romrunning

If you've ever lived in a state where you not always sure it's going to be blazing hot all day or be surprised by a pop-up rain shower, you may have investigated side window deflectors (also called window vent shades or side window visors). They allow you to crack the window open an inch or two during the day (let the hot air flow rather than bake your soft leather interior), or even open the window a bit when driving in the rain to let fresh air in.

I bought the Weathertech side window deflectors direct from their website for my RL. They have a front set, a rear set, and a complete set with both. The color is lightly tinted, but it looks like a 20-30% tint when installed.

These deflectors are designed for in-channel installation, which means they have a small flange that slides up into the opening for your window glass. Being only 3mm machined acrylic, they do not interfere with the normal operation of your window itself (opening & closing completely). The front set comes with a small metal bracket (looks like a "S" with all right-angles) for one end of the deflector that slides between the tiny rubber gasket and the B-pillar. The other side will lie flush (on top) of the weather stripping near your side mirror. Put both ends in place first and then bow the middle up into the window channel. Make sure you don't drag any of the regular rubber window gasket seal into the channel. The pressure from the bowing will keep the deflector in place; you can open & close your window a couple of times to really seat the deflector's flange into the channel.

The rear set is a different story. It has two metal brackets for the sides as it only covers the top of the windows (which is basically horizontal versus the curve of the front windows). As there evidently isn't enough pressure to keep the deflectors seated in the window channel, the rear deflectors had double-backed tape on the flange. This immediately annoyed me as I do not want any tape/adhesive near my rubber gaskets or paint. I did attempt to seat the rear deflector in place w/o the adhesive, but I was unsatisfied with the fit. There didn't seem to be enough pressure to keep it up, which is likely the reason why the double-backed tape was on it from the factory.

So I'm keeping the front set installed, and I'm going to try to return the rear set. So if you wish to purchase it, I can definitely the front set, and it's up to you on the rear set.

RL Chi-town

do you have a pic on how it looks. i want a set for my car but if its not tinted to match my windows i won't get them... do you have pictures

psheu

how is that thing compare to the OEM window visor?

romrunning

Here you go. In retrospect, it's probably a 10% tint.

romrunning

Not sure - the "OEM" that I saw on a website had some kind of adhesive/paint as part of the installation, so I didn't bother.

I can't seem to find actual installed-on-car pics of the OEM either.

romrunning

Here's a pic of the small metal bracket on the end, in case you were wondering how seamless/flush it looks.

psheu

ehhh.... it's kinda light for a 10% tint..... the % for tint is the amount of light that's allow to pass through..... yours is more like a 50-35%..... def. not 10..... so how is the window visor different from the one offered by acura?

romrunning

Ah... yep, the tint is light, so you're right - it's probably 50%.

Here's a link to what seems like the Acura installation guide. The first page was enough to deter me:

INSTALLATION NOTE:
• These instructions show the left door visors being
installed. The same procedure applies to installing
of the right door visors.
• Be careful not to damage the paint finish and the
glass run channels when installing the door visors.
• Handle the door visors with care. They are not
designed to absorb shock or impact.
• Do not use organic solvents such as thinner,
benzene, and alcohol to clean the door visors as
they may damage the plastic surfaces.
• This door visor kit should only be installed if the
ambient air temperature is 60°F (15°C) or above.
• To allow the adhesive to “cure”, do not wash the
vehicle for 24 hours.
• Read the label on the primer before using the
primer.