Yesterday I took one of those Windshield Reflector thingies that cost 6 bucks a walmart and cut it to fit between the sunroof glass and the mesh diffusion shade. It was 116 degrees today and my A/C cool off the car in just a few minutes and it stayed cool. It may not look pretty - but for those few intense months in the desert, it appears it will do the trick (until my lease is up and the new one has a hard-top.)

 

That's a really good idea! Does it fold up and stash under your seat as well?

 

yeah.....done that....in Phoenix, you can get the silver metallic at Pep Boys, $4.95 and if you cut it just right the front fits perfectly between the sunroof and mesh screen and the back part you just trim a little more to fit.....huge difference if your car sits parked in the sun all day.....if it cools at night, easy to just take the front out and if you want the sunroof open, but even at night here it's 95 ....lol

Does look a little strange if you look through the top of the roof and see the silver shade there...still can't believe MINI hasn't changed to a solid cover....my take is after renting a Rover Discovery on vacation, that some of the original MINI designs carried back to the Rover days....the Discover had the sunroof and meshscreen closure exactly like the MINI...it also had the same lousy auto AC and aftermarket type cupholders that were added.....looks like the design crew did both interiors before the germans came to the rescue...lol !

 

I did this as well but used the silver insulated attic stuff from home depot. you know the stuff that is silver and looks like thick heavy duty bubble wrap. then to the bottom side I glued black felt on. when you put it in there you can't even tell there is a sunroof there from radiant heat. also you can't see it. as it is black. keeps the temp down in the parking lot as well.