Our Mondeo has a screen with an element in it like a rear window. It's bleeding marvellous watching people scraping their screens while the ice melts in front of your eyes.
It's nearly time for a new second hand car. Is this a Ford only thing or is it used elsewhere?
Do new shape Mondeos have it?
It's mostly only Fords although they do license it to a few odd companies.
I think the patent has run out now so it's open to everyone, only recently tho, so it's only very new models that have it*
*May be spouting boll0cks
It is amazing. That and air-con makes wet and/or cold weather just that much more enjoyable in the car.
Got one on my Passat, along with heated mirrors and heated seats. Just need someone to bring out a heated steering wheel and I'll be sorted.
My bosses old jag SJ had a heated steering wheel.
Heard someone griping about their broken one a while back- just tells you how good it was, if it breaks your little heart when it breaks 🙂 They are absolutely fab.
Also, as I get older and softer, I now declare heated/cooled seats to be not a luxury but a basic human necessity, like food, water and lolcats. The main heater in my car takes a while to get going, but the seats heat up fast so I can compensate for my cold hands by turning the seats up to max and roasting my balls.
I don't have a heater in my car.
Don't judge me.......
Landrover/ jaguar/rangerover have them too
Yep, the newer Mondeo has it
yep have it on my transit no heated seats or steering wheel
Best thing about fords! Fact
The wire element is too noticeable Imo.
You're sat looking at it all year but hardly ever need it.
Landrover/ jaguar/rangerover have them too
That's 'cos they were owned by Ford at one time. The heated screen on my Puma was a thing of joy on frosty mornings, fire up the engine, stick the radio on and hit the defrost button, after a couple of minutes the ice goes all crazy-paving, put the wipers on, and it all slides off! It should be a requirement for all cars to have heated screens.
My Freelander has it. Not that I need it, it's currently nudging 40C here sat in a field in South Australia. Aircon works though 🙂
Went from a freelander to a pathfinder and I sorely missed it, so much so I sold the pathfinder and went back to the freelander( that and 26mpg and 450 odd quid a year to tax)
enfht - Member
The wire element is too noticeable Imo.
Dunno what your on about, after 6 or so years with my focus, it was one of the 2 things I loved about the car, & I never noticed it unless I 'looked' for it. It was actually a big consideration to me, to definitely have it, if buying another ford (now the g/f is lauding it over me, as my new [2nd hand] car isn't a ford.... BOOOO!)
Do new shape Mondeos have it?
My understanding, is that it (was) an extra option, or at least come with a certain 'spec' of car. So 'any' ford could potentially have it, but may not (more base models I'd guess)
My Passat has one. I never use it, I think it's rubbish. So you can clear the front window of ice, ok, but you still have to scrape the rest of the car. I just scrape the windscreen too whilst I'm there - it's quicker. I can see the wires too in the headlights of oncoming cars, but the real distracting bit is in daytime fog.
Don't care for heated seats either. I don't need a hot sweaty back when my hands are freezing onto the steering wheel.
My mazdas got one...
im with molgrips here - i think its one of those things that creates the iced sidewindows- bike sideswiping morons you see driving about....
push front heater , push rear heater - drive off....
maybe heated all round would be good 😉
Skoda yeti has it, and often it's just the windscreen that in iced
Got it on my Focus. Love it.
Icy morning: Nip out to car, hit the Demisting button, turn on seat heater, go back in and finish my coffee. 😀
i think its one of those things that creates the iced sidewindows- bike sideswiping morons you see driving about....
On mine it blows hot air onto the front side windows too. Still needs a little scraping to do the rear side windows and lights but that's it. Turns a ten minute job into a 1 minute job.
The other benefit is that it also heats the water skooshers - which saves you being the "hanging out the window trying to spray your screen whilst doing 50mph" moron 🙂
(and no, you don't notice the wire unless you focus on your windscreen instead of the traffic)
Yes, love it on my Mondeo, works really quickly with the blower on full as well, haven't owned or used a scraper in the 8 years I've had it.
Sadly I often drive a vauxhall corsa hire car and the highlight was the heated steering wheel. One week they delivered a Lexus and the highlight on that was the air conditioned seats 🙂
The problem with heated screens is it turns the owners into lazy t%@ts who couldnt possibly get their pinkys cold and clear the side windows or their lights.
Would be nice, but I just have a water bottle of warmish water on cold mornings to hand, squirt it onto the windscreen, use the wipers & I have a clear windscreen. Never had a problem & no in a modern car it doesn't crack your windscreen.
Had heated windscreen on 2 of my cars and haven't got it on my current car due to Ford changing the specs and the leasing company wanting loads more money for a Zetec spec over a Edge.
It was easy but I don't really miss it. Takes only bit more effort to scrape the screen and scraping also cleans all the dirt of the parts the wipers don't touch.
Suppose its like people putting blankets over the windscreen only, you still have to scrape the sides and seems more effort to open a door, trap the blanket in, open other door, trap blanket in........
Scraping? Is it the dark ages where no-one has a running supply of warm water in their homes? We even have that up North now, progress I tell you.
My Mondeo had a heated windscreen. Very useful, I miss it on my new motor.
What is this scraping of which you speak of?
What is this scraping of which you speak of?
Exactly. WHO scrapes their car these days? And I fail to see how a heated screen can be 'rubbish' too 😯
How can that be so? Must be a masochistic thing.
And they're not just useful for ice as well.... What about when you get in the car all wet from rain? Everything mists up pronto, and a heated screen is very handy then as well. 🙂
Mondeo also has a button which switches the front and rear screen heaters on, sets the heating & fan to max and directs it at the windows, defrosts the mirrors and switches the heated seats on
. WHO scrapes their car these days?
Err, me.
I've always just tipped water on my screens and windows, my current A3 has a heated windscreen but it uses the vents to of the car to clear it. So really it's not fantastic certainly not as good as the element based ones anyway but does work.
No it's not the same as pointing the blower at it, hard to describe what it does.
Err, me.
Try deicer or warm water. It's a lot more efficient 🙂
I just open the car, turn on the engine, flick the front and rear headed switches, grab the tin of deicer and a squeegee, quick spray and a wipe down one side (Car parked next to house, only one side ices up!) and by the time I get back in all I have to do is flick the wipers and drive off. All in well under a minute I imagine. 🙂
You're sat looking at it all year but hardly ever need it.
I suppose it depends where you live. I'm in the NE of Scotland and use it a lot. Not just for de icing but de misting too when it is damp. I think it's a brilliant thing and I wouldn't want to be without it.
You know what, there's a couple of people on this thread, who, if you gave them a £20 note, would complain it wan't two tenners.
Heated screens. What's not to like?
flick the front and rear headed switches
Blimey, you mean you have to switch it on yourself? What's the world coming to, mine turns both screens on itself when you start it if its cold enough.
A big advantage to me (as others have pointed out) isn't just the defrosting but the demisting and prevention of re-freezing (that sort of creeping ice crystals thing you sometimes get, or condensation freezing on the inside) in really cold weather.
Edit: Or you could just sit there while the engine warms up, but that's not good for the engine or the environment.
One in the transit also, but I find by the time I've started up and waited for it to work a kettle full of water is much quicker.
My landrover has a heated screen. I also have a heated mirror in the bathroom. It's evolution. 🙂
Heated front screen - awesome.
Keeps front screen from re icing (most of the wind chill hits the front screen at speed) and misting.
Melts the ice front and back while you scrape the sides and it softens the wind screen ice so reduces the risk of leaving fine surface scratches in it.
Saves using the 'afterburner' heating setting
If the wires are distracting you then i would suggest you may need to focus further up the road. I only ever notice mine to any real extent when low speed manouvring.
I almost went for a Mondeo instead of an Octavia for the heated front windscreen, still wish I had it on icy mornings. As someone else posted Ford's patent has supposedly run out now so it will be a lot more common on other makes in future.
I don't miss my old heated seats though, gave me an itchy back and just emphasise how cold your hands are first thing.
I've always just tipped water on my screens and windows
Effective but don't you just end up with a frozen puddle of water right where you park your car?
Health and Safety nightmare that.
Effective but don't you just end up with a frozen puddle of water right where you park you car?
Depending how cold it is yes you can.
Edit: Or you could just sit there while the engine warms up, but that's not good for the engine or the environment
Doesn't your car have an electric heater for when the engine's cold?
You know what, there's a couple of people on this thread, who, if you gave them a £20 note, would complain it wan't two tenners.
Heated screens. What's not to like?
We explained in our previous posts. Can't you understand that not everyone's experiences are the same?
My mum used to have it in her Galaxy about 15 years ago. A huge bit of glass but it cleared unbelievably quickly.
Doesn't your car have an electric heater for when the engine's cold?
I have often thought that that would be a simpler idea than having heated seats/steering wheels/windscreens etc. I'm sure there must be a reason why no-one seems to do it (apart from electric cars of course). Marketing maybe, seen as less of an opportunity to add cost?
Heated screen? Yes thanks - works fabulously well.
Yes, I have one, and yes, it was a consideration when choosing the car.
Doesn't your car have an electric heater for when the engine's cold?
What cars have those?
^^ plenty but in non uk markets where there is more extended cold spells (Fords included).
Friends parents live in Alberta their car has a block heater that keeps the fluids above freezing. Runs off the mains when the car is parked up. Plug in points in public car parks etc too. Thats when you live somewhete cold!
Yeah was going to say my Ford manual makes mention of a standalone car heater that works without the keys in - but it seems to be an American/Canadian feature.
Block heater's there to protect the engine and make it possible to start it, not for the convenience of the occupants. My point above was more about electric space heating for the car.
Slightly OT, but picking up a new mondeo this week that blows cold air up your arse.
We explained in our previous posts. Can't you understand that not everyone's experiences are the same?
No. I think you're just moaning about nothing. There's no issue with heated screens. None at all. If you don't like it, sure, you carry on scraping whilst I'm halfway up the road. Crack on, fill yer boots, I don't give a rats ass!
My solution to an iced-up car is to put on a thick jacket and ride my bike.
Oh and warm water - not on the road or pavement please.
There's no issue with heated screens. None at all. If you don't like it, sure, you carry on scraping whilst I'm halfway up the road.
Except we've told you some issues.
With mine, it takes longer than scraping. So you wouldn't be up the road. I dunno why you get all arsey like this, there's no point. There's just no need to argue. Just say 'well I like mine' and that's that.
Saves using the [s]'afterburner'[/s] 're-heat' heating setting
FTFY 🙄
With mine, it takes longer than scraping.
TBH then you either need to go on a "scrapping" course 😉 or heated screen is old & dieing (they 'apparently' have a limited life, though my old one was supposedly 10 years old). Mine, sadly gone last month, was completely clear by the time I've scrapped the side windows, not misted at the top, completely clear. My newer (non-ford) car takes 5 minutes to clear the mist, even after I've scrapped the windows (air-con & fan on full), very annoying after the joys of a heated screen.
TBH then you either need to go on a "scrapping" course
No, I'm quick at scraping, it seems.
I will concede that it's not an OEM heated screen, it's a replacement from Autoglass that the dealer had fitted just after I bought it.
Block heater's there to protect the engine and make it possible to start it, not for the convenience of the occupants. My point above was more about electric space heating for the car.
A lot of 'cold market' cars will also have a fuel fired heater to get the coolant up to temp quicker. Block heater would be used for starts as you sya, but the fuel fired heater will get the coolant (and so the heater matrix temp) up quicker.
Yeah they're often options in non-UK markets, shame as I'd spec one if I could. Can't really do it off battery alone as you'd kill them, especially on short journeys.
I never use warm water to defrost the car. If it's cold enough it'll either re-freeze on the road/drive where it was parked or re-freeze on the windscreen.
Transit has heated windscreen, by the time I've de-frosted the side windows it's ready to go. Find it very useful with snow too if the bottom layer has frozen. Two minutes sitting in the cab and all the snow brushes off easily 🙂
Jags have them too. Thought I saw it on the spec sheet of the one I bought but realised a few days after buying it there were neither heated front screen or seats. Was completely gutted but a 4.2 V8 doesn't take too long to heat up! My neighbours love to hear it being rev'd up early morning to build the heat up (I don't do this as I have mechanical sympathy but what a great way to wake everyone up!!).
You can also use the heated screen to demist the inside of the window when the AC won't work because it's too cold.
My motorbike had heated hand grips and I had a heated body warmer for long winter trips.
It is an excellent aid but my mondy has 150k of stone chips to the screen and with the heating elements also in there it is not the clearest to see out of, even when clean. When ever I get in a new car it is like my vision has cured.
Vision wise I noticed the element for about 30 seconds. Our next car will definitely have one.
I've heated windscreens for my Series One Landy. The club had them made to order from a company in Spain.