The grumpy thread

[dollywobbler]

Top tip. On some cars, especially older ones, a very brief press of the wiper stalk will cause the wipers to jump to a higher position on the windscreen, and therefore to a warmer bit of screen. I deploy this trick a lot in the winter. I believe the Lexus GS has a winter park position on the wipers for the same reason. The LS doesn't seem to have it. Which is annoying given the wipers park off-screen.

[wuvvum]

Had to nip into town in the Rover 75 this morning. Everything frozen including the doors. Managed to (gently) get the drivers door open so started the engine and let it run to thaw everything out. Twenty minutes later all thawed out and off I went. Checked the wiper blades weren't frozen to the screen. All ok.

After a couple of miles some of the ice on the roof melted and ran down the windscreen, no problem, just used the wipers. CRACK! ..

Both wiper blades had re frozen onto the screen and it shattered the plastic fittings. Wiper blades stayed frozen to the glass whilst the metal arms raked the screen (but thankfully didn't scratch it.)

Both Bosch Aerotwin blades ruined.... Only fitted them a month ago for £££s

Verdict

Idiot.

That's one thing I like about the Carina E - it has a heater element running across the bottom of the windscreen to prevent the wipers freezing back onto it.  Good idea, if not as good as the full Ford Quickclear setup.

[Sheefag]

I only recently found out that the black part of the Subaru windscreen where the wipers park, is heated for this very reason. Who would ever need such a frivolity, I asked myself..,

[beko1987]

I always lift the wipers and scrape under them as part of my de-icing routine. Mainly to save my expensive* blades being sandpapered over the ice! Or breaking completely as above.

[beko1987]

I only recently found out that the black part of the Subaru windscreen where the wipers park, is heated for this very reason. Who would ever need such a frivolity, I asked myself..,

 

You've been using said frivolity for years, and you've never even noticed!

[Sheefag]

I never drive the thing to be honest, I forget we have it. Mrs S has taken it today, her Crossfire isn't too clever in snow.

The button for the heated strip is hidden away on a low panel on the right next to the mirror switches. There's quite a few on the forums asking wtf is this switch!

 

[alcyonecorporation]

SVXs have the same button, but it's called 'Winter Wiper Mode Select'. It's semi-hidden under the curve of the drivers' side crash pad and re-parks the wipers. 

They also have two door demister vents to keep both sections of the side window clear. 

 

[danthecapriman]

Portsmouth is nice*.  Apparently.

 

Piss taker!

[DVee8]

Aldi for a £2.99  screen cover. I sometimes put a tea towel between the wiper blades and screen.

A thin cover of Vaseline around the rubber door seals stop them freezing.I did this yesterday morning.

 

Edit £1.99 for the screen cover.

[HH-R]

Well, we got about 1cm of snow here yesterday tea time, 2cm at most.

 

Didn't fancy sharing the roads with the angry parents on the school run so waited until after 9. The roads were still utter chaos, everywhere was complete gridlock despite being 100% clear of any snow or ice.

 

Didn't take my own advice of avoiding the A1 southbound between Seaton Burn and the Metro Centre which is just a permanent car park nowadays and ended up sitting in a queue to even get on the damn thing for about 30 minutes and only getting a couple of hundred yards. Gave up and went northbound (only escape route) and went to another work base which wasn't ideal but at least I eventually made it in. Massive rookie mistake, I foolishly assumed it would at least be moving after 9AM.

 

Kia's washer jets are buried in the windscreen scuttle which was full of snow that you can't get out, so even after driving nearly 20 miles it was still completely frozen. A combination of the sun being low and being unable to clean the screen of spayed up salt meant I hit a full width speed bump I forgot about at work at just under 15 MPH. I thought I'd burst a tyre or snapped the car in half, the bang was so loud so arrived in an excellent* mood.

[twosmoke300]

Could have been a child !

[dollywobbler]

Scary. Always carry a bottle of water at this time of year, so manual washers can be operated if needs be.

 

Must admit, one real f*ck up with modern cars is the windscreen washers. The Honda isn't too bad, because the washer bottle sits in the engine bay, and the washer jets on the bonnet, so they rarely freeze up. With washer bottles tucked away into wings, and washer jets in scuttles, you stand no chance of unfreezing them, unless you've actually been diligent enough to keep your screenwasher concentrations at the right levels. I try to do this as well.

[vulgalour]

Doesn't just apply to new cars.  The Princess has hidden wipers and washer jets in the scuttle so everything is frozen solid.  The washer bottle is on the bulkhead too, away from most of the heat in the engine bay.  The doors freeze shut too.  Rover isn't much better and took ages for the washer jets and lines to defrost even with winter concentration levels of fluid.  First time in years I've had to use warm water to unfreeze a car door to get in.

[alcyonecorporation]

Can 2017 just fuck off now?

 

[Craig the Princess]

My old 206 used to blow the wiper motor fuse when the wipers froze to the screen! Was great fun.

 

 

The Rover R8 Coupe has the same feature* but has the added bonus of having the starter motor on the same fuse.

[MrDuke]

Can 2017 just fuck off now?

 

I think that's what normally happens at the end of December, yes.

[Ghosty]

Not deleted - moved to the appropriate thread. http://autoshite.com/topic/30225-what-to-buy-tyres-cars-tools-suggestions/page-4#entry1371171 

 

If you're going to have a cover-all thread for that it should really be pinned IMO.

[New POD]

Work Christmas party next week.  The company I work for do it in style, and we're all being whisked first class off to Cardiff for two days.  Conference in the National Museum and huge glam party afterwards.  Free accommodation, food, booze, the lot.

 

Only - I have SO much work to do, that I can't see how I can fit it all in.  Everything fits perfectly, so 48 hours causes mahoosive instrusion to not just me but the other companies I work for.

 

So I'm going to have to drive to Cardiff and back in a day.  In a 4 speed, 25 year old Merc that's revving it's titties off.  It's just shy of 400 miles.

 

I appreciate it's not cancer, but it's a bit of a pisser to have to miss out.  

 

Anyway - as you were.

 

Cardiff is great. (daughter is in the final year there)  I'd just go get pissed and miss the deadlines.  Life is too short.

[Craig the Princess]

If you're going to have a cover-all thread for that it should really be pinned IMO.

Noooooooooooooo. Because then the eBay tat, grin and grump threads would all also need to be pinned and page one would be 30% pinned threads

[New POD]

Could have been a child !

 

But it wasn't.  Same as when I ran over a sheep. Although what the fuck a child would be doing on an unclassified mist clad road in the Yorkshire Dales wearing a sheepskin coat and Shouting "Baa" I've no idea.

[HH-R]

I'm going to chuck a big bottle of water in for if/when it happens again, good idea.

 

Had this car nearly 3 years and it's the first time it's been cold enough to freeze, been pretty mild since 2010-ish.

[Kiltox]

Cardiff is great. (daughter is in the final year there) I'd just go get pissed and miss the deadlines. Life is too short.

Might want her to come home next/this week before Bornite gets there

[Ghosty]

Trying to order my mum a prepaid prescription certificate and register for self assessment. Jesus fucking Christ, why are government websites so vague and badly written? It's no bloody wonder people get had for tax.

[twosmoke300]

Yup - paye and vat are a head fuck the first few goes

[New POD]

She has been at Home this weekend in order to attend the funeral of the father of her best school friend, who died after a 5 year battle with cancer, aged 56, hence my suggestion that life is too short to worry about work deadlines.

[loserone]

Trying to order my mum a prepaid prescription certificate and register for self assessment. Jesus fucking Christ, why are government websites so vague and badly written? It's no bloody wonder people get had for tax.

 

Give me a shout if you're actually stuck with PPCs, I seem to recall we're rewriting that bit this month

[strangeangel]

Just around the corner from home when I was greeted by this:

 

 

 

Some complete spunk trumpet has left the world's biggest skip in the road on a bend, taking up more than half of the said road and - just to put the tin hat on it - with no fucking lights on. Genius.

 

What sort of monumental retard must it take to do something as profoundly fuckwitted as this? These pics will be going to my mate in Highways in the morning, we'll see what he can do about it.

[beko1987]

That sodding pinned survey. I know I shouldn't but I keep going back to pick holes with it.

[Ghosty]

Give me a shout if you're actually stuck with PPCs, I seem to recall we're rewriting that bit this month

 

 

It's OK, I've managed (I'd like to see older people manage though). Glad to hear that though, it looks like an A-level student did it at the moment. 

[DodgeRover]

Trying to order my mum a prepaid prescription certificate and register for self assessment. Jesus fucking Christ, why are government websites so vague and badly written? It's no bloody wonder people get had for tax.

I found the prepaid season ticket website easy and logical.

 

With HMRC ring up and speak to a real helpful person, you'll need your mum there to give the ok for them to talk to you on her behalf.