Lack of Sun Visor Utility

[mxnym]

When used to block the sun from the door windows, my driver side sun visor doesn't stay as low as I believe it should, and from the driver seat, it doesn't appear to stay as low as the passenger side one can. They were both replaced under warranty the second time I complained about this and showed someone, and it is slightly better now, but the driver side still appears to go back up a bit more than the passenger side after being pulled down. Further, AFAICT due to poor design on Tesla's part, the sun visor doesn't reach, extend, or slide to cover the rear quarter of the door windows when used in this fashion.

Unfortunately, I drive south in the AM and north in the PM at such times that the sun is shining in my eyes where the sun visor can't block it at least 12-18 weeks of the year (mostly due to daylight saving time, would be 4-8 weeks without it). I tire of sitting my elbow on the window sill in order to hold the visor down a bit further and block the light behind it with my hand, so I'm posting to see if anyone is aware of any hacks that would both resolve this and look decent. I'm seriously wondering about getting some opaque film to cover the top of the window all the way back, but I figure it would look tacky (albeit not as tacky as clipping a piece of cardboard on the back end of the visor). However, I figure something that was actually designed to attach to the end of our visors that would fit in our door pockets would be ideal.

TLDR: Sun visors suck for door windows. Any decent looking hacks to make them work better while still looking good?

 

[bugout]

I'm with you.. I drive north in the morning and south in the evening. I don't think the passenger side visor goes down far enough and I'm always partially blinded.

 

[mxnym]

I'm with you.. I drive north in the morning and south in the evening. I don't think the passenger side visor goes down far enough and I'm always partially blinded.

Presumably I am taller than you. If the visors were to stay parallel with the door and cover the back quarter of the window, I would be set. You are folding out the flap to make the visor taller, correct?

 

[ninefiveone]

Are the visors even designed/intended to work with the door windows? I’m pretty sure they are an example of “elegant but don’t function as well as old fashioned”

 

[kev1n]

get those windows tinted!

 

[mxnym]

Are the visors even designed/intended to work with the door windows? I’m pretty sure they are an example of “elegant but don’t function as well as old fashioned”

Yes, they are designed to work with the door windows. They will come down from their secured position. The only problem is that they don't slide back (that is normal for economy vehicles, but uncommon for premium vehicles made in the last 25 years at least). They could have been designed to slide back, and considering how bulky they already are, the fact that they don't is likely a design oversight as opposed to a space limitation.

ETA: The Model S visors also don't slide back, which I believe supports the design oversight theory.

 

[mxnym]

get those windows tinted!

Tint dark enough to resolve this issue for me would be zero state legal. Also, I would most certainly back across a black vehicle that I couldn't see I was sideswiping on a sunny day within a week. The sun needs blocked at that angle, not reduced.

 

[Uncle Paul]

How bout a cap, turned sideways Hip Hop style?

 

[MikeInFL]

get those windows tinted!

^This.

 

[mxnym]

How bout a cap, turned sideways Hip Hop style?

Thank you for being the first response that even indirectly addressed the issue. You win a deeply coveted like on your post. I'm actually looking for a vehicle mod, but allow me to derp... Hmm, a hat might actually work... *DERP*

 

[cvoltage]

I’m assuming the driver’s side sun visor does not bend down when trying to block sun from the drive’s door window. As a big man with the seat set all the way back, the sun visor is completely useless. Am I missing something? Major big man design flaw.

 

[mxnym]

I’m assuming the driver’s side sun visor does not bend down when trying to block sun from the drive’s door window. As a big man with the seat set all the way back, the sun visor is completely useless. Am I missing something? Major big man design flaw.

It has a flap that folds down and it pulls down, but it does not stay as far down as it will pull (it's not quite parallel with the base of the window), and it does not slide back (this will make it useless to you most of the time regardless of the two aforementioned features).

 

[Uncle Paul]

Teresa and I both use a small dark screen with suction cups to block out the side windows when on long trips. Got mine from Costco free with a front windshield solar shield.

None of my cars have side blocking visors that go all the way back to the rear corners of the side windows.

Think the Model X visors are actually pretty clever. Still need to use the dark screens though.

 

[mxnym]

Teresa and I both use a small dark screen with suction cups to block out the side windows when on long trips. Got mine from Costco free with a front windshield solar shield.

None of my cars have side blocking visors that go all the way back to the rear corners of the side windows.

Think the Model X visors are actually pretty clever. Still need to use the dark screens though.

All of my previous vehicles that were manufactured after 1990 and had sticker prices well under a base Model S when new had visors that extend or slide back to the rear corners of the side windows. Most of them also had secondary visors that flipped down to cover the front section while the main visor was covering the side window. It is reasonable that the Model X doesn't have that second feature, but the lack of the first feature is difficult for me to digest. I see someone with a screen like that on the driver window, and I never thought about using it for the back corner, I figured they had them because they were short. While it sounds like a good idea, I'm thinking I might prefer to use vinyl film since the screen presumably still lets some light through and the sun can be pretty intense when setting and rising.

 

[cvoltage]

It has a flap that folds down and it pulls down, but it does not stay as far down as it will pull (it's not quite parallel with the base of the window), and it does not slide back (this will make it useless to you most of the time regardless of the two aforementioned features).

I understand the flap that folds down that roughly doubles the width of the visor. I’m missing something when you say, “...and it pulls down,” what pulls down, the flap or the complete visor? I don’t mess with it because , while the entire visor moves down somewhat, it springs back to nearly the original position and is not really effective at shield sun from the drivers side window

Thanks for the reply.

 

[mxnym]

I understand the flap that folds down that roughly doubles the width of the visor. I’m missing something when you say, “...and it pulls down,” what pulls down, the flap or the complete visor? I don’t mess with it because , while the entire visor moves down somewhat, it springs back to nearly the original position and is not really effective at shield sun from the drivers side window

Thanks for the reply.

Try the same on your passenger side. My driver side did this when I first got it, so they replaced both (to make sure they still matched [in case of sun fading or plastic lot differences] after the swap). It should stay down by design, but the design apparently doesn't allow it to stay quite as low as I personally think it should (parallel with door/window sill). I actually thought the replacement had the same issue because my passenger side looks lower from the driver side, but if you sit in the passenger side and compare or actually attempt to measure, it appears that is just an optical illusion. However, as a big man with the seat all the way back, you may not benefit from it even if it did stay down. I certainly don't, because the sun is usually coming through the rear quarter of the glass on my daily commutes.

 

[AdamHLG]

You know what works really well? Sunglasses!!! My "work around" is to keep two very nice pairs of sunglasses for myself and my front seat passenger (forget the rear seat folks they're on their own). As I power up the vessel (particularly on hot summer days as the AC turbine engine revs up), I press random buttons on the MCU, hand my passenger the glasses, and then I say "ready for takeoff - engage eye protection" and as soon as they put on the glasses, I engage Drive and then floor it.

Ok I don't floor it but it adds to the story.

 

[mxnym]

You know what works really well? Sunglasses!!! My "work around" is to keep two very nice pairs of sunglasses for myself and my front seat passenger (forget the rear seat folks they're on their own). As I power up the vessel (particularly on hot summer days as the AC turbine engine revs up), I press random buttons on the MCU, hand my passenger the glasses, and then I say "ready for takeoff - engage eye protection" and as soon as they put on the glasses, I engage Drive and then floor it.

Ok I don't floor it but it adds to the story.

Surprisingly, you are the first person to mention sunglasses. I have very nice sunglasses that actually fit me. They don't block light from the driver door. In case I didn't state in OP, visors are fine for me when the sun is coming through the windshield.

 

[AdamHLG]

Surprisingly, you are the first person to mention sunglasses. I have very nice sunglasses that actually fit me. They don't block light from the driver door. In case I didn't state in OP, visors are fine for me when the sun is coming through the windshield.

Good point. You may need to upgrade to the attached pic!

 

[mxnym]

Good point. You may need to upgrade to the attached pic!

I know you're joking, but I've seriously thought about getting actual goggles, like skydiving goggles or something with good peripheral visibility.