[Closed] Keeping cars frost free

Leave for work on my bicycle [s]late enough for the sun to melt it, and of course having the car parked where the sun will hit it.[/s] Works perfectly for me.

I just walk out as normal start car scrape windows and leave. I have no idea why people make such a drama out of it. Some of the posts on this thread would have taken longer than scraping the windows of a car.

And another most of you are clearly soft.

20 years ago I did have a civic that had a serious condensation issue and it used to freeze inside and out. We used to defrost it and dry the moisture out using a fan heater. Extension lead through the letterbox and five minutes blast. If you didn't it took about twice as long to mop the water out.

In all my years driving I have never encountered a car that collected that much wet in it overnight.

Some subarus have a bit of the screen that heats the windscreen wipers. Much better than the dreadful Ford screens, the wires do my eyes in.

scraping my windscreen is only half the battle......

its keeping it mist free that the heated screen comes into its own.

Much better than the dreadful Ford screens, the wires do my eyes in.

I have heard this said a few times. As a long time fan and owner I can't say I've ever found this an issue. the trick is not to look at/focus on the screen. If you focus your attention at normal reading the road ahead distance they're all but invisible.

Another vote for tap water then squeejee it off. Been doing it for years, easiest thing for me.

I have heard this said a few times. As a long time fan and owner I can't say I've ever found this an issue. the trick is not to look at/focus on the screen. If you focus your attention at normal reading the road ahead distance they're all but invisible.

Its not that - low sun / headlights etc illuminate the elements and you make things more glarey. To me its like having a windscreen thats never quite clean. If I needed to buy a ford the first thing I'd do is get rid of the windscreen, the handful of mornings a year where it makes any real difference would be outweighed by having elements there all year round.

Loving the fan heater plan - Amazon solution ordered. 🙂

Loving the fan heater plan

Also my method since the Mondeo went. Extension from shed to car and run fan heater while walking dog. Also has the marginal bonus that as the car is toasty I can leave the heater switch on cold for the first few miles which possibly helps the engine get to operating temp a touch faster.

We use a heater fan in the van, it's too low budget and poverty spec to have a remote heater.

Fettlin has the answer. The only time I had anyone poking round the car was when an old boy started scrapping for me as he felt it was a nice thing to do!
Covers work. Even the nylon ones do but best not applied to a wet screen, If it freezes start car with heater blowing flat out onto screen before you take it off. Bubble wrap works well but I use a bit of tent that has nice loops to hook in door handles.

I find the quickest method involves spraying the windows with the hosepipe, then quickly get in the car and use the wipers to clear off the excess water!

Came off nights to a fozen car yesterday morning, sprayed windscreen with water whilst wipers on, job done.

illuminate the elements and you make things more glarey

Never really noticed it. I do have anti glare on my glasses maybe that helps or possibly after a combined 10 years and 200000 miles of quickclear screen ownership it's become normal.

If he wires in a Ford window are really visible and distracting, it may be worth getting an eye test done. If you are short sighted, they could well be the 'in focus' bit of your vision.

I'm short sighted and if I look at the screen without my contacts in or glasses on, it's horribly distracting

Its not that - low sun / headlights etc illuminate the elements and you make things more glarey. To me its like having a windscreen thats never quite clean.

Same here. A few of the vans at work have these screens (Transit Connects) and most drivers say the same thing. Eyes tested regularly, makes no difference to how annoying the wires are with old or new glasses. My old fiesta had them too, the screen cracked so I had a standard screen put in instead. Far better, never missed them and it was never mentioned when I traded it in!

I just use anti-fog treatment on the inside of the screen on the current car, doesn't stop the fogging but it clears very quickly. Switch engine on, heated mirrors and blower on the screen while I scrape the windows and it's all done in a minute or so.

Evesie - Member

Standard practice in Scandinavian countries is to have a small mains powered electic fan heater in the car & either run all night or on a timer. Only needs to run at low heat & fan speed, Jump into a nice toasty, frost free car even when at -30°C outside.

More free education:
Not only there is a heater for cabin but there is an engine block heater too, either directly bolted to block, on the coolant hose or a radiation heater somewhere near engine. Last one being least effective.
Usually 2hr warm-up is enough even in the coldest weather, also some concern for heating costs too.
The wirings are routed to a small plug on the bumper, there will be extension cord from that to post which usually has some sort of timer.
Defa is one of the more known brands for this.

Lesson #2 on auxiliary heaters (Webasto, Eberspächer) on request 😀

Nailed it

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I'd recommend not leaving the door wide open overnight when it's raining. Like my wife did last night. Again.....

As above, walk outside, turn on ignition with heater and demister on full. Spray a bit of de-icer on the stubborn bits before getting in and driving away.

It really isn't that hard...

hooli - Member
turn on ignition with heater and demister on full

Blowing cold air on until it finally warms up after 15 minutes of burning petrol idling and barely warming the engine thus barely generating heat for the blower, while pissing off neighbours with a car engine running outside (pisses me off anyway when neighbours do it and I'm still snoozing waiting for the sun to come up to do the defrost job 😉 ).

Or, walk outside, a minute with a scraper, ignition, drive and let the heater do the rest. Car warm within a minute vs 15 idling on the driveway.

Nope you are all wrong....

Commute on your bike FFS

😆

Then all you have to do it wheel your bike out of the front door....

after you've pumped up the tires of course..... and put your lights back onto the bike after charging.... and put your bike shoes on, and bib tights and jacket twice (after wanting a wee once they were put on the first time).... don't forget your gloves and skid lid and remember not to put them on until your out the door and have tucked the front door key away safe... otherwise gloves off again and then back on.

Finally onto the bike and away you go... hold on did you actually flick the back light on... Stop.... check... yes you did ... And you're off.

S0d that .... I'm staying in bed.

I use my phone:
[img] [/img]

[i]Leave for work late enough for the sun to melt it, and of course having the car parked where the sun will hit it. Works perfectly for me. [/i]

Really, you park your car in a certain spot and wait for the sun to get warm enough to melt the frost, just to save you scraping the windows?

On the few days I do take the car, get in, start it, scrape windows, go. There really is no need for additional faff or starting the car remotely and leaving running for ages.

Gary_M - Member
Really, you park your car in a certain spot and wait for the sun to get warm enough to melt the frost, just to save you scraping the windows?

It just so happens my driveway is in that perfect spot so I don't need to do anything but wait for the sun 😀

It does mean I have to head out later in the morning by the time the sun hits it, but that's fine by me as I'm utterly not an early bird and late means I can avoid the worst of the peak traffic. While I'm waiting - bacon and coffee

Helps I have a flexible job 😉

Plus I work from home sometimes 😀

I find that Rain-ex sprayed on the windscreen helps a lot, it's almost like the frost/ice doesn't stick the same to the windscreen!

Has anyone mentioned moving to Southern Spain?

[i]I'm utterly not an early bird and late means I can avoid the worst of the peak traffic.[/i]

Ah right so you need to scrape the windows at night instead of the morning then.

People who say ride to work, if it's so cold that the car is totally frozen surely it's a bit of a gamble taking the bike?

How many pelvis / road interfaces?

Alternatively buy a cock wagon. I recall being on a trip with a mate who had a Range Rover sport and the security guard in the hotel came in to say his car was making a strange noise in the carpark. My mate looked at his watch and said.....ah yes its 6pm, so its warming itself up for my (normally) drive home from work! 😕

You can get that on bottom of the range compact hatchbacks over here!

I just walk out as normal start car scrape windows and leave.

Scrapers rip the hell out of windows - seen so many scratches from dirt/dust in the ice being dragged over the surfaces.

In many moons of driving, including in -17C winter in 2010 IIRC when my diesel gelled and wouldn't start, I've never been failed by body temperature water in a large jug. Start slow, spread over an area. That day I had to pour water over the whole fuel pump assembly, fuel filter and rail too 🙂

Another vote for the scaper, unless it's a really heavy frost when de icer comes into play.

What does annoy me is getting up at 06.30 to scrape the car for Mrs Z, when I don't have to leave the house until 08.50.

She woundn't do it for me if the times were reversed.

I generally just start the engine then scrape.

Once I broke my scraper though and I ended up using a store discount card that I found in my wallet.

It wasn't very good though, it only took 10% off.*

😀

My coat? I'm already wearing it thanks - it's cold out there...

*Thanks to Radio 2 for that gem

People who say ride to work, if it's so cold that the car is totally frozen surely it's a bit of a gamble taking the bike?
How many pelvis / road interfaces?

£10 fan heater from Argos, extension lead and a timer that's fits into a socket. Place it in the car the night before, set the timer for about 10 minutes, as that's all it needs, plug the extension lead into an inside the garage socket and run it under the front door. When I get to the car, it's all defrosted and toasty warm to boot. 🙂

Scrapers rip the hell out of windows - seen so many scratches from dirt/dust in the ice being dragged over the surfaces.

Mine is made of plastic not diamonds

A Skip.....you work it out.

Lots of cars in the UK have auxiliary heaters fitted, upgrades are available to remotely control with an app or dedicated remote