Safety lockout on front shades

[Butte64]

Has anyone figured out how to bypass the safety lockout on shades in a 2021 Anthem?

I know it is supposed to prevent inadvertent lowering while driving but I think it is more of a hazard that I can’t do anything with them. On my last two morning drives I was distracted and had to drive with one hand to prevent being blinded by the sun.

Yes , I know I could deploy them before startup if I know I am going to be headed into the sun but sometimes you can makes turns and end up looking at the sun when you did not plan on it. Also would be nice to put them up when not needed.

Those windows are big and even sun coming in the side window is a distraction and uncomfortable.

I would rather have the shades on my Aspire than these shades that are useless when needed.

[DeWat]

I fully agree and have had to do the same. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for disabling the safety "feature," but I have found that using the day shades does provide some help. I regularly used the night shades on our previous '15 Allegro Bus as a sun visor, and really miss being able to do that.

[Gary.Jones]

Jerry

Your coach has double shades on all windshield and cab windows. One is a "Day Shade" (black mesh that is to be used for difficult driving conditions with sun in your eyes) and the other one is a night night shade (that you use at night and permits no passage of light). The night shades are prevented from coming down when driving, but the day shades are intended to help you with too much sun and those do go up and down just fine while driving. The night shades will not move with the ignition on, but the day shades will move easily with the pushbutton control to the left of your driver seat. You can avoid all sun problems with the day shades.

Most of the time, simply dropping the day mesh shade takes the sun out, but I have modified my day shades to make them work even better. I had my wife cut off black felt or black cloth that is essentially the exact height of the double thick bottom of those windshield dayshades and she lightly stitched the dark additional pieces of felt or black cloth to the day shades down at the bottom. I'm doing this from memory but the additional black cloth is maybe 4 or 5 inches tall.

Now I can raise and lower the day shades and with no trouble at all I can position the day shade bottom (with the light blocking 4 or 5" band at the bottom right over the sun where it is giving me troubles. I can see through the shade above and below the double layer section is unobstructed. I have not found my modification to be dangerous at all. Its easy to do to add the additional black cloth band and it removes all the problem with driving into the sun.

I'd give serious to the wisdom of overriding those safety mechanisms.... you dont need the night shade to have effective sun control....

Gary

[Butte64]

Gary, thanks, that is a great idea. The day shades do help and now I will have to go look for some dark cloth. This is one of those “why didn’t I think of that” moments. [emoji4]

[Turbojack]

All you have to do is reprogram the shade where it will go lower when driving.

When a shade is programed you have to go thru 2 different setups. One is for while driving and one is while stopped. Sometimes the hard part is getting to the switch at the shade to get it to go in program mode. It will take 2 people to start programing. One at the shade pressing the program button and the other one to press the regular shade operation button.

If you do a search you will find the instructions to program the shades.

[RVFunlovers]

My night shades do not move when driving. They can only be controlled from the Vega Touch. I like the safety feature. I have heard some people have reversed the day / night connections but I am more afraid of an accidental night shade drop where I can not see. Someone operating my Vega Touch trying to lower a different shade could easily cause an blinded driver.

I like Gary’s idea. I can adjust my day shades up / down from the drivers seat. I have to think about how to do that. Sounds like a good idea for Entegra going forward.

I keep some very dark sun glasses in reach when driving. Combined with the day shades they work well.

As Jerry said early mornings drives headed East can be ruff. I rarely end up driving late in the day where headed west is a big issues.

[vsayler]

I reversed the day nights because with the day shades as the only ability to block the sun, driving into the sun my vision is affected so much that it is not safe, but with the night shades I am able to adjust them so that I am able to drive safely.

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

I had my wife cut off black felt or black cloth that is essentially the exact height of the double thick bottom of those windshield dayshades and she lightly stitched the dark additional pieces of felt or black cloth to the day shades down at the bottom. I'm doing this from memory but the additional black cloth is maybe 4 or 5 inches tall.

Hi Gary,

Theft alert!

I'm going to steal that idea.

In the mean time, the reliable old ball cap will remain within reach while underway. Another benefit of the ball cap is that I can rotate it in a jaunty, hipster fashion to block annoying sunlight coming through the side window, as well. Plus, my DW assures me that I either look 50 years younger...or...like I'm some sort of dumba$$.

Take care,
Stu

[Gary.Jones]

Stu

I am very sure that my modification to the day shades does not have any of the natty, penoche, and just stone cold "cool" of your baseball cap idea...... I have to defer to "Cool" any time because I just have so little of it, while some have so much. But I, like you, think I just might steal that idea of the baseball cap.

My wife says I have gotten cooler with my advancing years, so I think that I will give that hat thing a try....

Gary

[Gary.Jones]

On the fabric addition to our day shades, Dee simply found a dark color of black that matches the day shade color so it is not noticeably at all when its down. We put the fabric on the inside of the day shade. We have found that the shade stops traveling up just ad the new material addition reaches the rolled screen so it does not interfere or stop the roll up prematurely. I have done the same with the toll window shade.

When the sun gets to an angle that it creates a problem, I just bring the shade down to the point that the now impenetrable bottom of the shade just covers the sun and problem is gone. If the sun sets or rises further, I just adjust that shade up or down.

Gary

[777 Driver]

I see that Amazon has some 2" wide, adhesive backed felt strip (https://www.amazon.com/Pllieay-Adhes...s%2C203&sr=8-1) for less than $10; that may be the material of choice for my first attempt at replicating Gary's non-patented (thankfully) intellectual property.

Take care,
Stu

[Ray Huffman]

Buy yourself a good pair of Ray-Ban and believe it or not the sun won't bother. Pricy but it save your eyes and that you can't put a price tag on.

[Butte64]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

I see that Amazon has some 2" wide, adhesive backed felt strip (https://www.amazon.com/Pllieay-Adhes...s%2C203&sr=8-1) for less than $10; that may be the material of choice for my first attempt at replicating Gary's non-patented (thankfully) intellectual property.



Take care,

Stu

Let us know how that works out. I have not had much luck with adhesives in high heat locations.

[Turbojack]

Originally Posted by Ray Huffman

Buy yourself a good pair of Ray-Ban and believe it or not the sun won't bother. Pricy but it save your eyes and that you can't put a price tag on.

My wife bought me some for Christmas and since I have so many high $ pairs I have not used them. Looks like I need to get them out and try them.