As Seen on TV Product Review: Auto Cool

Auto cool is one of the newer products advertised on television as the latest gadgets to make life easier. This product claims to reduce the temperature of automobile interiors through the use of a solar powered fan that attaches easily to the window. The example on the commercial shows two cars parked in the same parking lot with the windows rolled up, with one using the Auto Cool system and the other not. The results of this experiment show that the car using the Auto Cool has an interior temperature of 74 degrees, while the car without the Auto Cool system has an interior temperature that is over 100 degrees. The suggested retail price for this system is usually between $14.95 and $19.95, however, special offers can be easily found. At this price the product would be an excellent value if it worked as well as the commercial promotes. However, that is where the problems for this product begin.

Because I don’t like to start off by naming the bad features of any product I will begin this review with what is good about the Auto Cool system. First it is relatively inexpensive. You can sometimes find a two for one deal, or a free gift offer with the purchase of the Auto Cool system. Secondly it is easy to attach you’re Auto Cool to your car window and to attach the weather stripping. Finally the Auto Cool is moderately effective at taking the bite out of a hot car interior. Unfortunately that is the extent of this product’s value.

I originally purchased two Auto Cool systems, and like most As Seen on TV products it took about six weeks to receive. Because the company informed me about this delivery time frame ahead of time it wasn’t a big deal. However, there was no way to get the product shipped faster, even with the purchase of expedited delivery, as this only shortened the delivery time once the order was processed. It had no effect on the processing time. After receiving the Auto Cool system I installed it in my Dodge Caravan, an older model that had an AC unit that no longer worked. I then allowed the Auto Cool to function in the closed vehicle for one hour and then tested the temperature of my vehicle. In actuality the interior seemed hotter with the Auto Cool system, then if I just left the window down an inch to let in fresh air. To give the system another chance I let it work undisturbed in a closed vehicle for four more hours and returned to see if it had made a difference. The steering wheel was not scorching like it normally would be under similar conditions, however, the interior temperature was no where near 74 degrees like the commercial demonstration showed. In fact the interior was about 99 degrees according to the dash mounted thermometer. I then installed a second Auto Cool system on the passenger’s side window following the directions that came with the product and allowed both systems to run at the same time to see if this made a difference. After sitting in the sun for 24 hours I returned to the vehicle to see if two systems working at the same time would be able to keep the interior temperature livable. Unfortunately the two Auto Cool systems had not been able to keep the interior of the vehicle below 100 degrees.

While I had high hopes for the solar powered Auto Cool system, I am afraid that my hopes were smashed. I would have been happy with the product if it was even able to keep the vehicle’s interior below 85 degrees, but this product was unable to make any real difference. Because of the failure of this product to produce even moderate results I would not recommend it.