Frosted up windscreens - what do you use??

[retrogeezer]

I just wondered what people did here?1: Can of de-icer2: Leave car running with heater on full blast for 10 minutes3: Kettle of water4: Anything else?I've always used warm water from the tap despite everyone that sees me saying 'you'll crack your windscreen'Well, I've been doing it for 20 odd years without cracking one so I figure I'm doing o.k. It must only be warm water though - not hot/boiling.I've never liked de-icer as it's messy and can damage paintwork.Opinions???

[Mr H Sceptre]

Always been a warm tap water man myself as well.

[Milford Cubicle]

Warm water is fine as long as it's not going to freeze up again in a few minutes. Number 2 for me usually, especially as the windscreen's mostly been freezing on the inside recently - very little moisture outside, but a fair bit inside because of the snow and slush on the mats.

[Cheggers]

5. Ice Scraper :wink:MC - Isn't using a "Number 2" a bit messy??

[trigger]

As and when i can i use just warm water from the tap in the kettle and pour.If I'm at work i have to use the scrapper and de icer but i don't like using it as it knackers the wiper blades and still takes ages to clear.I'll be glad when it cold wearther is all over.

[254575]

ive always been a sit and wait for the fans to work person. as even if you do scrape it off, the windscreen will mist up if it is too cold anyway!unless of course you dont have the luxury of a heater!

[Pete-M]

I use the heater, but don't use it on full blast - about 3/4.When I worked in car hire the drivers were forever cracking windscreens by putting the heater on full blast with all the vents closed and all the air pointing at the screen, leaving the car running and coming inside for a brew while they waited.Vectras would do it more than anything else. As soon as the ambient outside temperature was below about minus 3 degrees we'd have a load of Vectras with cracked screens in the car park. Autoglass used to curse us.I suppose though that it proves there's one good thing about the Vectra - the heater warms up quickly.

[Hudsonpie]

Get the wife to do it.....

[pogweasel]

1. warm liquid to de-ice locks (oh no, the de-icer is INSIDE the car), if away from a suitable provider of such liquid, Number 1 will do the job. 2. Start car with key A, get de-icer, scraper etc from inside, set heater to posn #2, three quarter heat3. Lock car with key B, apply de-icer, go indoors for a brew/poo as necessary and where possible4. Return to nearly de-iced car, unlock with key B, remove last bits of frost with rubber blade of scraper, proceed.

[mk1_4dr]

Am I the only one that still puts an old sheet over the screen?There doesn't seem to be anyone else in the carpark at work that does, an yet I never have to fanny about with deicer/scrapers/cold hands.Doesn't help with the ice on the inside through....

[VWPowered]

warm tap water for me, i've used all the sheets as polishing rags

[Ratdat]

I go with the ace ventura method

 

[dollywobbler]

Warm water - and this morning was one of those mornings where it barely worked! Had to be VERY quick to wipe it away.Really was cold today. My wife spent 15 mins trying to get into and de-ice her Mini, only for it to freeze up so much that she couldn't then SHUT the door. So she left the Mini at home and caught the bus.I managed to get the 25 miles to work with the rear screen still covered in ice (bar a tiny clear bit in the middle that I'd scraped), the side windows still icy and the screenwash frozen absolutely solid - despite me lobbing an entire bottle of screenwash in yesterday! The door almost wouldn't open, though it's better in this regard than the BX. Must get the vaseline out...I've never used a sheet as I've always assumed that it would just freeze to the windscreen. If this in fact doesn't happen, I may give it a go...

[Richard]

The heater is the only way to do it, unless the screen is warm it will just cloud over again as soon as you start moving.When I had a car with no heating at all I used to put a hot water bottle on top of the dash.

[mnde]

I've been using a silvery windscreen shield overnight on my GSA recently which works wonders. That just leaves all t'other windows to sort out. Rear demist works at about 0.5% efficiency (never got it fixed) and this morning I had thick ice on the inside of the rear screen... When I got to work this morning I thought perhaps I should put the iced up shield in the "boot" rather than in teh rear footwell because of all the interior ice I'd been getting on the windows. Of course the tailgate lock was frozen up so that scotched that Oh and de-icer was useless on the door lock this morning. I had to go back inside and fetch a jug of hot water from the tap! Where did I put that WD-40...?Roll on Spring!!Mark.

[Tayne]

.

[mk1_4dr]

When I had a car with no heating at all I used to put a hot water bottle on top of the dash.

now thats a good idea. Or maybe one of those heatpads you warm in the microwave.

[mnde]

Aha - I've got some o that Rain-ex stuff.Perhaps I could put a hot water bottle on my rear parcel shelf/rollerblind - genius!Mark.

[pogweasel]

Re: sheetsWhat do you do with the damp sheet for the rest of the day??Stuff them inside the car so the inside of your boot/interior gets nicely damp & frosty (wet carpets ahoy! GR9 4 rotten floors)???That's why I have never bothered. Same goes for outdoor car covers - you need a garage to store them in once removed, and if you have a garage you don't need the cover...Oh and yes it was fricking cold this morning. Wanted to pop out for some computer bits, elected to take Er Indoors car, even after 3 cycles the 'quick clear' windscreen had resolutely failed to clear anything, quickly or otherwise. And I think I got frostbite off the de-icer. Brr.

[M'coli]

Warm water's always a good way, especially if you fill a thermos to take with you for a return journey. The only problem is if it causes other things to freeze up as it trickles away.I've got away with scraping and de-icer this winter so far, but in the past have used an extension cable and fan heater for a bit - this works a treat!

[Pete-M]

The drivers door lock mechanism in the A6 froze up last night. Walked to the car, hit the fob, opened the car then the door wouldn't 'latch' properly.So I turned off the interior lights and drove for a couple of miles holding the door shut until it eventually decided to latch again.Grr @ cold weather.

[Guest greenvanman]

Since the demise of the Compact Cassette I have been forced to buy a scraper. The little sleeves SD cards come in are useless for getting rid of ice

[Guest]

Main rule of temperatures is not to tackle one extreme with another, as long as you bear that in mind you should be OK! I've never had a problem using lukewarm water, though in reality I don't usually have time so I end up frantically scraping ice off with a debit card whilst I try to think of an excuse for being late. This recently resulted in it snapping in half so I had to get a new one from the bank, but the lass on the counter was quite nice, that almost made up for it. I'm also a fan of the aforementioned "Ace Ventura" method.Vicsmith is an expert on this matter, he was clearing his car with a strange mixture of diluted mouthwash and whisky the other day. Much to my surprise, it was actually very effective! Though it might be interesting if he gets pulled over, I can see it now - policeman assumes he's been drinking heavily, takes offence at his attempt to disguise it with a minty smell, plants evidence on him, fast-tracked to the death penalty, etc.

[wuvvum]

I'm a scraper man myself, although I do keep a can of de-icer for when the ice is too thick for the scraper to get through efficiently. That's only happened once this winter so far - this morning all that was on the windscreen was a dusting of nice dry powdery snow, which the wipers coped with just fine. I had to take the scraper to the side windows, but even they weren't too bad. Unfortunately the 104 has a non-functioning HRW, but it does seem to clear after a while if you have the heater blowing on the windscreen.

[Guest greenvanman]

The C15 is like my old S3 Land Rover in that you get ice on both sides of the windscreen. BONUS.

[AnthonyG]

Driving a Mondeo (any vintage) = Ford heated windscreen = WINAlthough you do get the odd frozen vertical line when one of the elements has given up the ghost!Does de-icer damage paintwork? I've never liked the look of it, horrible stuff. Guess it's alcohol based?

[whitevanman]

dont lock the doors so thats one problem solved, start it up leave heater on. go back inside until clear.......

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The C15 is like my old S3 Land Rover in that you get ice on both sides of the windscreen. BONUS.

My crispy crab does this, its bloody awful.

[Cavcraft]

Currently the case to the front of my wikkid CD player, innit. Can also confirm that despite the CD front still being inside said case when scraping screen it hasn't effected the quality of Carter USM being played full tilt on the way to work.I once poured hot water on the screen of a company Transit which promptly cracked so don't recommend that!

[Guest greenvanman]

Surprised that no one has said put the car in the garage overnight.

Fat chance, there's seven scooters in mine