Can covering a car with a quilt in summer provide heat insulation?
3 Answers
Covering with a quilt can provide heat insulation, but the best method is to use materials with good reflective properties for better insulation. Relevant information about car heat insulation is as follows: Special "sunscreen" for car heat insulation: In summer, the external protection for vehicles usually involves applying glaze to the car. Glazing means coating the car with a high-molecular structure paint care agent containing UV reflectors to reduce the damage caused by direct sunlight. Sheet metal heat insulation: Laying a layer of automotive heat insulation cotton under the vehicle's interior panels can achieve sheet metal heat insulation. This cotton has a fibrous structure and is a poor conductor of heat, preventing heat from transferring into the car when it encounters the automotive heat insulation cotton layer.
I'm quite curious about this issue. I used to think that cotton quilts could keep things warm and thus might also insulate against heat, but in reality, the effect isn't ideal. When the sun shines directly in summer, the surface of the cotton quilt absorbs a lot of heat, acting more like a hot water bottle covering the car, slowly transferring heat inside. Moreover, cotton quilts have strong moisture absorption—if it rains, they turn into a soggy, heavy coat, trapping moisture on the car and potentially causing the chassis to rust. The most troublesome part is wind resistance; if not secured properly, the quilt could blow away and even hit another car. For real heat insulation, I recommend using a reflective car cover—it's lightweight and reflects over 90% of sunlight, making it much more practical than a cotton quilt.
As a long-time car owner, I tried covering my car with a quilt ten years ago, only to end up in a chaotic mess. The biggest issue was the difficulty of operation—the size of a household quilt doesn't match the car body, leaving the windshield inadequately covered, and covering the trunk affects its opening and closing. After absorbing heat, the quilt actually raised the temperature of the car paint, and prolonged exposure to high temperatures can accelerate the aging of metal parts. Once on a windy day, the quilt almost got sucked into the exhaust pipe. Now, I've switched to a car roof sunshade umbrella, which folds down to the size of a regular umbrella. When deployed while parked, it can lower the temperature by 20 degrees, making it much more hassle-free than dealing with a quilt.
