on it
UV tint that bug
Get a wrap on the car. White for the roof, cover the skylight while you're at it and pick a suitably funky color for the body. And put a (legal) mirror tint on all the windows. It shouldn't cost an arm and a leg on such a small car.
I like the aesthetic as it is BUT we have to do something before next summer for sure so a roof wrap could be the way to go
I would say any campervan conversion company in the area would be able to fabricate a sunroof that opens for the Ami including (if it requires it) any strengthening metal to allow for the missing part.
I agree with others that I reckon painting the roof white, then putting flexible solar panels on top of that would get you the best of both worlds in terms of cooling and also free electricity while parked away from a charger in addition to insulation and tinting. Of course, then it'll probably snow ;-) At the end of the day you could mke your own insulation with tin foil, bubble wrap and duct tape for things like inside the door panels etc.
I've been told that hanging a canvas bag of cold water from the windows of a car was the old method of air conditioning in hot climates, the hot air basically being cooled so that cooler air came in.
I don't know how the panels are in the back, but would it be possible to fit a fan on what would be the back seat (if it had one) that could draw air in (or out) from the air gap between the frame and the rear outer panel of the Ami? If so you could maybe wire it up with a temperature sensor to come on if the interior got too hot, or just turn it on manually say an hour before you wanted to actually be inside it.
Of course, I don't know how it is there, but in the UK all these modifications would be notifiable to the insurance company, not sure about Citroens' warranty etc. either.
The ami roof is very think plastic and those who’ve done this say it isn’t easy but possible
Take the two covers to a seamstress and get them cut and sewn together to suit the shape and size of the roof with a few extra straps to hold it on .
Maybe you can kill two birds with one stone here. How about a reflective solar roof covering. Keep the car cool and extend the range dramatically? Probably horrendously expensive but an option non the less.
As double layer roof with a space in between like a safari roof that could be perfect
White or silver metallic roof. Of course you won't get any heat gain in Winter that you so desperately need with your anemic heater. P.S. the Law may have something to say about a highly reflective roof shining in other motorists' eyes.
Couple of ideas why don't you get someone with sewing/Tailoring skills to sew those two covers together and cut to shape overlocked round the edges. Then sew some Velcro and straps as required glue a few Velcro tabs on the roof for fitting purposes and straps on the inside similar to your roof rack.. The other one is to wall paper the car roof with white washable wall paper? we it may work well.
Jeez those readings are unreal-Hot Stuff 🥵 Poor ikkle Elton 🥵
I’m amazed he hasn’t melted
Why don’t you just get a car cover? It will greatly reduce the exposure to heat in little Elton!
Surely would need to be as insulated at the ones we put on the roof? I can’t find a fully insulated one but would love one
Now, if you had just pressed that button we could have had readings in °C which are more relevant to most of us .....
Despite the high IR heating . . The doors and windows still operate ?
But the UV overtime will kill the plastics (See the Dutch pilot girl vids and the landing at Maderia, Funchai. The plastic sunguard over the Flight Director panel, above the co-pilots instrument panel, absolutely decimated by UV at altitude. But you've got the extra protection of the troposphere).
But the combined effect of direct effect of IR (Heating) and UV (Plastic unfriendly) on contact with the outside of the vehicle will kill any plastics on the outside of the car (And the occupants inside) . . .mainly through promoting the process of plastic "Out-gassing" and causing the plastic to lose mass and shrink. That's when the fun and games really begins. Think plastic headlights, vinyl windlow egding and windscreen wipers on modern cars. . .recent London temperatures have done for those items on my car.
Even in London, summer temperatures at Northolt 2 years ago were sufficient to melt the glue holding the fabric + foam headlining to my Skoda Fabia interior and detach it from the cabin roof.
As the car is always parked in a public car park, I'm contemplating getting one of those framed clamshell covers for protection . . Once I get tne headlining repaired . . .
I would suspect, that like my car, Elton is parked-up 80-90% of the hours of daylight, so dealing with static heating is the main problem.
You have two issues here . . Radiated and conducted heat from the suns rays impacting poor Elton's bodyshell and convected heat from the surrounding air mass entering his cabin !
And the heating affect of the sun is worse when you're parked-up and there's no slip stream to cool you or the car. So the first job is to get the car cool enough to use from start i.e. keep it cool while parked-up.
Temperature insulation is all about layers. . . Whether you are insulating to retain heat or keep it out. To stop dear Elton heating you've got to keep the sun off any part of his body and also ensure that cool air reaching his cabin !
As regards avoiding direct radiation hitting the bodyshell and then conducting throughout tne body, when I've gone camping to France in the past, I've found that a cheapo polypropylene tarpulin (Acting as a flysheet) hung over the top of a polyproplene rope above the tent and secured to a tree/fence at each end is great for keeping the temperature in the tent down (And for keeping tne monsoon rain off - two birds one stone). It works by keeping the direct heat of tne sun off tne object you wish to keep cool and by creating a lower temperature zone between the object and the outside World .
Even better . . A tarp with an outer surface bearing a reflective coating would get you even more brownie points.
The thing to avoid is contact between the flysheet and the bodyshell. .. .because that would allow conduction of heat between the flysheet and tne bodyshell leading to Elton getting hot and bothered.
Alternatively you could rigg and secure the tarp, bivvy/sanger style to that stone wall using some of that magic picture hanging polymer or some loose stones or laiundry pegs ?
At a stetch you could get a couple of those cheapo restuarant/beach umbrellas with a weighted base, positioned at each end of Elton, or purloin some of that lightweight portable fencing, with tne weighted base, that you see on building sites (Hint), cover the sides in reflective material and demarcate the peripherary of the sunside of the car with it, putting Elton in the shade .anhhh ! . A cheapo gazebo will probably have the same effect. Even a beach wind guard with weighted bases would do.
Now there's a new market for Banksie prints ?
Wonder if somebody makes a collapsible breiz soleil ?
Solutions depend on how radical you want to be versus the social and cultural conventions which you must be seen to obey. Personally, I say sod tbe conventions, I'd rather not fry . . . No matter how good the local scran.
As regards convected heat in the cabin turning you and Mr Boo into boil-in-the-bag lobster en croute (Or is that en-route ?), . . can you run a mains power line to Elton. . Then a fan and/or one of those peltzier semi conductor chillers for the beach becomes an option . .leave the chiller door/lid open . . .perhaps even run it off your luggable Li-po power pack . . On a timer or . .as I do with the household fan in tne bedroom, use one of those plug-in greenhouse electronic thermostat/ timers . . Turns the fans on when temperature exceeds set threshold and off when the temperature falls below the threshold. . I use that mechanism for cooling down the bedroom when I first go to bed . .and it switches off as the outside temperature falls during the night, saving power and ensuring that you don't wake-up in the morning feeling as if you are one of Captain Birdseyes frozen fish fingers.
The solution you have there is excellent but perhaps it could get stolen.
Here cheap solutions. Cheap like me.
The cheap solution of a roll of kitchen tin foil would work but one attaches it normally with adhesive tape. Perhaps this sticks not on the car or.. sticks well but leaves hard to remove glue traces.
There is a kind of tin foil on a roll which goes on the wall before the wallpaper if the walls are the old, humid type. It has a white side and a reflective one. I think both sides would work. Perhaps it's easier to attach and remove that. And more, perhaps it could stay on if the tape really leaves no marks and then one could drive around with it.
An old white sheet works too but it looks perhaps a bit strange.
Disposed older perfect sun block , long curtains have sometimes a white back and this works really perfect. They are harder to find today , one sees more these roll up types. If they are cheap perhaps one could make something with those too.
Even using white wallpaper or the back of it rather would do much. And that would not invite any thieves, but attaching it could be a problem since it always tries to roll up. Perhaps there are other type (glass fiber ?) wall papers that would work also.