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Sharing this here as a 'brilliant' solution to buffeting wind in the vert. It's in quotes because I'm not exactly sure yet that it's a great solution. But I'll update you when I find out later today.
The product I bought was via the Petco Website. It's a Solvit™ Sta-Put™ Cargo Area Net Pet Barrier.
The mesh screen has tie-downs and buckles and also a stick stay for the middle. It folds away the same way a photo reflector or a sunscreen does, by twisting it and stuffing it into the bag it comes with. Essentially it's spring-loaded and folds flat when you twist it correctly.
Unfolded the net is 36" by 22" - a big rectangle. And the advertising/marketing copy on the box boasts that it's clawproof micro-mesh netting.
While the photo and installation instructions tell you to put it in one way, I'm flipping it 180 degrees so the attaching points and straps are at the top 1/3 of the screen instead of at the bottom 1/3. I want to make sure the screen sits snugly in front of the rear seats and is attached to the headrests with only about six inches above the bar of the headrests. This way the entire screen will sit flush with the top of the headrests and not stick way up in the air.
There is also an attachment that is supposed to slip between the slot in an SUV bench seat. But since the bucket seats have a large gap between them, I think I'm going to just unhook that strap and see if the screen stays put without it.
I'll be back shortly. I took a photo of the box. Here that is...
Back shortly. *This cost me $17 total while the official wind deflector costs around $400.
It is AWESOME. Though I can't compare it to the $400 version. But it has completely deadened the wind. I installed it in seven minutes and then blasted around town for five minutes to see how fast I could go and what wind would buffet me.
Very light wind. Much less noise. I think we have a winner.
Here are photos from the install just now. Hit me up with questions if you'd like. If there's an award for MINI Frugal Ingenuity, please nominate me.
Hope folks that have tried this are happy with it. At a savings of $383, it's a fun little fix. I've been using mine off and on depending on if my wife and I are driving together or I'm in the car alone. For the most part, I'm THIRLLED that I discovered this - thought of this - because I am finding that the more top-down driving I do, the less I find myself bothered by the wind surrounding me. I'd be supremely irked if I dumped $400 on the 'official' deflector and then decided I didn't really need it.
I think the only time I'm really focused on using the screen is when I have stuff I don't want to blow around and when I have guests in the car who are not used to being a little caressed by the wind.
I got one of the 2009 era OEM deflectors off of eBay for a 142.00 with shipping (fits perfectly in my 2013). I't would be great to compare the noise and wind reduction of it to your approach; the OEM definitely reduces wind significantly and does help lower noise, albeit above 65mph that benefit begins to disappear.
Wow! I REALLY like this solution! I have the OEM Wind Deflector which I absolutely love, and I think I am going to try this out. I hate how the OEM wind deflector renders the rear seat useless if I want to take my dog with me, top down. It looks like I could pop this on and have the nice wind deflection working while my doggy sits in the back seat !
