427Z0SX

I drive my black car to work as much as possible, no sense leaving those 600 horses at home. However, when the temps get to the high 90s or even low 100s lately, and I have to park my car in the sun all day, it gets really hot during the drive to lunch and the drive home. Kinda feel bad seeing it getting baked under the sun the whole day. Is there any long term damage that I should worry about? I was never concerned when I had a white car previously. Sometimes I'm reluctant to drive it to work when the forecast is for 100s F. Any of you feel the same way?

tonysrep

yes dark colored cars get hotter inside ,ever try a sun shade?

427Z0SX

Yep, got sunshade. I used to be ridiculous and placed a car cover on my silver Camaro every day at work. Now that I'm older, I don't bother with that anymore.

Front Runner

Yes, it does retain / absorb more heat. A sun shade or cover cover would help.

Snake.Oiler

The amount of exposed glass to the direct sunlight will do more to create interior heat than any color will. Do what you can to keep the sunlight out. It will still be hot inside, but 110*F is way better than 140*+F

Don-Vette

Do black cars retain more heat? That's like asking does it snow in Alaska? Lol

I use a sunshade on "Black Beauty" when I park in the sun. Keeps inside temps about 20deg. cooler and protects dash from UV rays.

GOLD72

Just physics, darker colors reflect less than lighter colors and thus absorb more sun radiation.

Walt White Coupe

One reason I buy white cars is because I don't have garage and they have to sit out in the sun. White is much easier on the whole car, paint included. Try touching that black car after it sits in the sun for a while. It will burn your hand. Now touch a white car under the same conditions. It will almost feel cool.

6893Vette

Yes, black cars will get hotter in the sun. Use a sun shade to protect the dash And keep the inside cooler if you will leave it in the sun on a regular basis. All that being said, I love black on black.... Would not choose any other color.

yeller z06

I got my CRM coupe with the oak (beige) interior specifically to combat the heat. Didn't make a damn bit of difference, it's still incredibly hot inside and those stupid bits of metal trim on the steering wheel will burn!

It's that huge glass hatch and monstrous windshield that let in all the sunlight. I'm tempted to get the hatch tinted, but I'm concerned that if they don't get it perfect I'll never get that crap off without destroying the defroster wires. I hate bad tint jobs, and that hatch glass won't be easy to do.

boraxman

69L79

I had two Black C4 Vettes. They were garaged at night. But, not during the day. Both had paint damage after awhile. Hopefully, GM has improved the paint/paint process since then. :yesnod

speedraider

Oh Hell yes it does.

laconiajack

Higher internal temps will drive the plasticizers out of the padded dash, upholstery and trim, plus harden and heat-set rubber seals and wiper blades. Even things like water pump seal life will be shortened because the engine compartment never cools down; I know because I evaluated the water pump seals from police cars in Texas versus those from Montreal, huge difference.

Dudeurgettnavette

No it doesn't. This isn't rocket science people...

NeverAgain

As stated above, yes they do. Just visit a car dealership on a sunny day and touch the fenders of various colored cars. It’s an interesting experiment. You can burn your hand on the dark colors. Pretty sure I heard you can’t or won’t be able to buy a black car in California in the future. When I attended elementary school, our nuns would change their outfits from black to white in the spring. Makes sense to me now….

ByByBMW

Technically, black does absorb more but the reverse of that is that they cool quicker once they are not exposed to the sun. The concept is embodied in "Black body radiation" if you want to Google it. The confusing part is because they become hotter, they seem to retain the heat more but in fact they are loosing heat faster, they just start at a much higher temperature than say, a white car.
So while they do "absorb" faster, they do not "retain" more heat.

speedraider

Wayne O

Other than using your windshield sunscreen, tinting your windows and possibly covering your car I suggest you use 303 Aerospace protectant on your dash and door panels for its UV screening properties. I live in southern Arizona. There's no question about it....parking your car in the heat and sunshine will take its toll on the vehicle over the years.

MikeMaj82

After I'm in work for 11 hours and it sits in a shadeless parking lot...oh yea it's hot. But I have neoprene seat covers, and once I let it sit with the A/C on for about 3 minutes it's good to go.