My old VW Vento 1.9 TDI explicitly stated NOT to run the engine at idle to warm the car because the diesel engine will not reach operating temperature unless driven, thereby accelerating engine wear. I can confirm that it would take eight miles before it had any functional heating!
As for frozen condensation inside the car - clean the windows. The water droplets condense on minute dust particles. Clean windows minimise this bit can't do anything for the outside.
LOL at user-removed 
I cannot understand what the problem is with scraping.
It takes me about 2 minutes, wastes no fuel and does not risk anyone stealing my car.
De-icer? Wtf? Never bought a can of that in all my life. Heated windscreen? Good waste of £200 or whatever it is, and I have one on my car.
I just use warm water, always have, clear windscreen in 10 secs, then just drive off. Don't even know where my scraper is....
Is no-one answering this? Or does it not serve to back-up their arguments to accept it is not illegal to run your car on your own drive with no-one in it?
Well, I was first to say it's illegal. And then I went out on my bike. It was lovely.
I'm sure you can do whatever you like off the public highway as others have mentioned, however no-one mentioned it being on private property ;-). And aren't sweeping generalisations de rigeur on here? 
Range rover! Press remote from inside of house, car warms up defrosts etc. Dash from house into rr then stand in cold 30 mins later shooting pheasants or similar!
Also anyone see the sticker on the back of the Scoob posted earlier. "if in doubt, flat out"!!! 
The OP offers good advice, thanks MTG. 
I cannot understand what the problem is with scraping.
It takes me about 2 minutes, wastes no fuel and does not risk anyone stealing my car.
De-icer? Wtf? Never bought a can of that in all my life.
2 minutes? No de-icer?
I'll wager that you sir have never seen a decent frost on your car. The cold snap the other week I had a good 2cm thick solid ice under the huge pile of snow on my windscreen. Would have been there for hours with just a scraper.
As it was, I pressed a button and let the car do it for me.
Heated windscreen? Good waste of £200 or whatever it is, and I have one on my car.
Wait, you have one and you don't use it?? That's just weird.
It's also really good for preventing the windscreen from steaming up, but I'm guessing you just use a cloth for that too? 
I have had the snow and slush, I just used a decent scraper.
It's also really good for preventing the windscreen from steaming up, but I'm guessing you just use a cloth for that too?
No, my car has this setting that blows warm dry air on the windscreen. It works faster and better.
But I have also heard that idling a car when its cold is not good for it. The oil pressure is low at idle which means oil's not circulating as well. Plus it'll take ages to warm up which means a lot of revolutions on cold. People who are afraid of sitting in a cold car for a few minutes need to MTFU
Molgrips - your heated screen must be broken then because they are much more effective than blowers. I had one on my Puma years ago and still miss it.
Well the aircon on your Puma must've been broken then
Nope not at all - and both our current cars also have air con and rapid blowers (Audi and Mazda) and neither is close to the screen with an element in it.
In modern cars the damage to an engine is not so relevant on start-up due to improved oil technology. My car takes 5/30W oil and I tend to start then sit in for 30 seconds or so with the revs at around 2000 to get the oil circulating, then I get out and scrape the windscreen etc. It usually then takes another 5 minutes before the windscreen is then clear enough to drive which I let it do because it stops all those horrible smears.
FYI ambulances also have a 'running unattended' function (presumably legal) where you can remove the keys. Necessary in this weather due to the drain on batteries with heating and equipment requirements and also at RTC's where you may be on scene for a while. The engine cuts out if anyone releases the handbrake without the key.
The OP offers good advice, thanks MTG.
An absolute boon at this time of year
I agree, he's very good at sorting the ice out. Sometimes Rocky comes instead and he's a bit of a nob.
I drive a Fiat Doblo - problem solved
Discovered an interesting flaw in the BMW last night. You can remove the key from the ignition and still start the engine. Deadlocked from outside and tea finished inside house.
"It's meant to do that, Sir."
Going back to the engine running with no occupant debate. There are approved systems that you can fit to almost any vehicle that will enable you to run the engine without the keys being in the ignition. Manufacturers like Siemens and Zeta systems to name but 2. These systems are commonly used on blue light vehicles to enable them to use lighting and other installed systems without flattening the battery while the occupants deal with the incident. In a nut shell not illegal. I have fitted a large number over the years to specialist vehicles all without a problem because the vehicle cannot be stolen whilst the system is in operation. As woody says
just leave the car over night in a heated garage. problem solved.
[/quote]Leaving your engine idling to warm it up increases engine wear.
Really? How, exactly?[quote]
idling engines (eventually) leads to polished and glazed bores and to piston ring/piston skirt wear.
My 1991 ex-military winterised Landrover has a heated windscreen-wouldn't be without it-brilliant in this weather, and an ignition barrel that you can remove the keys from whilst the engine is running- fitted because it was a radio truck and needed the engine running for the 24v power system for the radios/operator in the back.
TandemJeremy - Member
Start the car, clear the windows manually, drive off
What about the ice on the inside of the windscreen ? scrape that and you drown the dash in water and the outside can freeze again if the screen is not warmed up
What about the ice on the inside of the windscreen ?
How the F do you end up with ice on the inside of the windscreen? Not sure that that's ever been a problem for me.
heavy breathing.
people tend to have a rant on here,then jump in the car to cool down.they sit there for a few mins before driving off but the screen ices up.
I just run mine whilst I'm scraping the outside - fogging up inside is the major pain though. Still takes nearly 10 minutes with fast blower on to fully clear it. Heated windscreens are sooo much better, my old man's car has one, failing that I wish it had an auxiliary heater for the windscreen blower rather than relying on engine temp for heat.
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