if the grounds not cold enough to turn hot water into ice I just chuck a jug of water from the hot tap (55C) and the windscreen and be done. Also warms it up a bit which helps resit steaming up on the inside.
when its as cold as this, blanket if I can remember or just a tonne of deicer
If me and the mates coming back from pub in winter, spotted a car with newspaper covering the windscreen, we'd all wee on it.
Confession over 😳
the clothes maiden
A what?
I had a radiator muff on my series 3 landy for the winter
Likewise 10 year old diesel, no chance of heat for like 20 minutes.
Sure you haven't got an auxilliary electric heater? My 2006 Passat had one as standard afaik. Ok so it's not baking hot but it was clearly warm air. If you really have a problem you can fit a sump heater.
I've been scraping the inside of my screen aswell as the outside over the last few weeks, leaves a lovely festive seasonal coating on the dash for the drive to work. (The joys of a 15 year old slightly leaky van)
saucepan of just warm water from the kitchen, done it for years
A kettleful of lukewarm water and I’m good to go, takes seconds.
ditto. Job, jobbed.
Was hauling the silver sheet off the household taxi yesterday as over the road comes out with a kettle in hand … nnnooooooo thinks I … kettle spout is pointed at the screen up ended and yep CRACK as the ice cold screen meets recently boiled water !
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.
Aaa - thanks @matt_outandabout, will give it a go! 🙂
Just been out to cover ours up must be an old bloke thing saves time and de-icer plus heated screen has 50% missing it might meet with a big chip soon
Got a screen cover for my works van,supplied by work, been a godsend last week or so, whip it off no scrapping misery, not to mention , I cant reach the middle third due to been short arse🤦🏼♂️
"Smug mode on" I just open up the garage door and drive out, car dosent spend enough time outside for the windows to freeze up
Saw someone at work tonight scraping their windscreen with a paper coffee cup from the bin in the car park!
cant reach the middle third due to been short arse
I'm 6'1" and had to use the front tyre to stand on to scrape middle of my van until. Bought a long handled scrapper brilliant for when you miss putting sheet on. Got a brush on other end to sweep off the dust or any snow.
Got mine from Lidl but like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nigrin-6190-Snow-Brush-Scraper/dp/B002WC7N54/ref=asc_df_B002WC7N54/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310744208542&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4462656738927685022&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045705&hvtargid=pla-566103495278&psc=1&th=1&psc=1
Years ago, when I was about 17, my dad bought an Austin Princess (remember those horrible wedge shaped cars?). The sole redeeming feature was it's heater. It could warm the inside of the car and de-ice/de-mist the windscreen in about 2 mins.
Scroll forward a couple of years and when I was looking around for a car for myself, my list was very short i.e. it had to be a Ford of some sort with a heated windscreen 'cos Im too impatient to wait for the blowers to get warm enough to de-mist or de-ice a windscreen.
Why aren't heated screens more popular??? AFAIC, they should be compulsory in wet/cold climate countries...
Someone once told me that Ford took out a patent on heated screens which is why no one else has them. I think it ran out a year or so ago though so no idea why they aren’t standard now. Probably £££
Why aren't car side window heated???
What are motorbikes like for getting going in the cold? Obviously no windscreen but Do they have any specific challenges? I'd imagine just everything you touch being cold ? But then you'd have cold weather gear on.
Why aren’t heated screens more popular???
Cost. Some people can't help but focus on the elements too. They are great but when I had one I can only remember a handful of mornings it was needed, I would do without if it cost a grand. I cracked it loading wood planks, fortunately the windscreen cover paid for a replacement! I've also had heated seats / wing mirrors / washer jets but what I want (really really) is a heated steering wheel. I think they were a Volvo option not seen many cars with this.
What are motorbikes like for getting going in the cold
Flat battery is probably the biggest one for me. Bike lives outside and isn’t being used at minus temperatures, it’s a toy and I don’t have to ride it to get to work so any risk of ice and I sack it off Fortunately I’m mainly running a wee Honda c90 nowadays so that’ll probably kick start. The yam 250 is underground at work but even that was a bit reluctant when I started it yesterday. I have a cover over my bike so that keeps the worst of the ice off, occasionally need to give the seat a scrape and a wipe. Did have a fuel filter cap freeze up once which was a real nuisance.
Heated steering wheel is a god send. Not sure which one is better, that or remote heating. I think I'd take heated steering wheel because I use that every day in the winter.
Someone once told me that Ford took out a patent on heated screens which is why no one else has them. I think it ran out a year or so ago though so no idea why they aren’t standard now. Probably £££
It's longer than a year now but yes, you're absolutely right. It's called Quickclear.
Someone once told me that Ford took out a patent on heated screens which is why no one else has them. I think it ran out a year or so ago though so no idea why they aren’t standard now.
Viral marketing is incredibly persistent. My VW had a heated windscreen, yes with the wires in it and everything, in 2006. It definitely wasn't only Ford that made them.
Having a patent on something doesn't mean noone else can use it, it means they need your permission to use it. Ford must have licensed it to VW.
EDIT and apparently others, the list is quite long:
https://myurbanjungle.com/explore/blog/what-cars-have-heated-windscreens/
what I want (really really) is a heated steering wheel. I think they were a Volvo option not seen many cars with this.
Pretty common as an option now, my Hyundai has it, but I don't use it much. Maybe people aren't specccing it.
Why aren’t car side window heated???
Window go up and down, I can't imagine it would last very long before becoming unreliable
The Ford patent thing seems to be a bit of an urban myth, unless someone can point to the actual patent. Pilkerton produced a heated screen which Ford started to use in the 1970's. Which explains why it also appears on other makes, like VW. It's not been helped by some of the other makes that use them being owned, or used to be owned, by Ford. Obviously this doesn't apply to VW. Patents last up to 20 years, so would have expired a while ago.
Tsk, peasants. One simply parks one's Aston inside.
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I know this place if full of people in expensive cars with heated windscreens
My really expensive 🤣 ford focus had it 10 years ago, bought a VW without it, and when I replaced that I made sure my again really expensive 🤣 skoda yeti came with a heat windscreen. For me it like air con nowadays, no I don't need it but I'm not going to be without it, if I have the option. You may mock, but when you see the amount of idiots who still think a smeared clear bit of a frozen screen is acceptable to drive with, I'll pay the extra.
PS: I clear ALL my side windows while the front and back screen and my mirrors heat up 😉, doesn't take long.
Sure you haven’t got an auxilliary electric heater?
The 12V ones are notoriously bad at burning out/going pop after a few years, most people never notice as it's usually 2nd/3rd owner. They just complain about terrible demisting performance.
Can't remember all the details on the patent for the windscreen (I've read bits of it, and a load of related documentation) but Ford had exclusive rights to use it until some point around the turn of the century, then there was a licencing deal of some sort available for a few years because there was so much money to be made from it once the niggles had been ironed out (visible heater lines and bubbles in the screen). VW were definitely in on that, pretty sure it was related to the Volkswagen Sharan/Ford Galaxy/Seat Alhambra tie up/technology share. Not sure when the patent expired though
Interestingly, there's a move away from heated screens with the move to BEV/HEV cars, the batteries and power available means that you can use full electric AC. Seen some systems that'll provide over 5kW of heating power within 30 seconds of startup from a 400V battery.
Window go up and down, I can’t imagine it would last very long before becoming unreliable
Cant see it being overly problematic given the range of motion is known and can be relatively easily controlled especially if you only bothered when it was fully closed.
My, cheap, fiesta has a heated windscreen. The wires can be annoying under certain lighting conditions so possibly not worth it all round (leaving aside the additional cost).
As an aside has anyone noticed the correlation between people driving badly, especially close passing, and the likelihood of a thick layer of snow on top of the car which they decided doesnt need removing?
Always did lukewarm water from a jug with no problems (on a drive so no hazard to others if the runoff froze). In our previous new van I thought better of this and only scraped which quickly resulted in a scratched windscreen.
Now back to lukewarm water. Also for the side windows, with a wipe from a 50p squeegee if it is really cold.
One day I'll fit an outside socket and go the fan heater route.
I can put my car heaters on from the house or have it set up to come on at a set time, shame it doesn't put the heated seat and steering wheel on though. First world problems and all that.
Hold breath, jump in car, get it started, turn all the warming gear, vacate car.
Whilst it’s warming up, I have a camelback water bottle with warm tap water, it is really directional so I can normally do the whole car.
Done in a couple of minutes.
The water runs down to the old peoples home so I think it’s okay.
Lukewarm water method here, so I don't use a screen cover. Can of spray in car in case I'm caught out.
Scrapers equals scratches.
The Ford patent thing seems to be a bit of an urban myth, unless someone can point to the actual patent. Pilkerton produced a heated screen which Ford started to use in the 1970’s. Which explains why it also appears on other makes, like VW. It’s not been helped by some of the other makes that use them being owned, or used to be owned, by Ford. Obviously this doesn’t apply to VW. Patents last up to 20 years, so would have expired a while ago.
More license agreement that Ford had rather than patent, remember them being on Fords only to begin (early 90s) had a one on my K plate Sierra, and then to brands owned by Ford (Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo, Land Rover).
This ties up with that memory: Quick clear
Why aren’t heated screens more popular??? AFAIC, they should be compulsory in wet/cold climate countries…
Nissan Qashqai had/have a heated screen as an option, all Vauxhall Corsas except for the very base model had heated screens up until Vauxhall became part of Stellantis. They also lost rear parking sensors, but they did get LED headlights as compensation.
A heated screen is about £1000 or so, but closer to £1200 on a Disco or other RR. Still cheaper than one of those s****y full-length panoramic glass roofs, they start at around £1250 if they get cracked, say while loading stuff onto a roof-rack…
I specifically chose a Ford to replace my Skoda, after enjoying the heated screen on my Mk1 Puma. It takes as long to clear as scraping, but I’m sat inside and my fingers and gloves don’t end up wet and numb.
Had a heated screen on my 88 fiesta, plus a few Fords since. Should be standard kit on everything. Like heated rear and mirrors.
