Sheet / tarp over windscreen in frosty weather

Yeah I should do. My van is a nightmare in the mornings at the moment.
I suppose it's dealing with a massive, frozen solid sheet of crumply, noisy plastic in the morning.
Should probably get a ready-made cover at least.
By the time I do it'll be July.

I don’t know. Just wondering if I am the only one and why you wouldn’t do it.

If it is wet at all in the night before freezing, it freezes to the screen. I use one regularly.

I have also adopted the 'sandwich bag and hot water' trick to clear my car these days.

and why you wouldn’t do it.

Because scraping doesn't take very long and I don't have to faff with a frozen or wet tarp.

What do you do with it when it's off? If you put it in the boot you end up with water in the boot. If you put in a shed then by the time you've done it's take just as long as scraping! 🙂

Next door does it - as I WFH, happy* to scrape if I have to go anywhere, a fan heater on an extension cable will clear it in less than five minutes if we have to go somewhere in a rush. Heated windscreen FTW, wish I still had the Focus right now...

* Not happy - prepared might beca better word...

Never had a sheet stuck.
Folding is much quicker than scrapping/ defrosting.

Now I leave the tarp on top of tailer, when I lived in Terrace I folded it and put it behind the bins, when I lived ina flat a quick shake and brush and most of the use was off then in the boot. Easy peasy. My way is best you all suck.

Used the tarp in years past until on particually damp frosty day where the corner of it froze to the paint on my bonnet with expected results when I pulled it off. I didn't like the laquer on that corner anyway.

Only discovered the sandwich bag full of hot water this year but I love it. Fill two up, one for each hand. Clear the screen super quick and get warm hands as a bonus! Previously I was a warm water from the tap kinda guy, which is also really quick but more scope for a soaking when you turn the wipers on with the door open (I know...)

I do it and loads of people on my street do too.

I doubt it's faster than running a scraper over the screen, down here at least.

My OH does. She's got a special sheet which is blue on one side and silver on the other. Which way is supposed to be 'up' I have no idea. It works though. Last time I had to take it off wet I threw it over the clothes maiden indoors.

I've never bothered. A kettleful of lukewarm water and I'm good to go, takes seconds. Scraping's for the birds.

Bottle or two of warmish water, heated screen (9yr old Transit, not a posh expensive car) and job done

I have also adopted the ‘sandwich bag and hot water’ trick to clear my car these days.

The what, now?

I have also adopted the ‘sandwich bag and hot water’ trick to clear my car these days.

Saw that the other day. Good idea if you are boiling the kettle for something.

Another one I don't see anymore is cardboard Infront of half the radiator. My dad did this all the time bitd.

I have always just left car with wipers raised so that blades don't freeze to the screen and damage them, then used the warm water in old milk carton over it, works fine.

I doubt it’s faster than running a scraper over the screen, down here at least.

You would be wrong. Pull a sheet off. Done.

I do it and loads of people on my street do too.

A haven of sensible people.

I have always just left car with wipers raised so that blades don’t freeze to the screen and damage them, then used the warm water in old milk carton over it, works fine.

Yeah I've had to piss on my screen to but never had a milk carton handy, just stood on the bonnet.

I picked up a cover from the aisle of dreams in Aldi. Nowt worse than finishing a 12hr night shift and having to scrape the windscreen.

It's gets a shake then rolled up and chucked either in the rear foot well or boot.

Yeah I’ve had to piss on my screen to

Also had to piss on my lock as well. Just sharing.

**STW Privilege**

Just press a button on the app, car heats up, windscreen de-ices. Get in car, drive off. Simple.

What do you do about your side windows?

I presume you're all good motorists and scrape those so you have clear all-round vision.

From a relatively slow start this thread has ramped up to being one of the funniest I've read for a while!

re cardboard on half the radiator. I am contemplating it for the van to warm it up a bit quicker. However, many modern (higher end?) cars have mechanical louvres that can open and close to allow more airflow or block it off if needed. Usually vacuum operated.

I use an old picnic blanket which is plastic on one side and fabric on the other. Fabric side down, tucked in to top of front doors as I shut them. Works a treat, gets put over the wheelie bins when not on the car.

I've been driving my daughter round her paper round this week (-9, most roads still not gritted so she's not cycling, insert comments about kids nowadays being soft etc. here). Its great when getting up at 6.30am to not have to clear a windscreen.

Got a silvery plasticy thing.
tucks into the doors.
Shake off the ice or moisture, put in boot.
As its reflective I use it in summer too when its hot out.

Engine on, heated seats on, rear window heater on, heater on full, cover off and in boot, scrape the side windows.

Heater is a bit slow to warm up (2013 diesel) so its a few minutes before its blowing hot air. When i forget the cover and have to manually scrape, the inside fogs up about 30 seconds after setting off.

What do you do about your side windows?

I presume you’re all good motorists and scrape those so you have clear all-round vision.

Tarp drapes over them so the frost is much reduced. Then scrape but as the frost is reduced and tapered towards the tarp it's super quick.

I saw one on a car this morning that was shaped to go round the side windows, and had little pockets for the wing mirrors to keep them clear too. I'll probably just keep using my old silver windscreen shade, and an old yoga mat on the tailgate, but it seemed a good idea.

re cardboard on half the radiator. I am contemplating it for the van to warm it up a bit quicker. However, many modern (higher end?) cars have mechanical louvres that can open and close to allow more airflow or block it off if needed. Usually vacuum operated.

Never seen that, I have seen in the state's and Canada let of the trucks have a external rad cover with poppers so you can open it half or just a corner depending on how cold it is. These are their big 5+l trucks though so a big lump to heat up.

Another one I don’t see anymore is cardboard Infront of half the radiator. My dad did this all the time bitd.

This is from a time when cars had a permanently on fan driven by a fan belt. In cold weather they may literally never warm up fully, so blocking off half the radiator was a way to combat that. Not needed with thermostatically controlled electric fans these days.

Which begs another question about what is actually broken when people say their fan belt is gone 😁

My vote for Post Juxtaposition Of The Day:

Yeah I’ve had to piss on my screen
...
It’s gets a shake then rolled up and chucked either in the rear foot well or boot

We have a silver thing but it really isn't that much faster than scraping* after you faff with it. Fro reference its been 5 days since the needle was above about -5 and has been as low as -13

*i mean it is obviously slower but 1minute compared to 45seconds** is hardly a big deall and the craper does all the windows and the lights

** i hape a great scraper

Usually vacuum operated.

All the ones i've played with are mechanically operated. No vacuum anywhere.

Also, most cars ICE don't even send coolant through the radiator until it's at ~50 degrees. They have a thermostatic bypass valve. Electric cars, it's all

Only time i've done the sheet over the screen it took me about 10 minutes to pick all the frozen bits off the screen once it fell apart.
i'd rather put the heater on, or stick the car in the garage (and deal with the puddles)

Bottle or two of warmish water, heated screen (9yr old Transit, not a posh expensive car) and job done

I've seen that on my ride to work a few times this week - a patch of ice where someone poured water over the car which became a hazard two minutes later. 🙁

**STW Privilege**

Just press a button on the app, car heats up, windscreen de-ices. Get in car, drive off. Simple.

”Hey Siri, sort the car out please”

My partner tried the sandwich bag trick.
Worked really well up to the point she punctured the bag on the wiper arm and somehow managed to break the wiper mechanism.

I prefer to keep the faith with an application of Rain X.
The ice doesn't seem to stick to the screen quite as much with a nice coating of rain X beneath it!

Bottle or two of warmish water, heated screen (9yr old Transit, not a posh expensive car) and job done

I’ve seen that on my ride to work a few times this week – a patch of ice where someone poured water over the car which became a hazard two minutes later. 🙁

I use a wine bottle, drivings a bit tricky after so I try and drink the wine in advance.
It's just enough hot water to do the side windows and the screen if I cba to wait for the heated screen, or it's my car which has no heated screen.

I park on the driveway, so it's only hazardous to any cats wanting to take a shit in the gravel.

I use a length of left over insulation foil (bubble wrap lined with foil either side) just tuck it in the doors and ensure it's flat across the windscreen. Haven't had to scrape the windows yet.
Funnily enough i happened upon a YT video last night showing the sandwich bag with warm water trick, seemed to work wonders for clearing fairly thick snow/ice.

Yep bit of old sheet on windscreen. Remove in morning and chuck in back of van and off I go.

Screen covers on both cars when it's icy.

Makes a big difference, only have to scrape the side windows and then ready to go.

It's a bit of a PITA when there's 10cm of snow on the bloody thing though.

The what, now?

@pondo

Suitable water holding bag, hot (but not boiling) water. Just rest on screen and move it around.
In really cold weather, it refreezes I find (although clear ice), but moderate freezing and a quick wipe of windscreen wipers and you are good to go.

The ice doesn’t seem to stick to the screen quite as much with a nice coating of rain X beneath it!

I find that it doesn't always freeze when other cars around are white-over. The problem comes when you flick the wipers to clear the moisture, it freezes instantly 🙂

I use a silver/reverse black cover, but not on a wet screen. Hang it up at work to dry and occasionally forget it

Warm water and a 6 pint milk bottle, works, and the screen is warm enough not to mist up when you drive off.

Only discovered the sandwich bag full of hot water this year but I love it.

I used to do that but got sick of my lunch being soggy.

I was going to post about the thermostat but then I realised that in cold weather the engine airflow might also cool the block a bit so might still benefit from the cardboard a bit.

Karrimat.But cardboard, half a tent or even a poper cover works well. Funnily the side windows on my landy don't seem to freeze.

Scraping ftw, just scrape a letterbox sized hole, press your nose to the windscreen and Bob's your uncle!
As an added bonus it acts as ghetto privacy glass so you can swan about like the local drug dealer.

I've just discovered the electric heater on extension lead trick the last couple of days. Has worked very well but it's quite a faff. Milk bottle / plastic bags full of hot water sounds like a good solution.

I've been sure to not direct the electric heater at the windscreen because it's bloomin' hot - my worry with a hot bottle would be it's too hot / risk of cracking? I know some comments on those YouTube videos doing the rounds say "no chance"

Likewise 10 year old diesel, no chance of heat for like 20 minutes. When it's above freezing air con clears the mist fine, but not when it's this cold. I do miss my focus's heated windscreen, too!