It can help, but be both thoughtful and cognizant of the law when deciding how much to tint and where.
One of the Southwest's great stereotypes of "ready, fire, aim" car modification (or emphasizing subculture tastes over real-world constraints, one) is applying such dark window tint so far forward that the culprit has to roll down the window to maneuver.
Aftermarket tint is probably best restricted to the rear windshield and perhaps the rear-door windows even if it is legal further forward -- not everything legal is a good idea.
I've never applied it to the rear windshield of a recent Taurus but have a vision in my mind of a complicated shape in three dimensions, perhaps better left to the pros (you'll see plenty of examples of botched homemade tinting with all sorts of bubbles, highly visible lines, edge tears, etc. -- there's only one way it looks good but many ways it can look bad).
For one thing, it can get seriously hot down there.
The water might be okay in San Antonio, but for sure as you go further west you tend to get harder water -- tends to leave white spots all over everything as it dries. Besides washing your car when it's cool or in the shade or both, be prepared to wipe it dry with soft towels or somesuch as soon as you're done.
The same washing and waxing products you already use will do well there too, though you might find you have to wax more often.
Not much you can do about that, but it definitely isn't betting the main chance down there, in terms of either pbuttive solar heat gain or the length of time the car stays good looking on a dust or pollen intensive day... People who really want a black car do manage to live with them, though.
A high-quality car cover can make life a lot better if you use it faithfully (but never on a dirty car). I wouldn't worry about a little dust. It's grit that'll getcha.
beware VW turbo repair schamI decided to buy a 2002 VW Jetta TDI for fuel economy on my long trips. It seemed to have good reviews (except from the Car Talk Guys) and...
As for the interior, probably the best thing is enough of those "sproing" sunshields to more or less cover all the sunward windows when you park for more than just a little while. As others have mentioned, a big old towel thrown over the skin-contact surfaces like the seat and the steering wheel can also make things more liveable.
Some people really like either the mesh or the beaded sit-upons that let air circulate between you and the seat. If you get the beaded "taxi driver" kind, look for a quality one that has a substantial fabric rim. The ones that are just strung beads all the way to the edge don't last. If you wear shorts and have hairy legs, stick to the mesh ones, no pun intended.
Been there, helped break into that, stood by and interjected confirmation as the mall security guard explained the rapid lethality of this to the owner, even if the windows are open. Fortunately the little dog was still able to stand up and drink some water (which one of us provided -- the owner hadn't even left any water to drink). A slightly longer shopping trip or slightly hotter summer day, or pbutters-by who didn't happen to notice, and it might've been a sadder story.
Cheers, --Joe
