Hi all,
Welcome to the window vent shade Mod. Made a template (within .010 “) to match up against car windows to find the best fit. Had a real exciting time for weeks going around to dealerships, parking lots (didn’t get shot!), etc looking for the best match for an Insight. Among the best or dead on fits were ’04 Mitsubishi eclipse, ’96 Nissan 300zx, ’01 Acura integra, ’04 Toyota 2 dr GT (1/4” too short). Of the ones dead on no one makes a vent, OH WELL.
The best is one for a ’04 Honda Accord 2 dr coupe. WheatherTech has vent shades for this one and their just about dead on and the finished product (on the insight) is better than OEM. They’re made in Germany by Climeair for WeatherTech. Strong acrylic with the part that goes inside the window channel milled for an accurate fit. The part number is 70321. You can order them from MacNeil Automotive Products, 1-800-441-6287. Make sure you SPECIFY their for a ’04 Coupe. Cost $50 and another $10 for shipping.
You’ll need a LOW HEAT heat gun (Home Depo about $55) which you can use for other projects later. The acrylic seems workable around 210- 230 degrees F (should feel hot to the touch when about to be workable). Go slow, you can always reheat. It’s relatively easy to work with if your careful. There should enough Pics ( link below ) to clarify what needs to be done. Tried an 1875 watt hair dryer, not hot enough.
Do the PASSENGER side first. When putting them in the channel follow the instructions for inserting the front leg first, rear section second and then inserting the vent in channel front to rear (instructs come with the vents). When popping them in I heated them just a little(80-100 F) first to make them a little more pliable. You may want to tape the outside surfaces before mod’ing so there will be less chance of scratching them up.
As window channels vary (even one side of the car to the other) they will need to be hand fitted. Here we go….
Cut ½ “ off the end of the front leg at a right angle to the leg (square). Hold the vent up to the window to see how much more material needs to be removed to have the bend at the beginning of the leg fit into the bend in the channel and have the bottom of the leg butt VERY TIGHTLY against the top of the doorframe. Remove just enough material, a little at a time, fine flat file worked best for me. See WinCutFt pic. Side mirror can be pushed forward, see WinFin1 pic.
Holding the vent to the channel you’ll see that the angle of the leg needs to be changed. About 10 degrees forward. Look at the WinHeat pic. Hold the gun pointed away from the corner and more towards the leg so as to not overheat the thin part that goes into the channel. When it gets hot to the touch bend it to the angle needed (you may want to use a rag to insulate your hand from the heat). You’ll need to hold it till it cools. Don't worry if you put a kink in the thin part, heat it (real quickly) and straighten it with two small flat pieces of wood pushed from either side.
Next, look at the WinCutRr pic. Cut 1/8” off the end of the rear of the vent. Make the cut at a slight angle / (very slight). Now try to pop the in channel vent in. You'll probly have to remove more material with your file, a little at a time. Remember, like the front leg you want it to be real tight. When it just pops in you can stop right here, your done! Going slow and deliberate you can do one in less than hour. Second one will go a little quicker. They will not fall out but can be popped out (carefully) any time for finessing if need be, just reverse the install instructions.
If you want and feel your getting good with your heat gun after they’ve been in for a few days you can make them fit the channel more precise. Look at your window channel, you’ll see a little rubber nub at the top towards the front a little. Kinda looks like it’s there to make sure the window goes into the channel. You’ll need to evenly heat the vent from there to the rear end (and slowly). First pop out the vent. Put the window all the way up. Tap the window down button so the window comes down about 1/8” (so it’s still in the channel). Next pop in the vent, the window will hold the vent more precisely in position. Look at the section your going to heat. A part of it won’t be quite all the way in. While pushing and holding it in have a helper push the window button to raise the window the rest of the way. Apply even heat with a little less toward the “nub”. If you get a kink don’t worry. You can do small spot fixes with a small flat stick ( like a piece of a paint stirrer) holding it at an angle on the edge of the vent so as not to scratch it (just in case... you probly won't get a kink).
TA-DA! They really enhance the look of the Insight. You can leave the windows down
about 2 inches and no rain gets in, car stays a little cooler when parked.
The WinFin pics
are the finished product on the car, but not with the second half of the mod (so you know the second half of the mod is not necessary if you don't want to do it), hope their OK. Like most mods it's 90% prep and 10% doing. Please ask any questions you may have to :
Jack.mpgtech@verizon.net or just post them here, Jack.
http://community.webshots.com/user/jackmpg
PS: Sorry for the long verbage but I wanted you to have all the info to
pop these babies as close to right in as possible...
EDIT : Hi all, You may observe after you do the second half of the mod that the vent may move slightly when window is raised or lowered. This is because if you heated the vent enough so that the thin part that shares the channel with the window has molded (or bent) to fit the angle of the channel. As you use the heat gun more you’ll develop ability and confidence to shape your vents including correcting any goof ups if they may have happened.
I called Mac Neil Automotive about the movement (didn’t mention I mod’d the vents for another vehicle). Spoke with Customer Rep Leif. “Do you have instances where the vents move a bit with window up or down?” Leif shared “Yes and if a customer wishes we’ll send them rubber channel bumpers or thin double sided tape (which works better) to secure the vent to the channel”. So…
Finessing the Second half of the mod: Pop out the passenger vent (probly used less, goof on that one). Check that the thin part has the angle of the channel, If not redo the instructs for the second half. You can also shape the thin part with the vent off the car with careful heat and small flat sticks as previously mentioned. Also, the front leg. If you find you removed too much material you can heat the middle of it (the part with the “hump”) and pull the hump straight (or less as needed). Once you have the vent so if fits the channel real nice you can apply 3-M thin double sided tape to the outside of the thin part, use a sharp knife to trim the excess, carefully put the vent back in, put the window up, let it sit like that for a day and you should be done. If you used silicone spray or such you’ll want to clean or wash the channel good before you put the vent in. Instead of the tape I plan to use 3-M 5200 or 50 quick set black adhesive (that Ace place again, West Marine and Boat US too). With all this typing you’d think this mod is a lot of work. Fortunately it’s not, I’m just a nut on detail and being thorough. It took A LOT more time to type and present this mod. And the finished product is awesome
EDIT2 Done. Taped some plastic wrap to the top of the window. Used 3-M 5200 fast cure black adhesive (can also use 3-M 50 fast cure black). Applied a thin bead to the surface of the vent that will contact the window channel. Carefully inserted it into the channel so as not get the goo on anything. Held the vent in place while a helper put up the window so the vent and window share the channel. Drive for 3 days with windows up while waiting for goo to cure and done. Before you lower window for the first time use a sharp knife (plastic box cutter) in channel to make sure window isn't glued to the vent. Doesn't move, looks great and the vent will still be there long after the car rots out. For the final Pics check the above link, open Vent Shade Mod and check the pics named Adhesive (1 thru 5). Happy Trails, Jack
WeatherTech In Channel Vents w/Pics, Edit2
