IME they tend to stick to the car, though this was with a thin single-ply nylon one years ago.
My old man used to use an old curtain across the windscreen (and over the engine block as well of my ancient polo, which hated the cold) and that seemed to work. Doesn’t prevent the inside misting up though.
I have sprayed antifreeze on the windscreen the night before and that’s worked, a bit.
I suspect parking it in a garage is probably the best though…
Just use warm water. I’ve been doing this for many years – it works perfectly everytime and takes a very short time to defrost the car. Doesn’t work so well when you’re out for the evening obviously
Am never sure about the warm water thing – that’s quite a temperature contrast and may cause the screen to crack.
I just start the engine, sets the front and rear screens and mirrors to defrost and then set about the windows with a scraper. Warms the inside of the car and warms me before I get in.
Judging by this morning’s laboured start, I think I need a new battery.
I click the remote start when I get out of the shower, quick coffee and when I’m ready for off it’s all toasty and warm, defrosted and up to running temp. 🙂
Just use warm water. I’ve been doing this for many years – it works perfectly everytime and takes a very short time to defrost the car. Doesn’t work so well when you’re out for the evening obviously
Just use warm water. I’ve been doing this for many years – it works perfectly everytime and takes a very short time to defrost the car. Doesn’t work so well when you’re out for the evening obviously
And leaves re-frozen water on the road…
And, judging by the young lady who lives at the end of our road, a kettle on the drive until she returns from work 😆
ourmaninthenorth – Member
Am never sure about the warm water thing – that’s quite a temperature contrast and may cause the screen to crack.
Though this tends to bring out the naysayers who state it’s urban myth, I have h’actually witnessed a mate of mine do this with a freshly-boiled kettle, resulting in a huge crack in his windscreen.
I would have loved to have been able to assist, but spent most of the time doubled up with laughter..
Two keys, one in the ignition with the engine running, use the spare to lock the doors. Nip out and start her up, back in to get my stuff ready and let the dog do his wossname in the garden. By the time I’m ready so is the car.
The water you pour on the windscreen doesn’t have to be boiling, that would just be silly. Just water slightly above freezing will work. I use tepid water and have done for years. I do also sling an old towel over the windscreen and that also works.
Two keys, one in the ignition with the engine running, use the spare to lock the doors. Nip out and start her up, back in to get my stuff ready and let the dog do his wossname in the garden. By the time I’m ready so is the car.
Someone smashes the window, gets in and drives away.
You are not insured as you left the keys in the car with the the nine running.
No payout, no car. (I’d rather use an ice scraper 😉 )
I use an old trick that my grand-parents used. Put a hot water bottle on the dash 15 mins before im ready to leave. Windscreen is both defrosted and demisted in one.
Am never sure about the warm water thing – that’s quite a temperature contrast and may cause the screen to crack.
Doesn’t even need to be warm – just a jug of water from the tap will do a perfectly good job unless its a good way below zero out.
Our courtyard is a frost hollow so our cars / vans tend to be properly frozen in the morning – it can be a good 5 deg colder than the surrounding ambient temp sometimes. At this time of year we empty out the washer bottles an put in decent screen wash concentrate – which is good for down to -20 so long as you don’t dilute it with whats already in the tank (check label to see what temp the stuff is good for as some bottled stuff is pre-diluted). In the morning a sploosh of tap water clears everything and a squirt and wipe of the washers stops anything re-freezing. As well as clearing the ice on the outside the water brings the temp of the glass up a bit and helps the blowers clear mist on the inside too – which scraping the ice off alone doesn’t do.
I use an old trick that my grand-parents used. Put a hot water bottle on the dash 15 mins before im ready to leave. Windscreen is both defrosted and demisted in one.
My Skoda has it-but as Ecky-thump, I now spend time cleaning the partner’s Polo. She would have ordered one for that but they haven’t trickled down the VAG food chain that far yet
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.
diz – Member
I use an old trick that my grand-parents used. Put a hot water bottle on the dash 15 mins before im ready to leave. Windscreen is both defrosted and demisted in one.
This works, except I just use a couple of 2 litre water bottles filled with hot water. Stick them in a bit before you leave. Sorted, and a nice lukewarm drink on your way to work. 😀
Two keys, one in the ignition with the engine running, use the spare to lock the doors. Nip out and start her up, back in to get my stuff ready and let the dog do his wossname in the garden. By the time I’m ready so is the car.
And all the while your car is struggling to pump gloopy syrup around the engine and wearing itself out for the 15 minutes it takes to warm up at idle, when it would take less than 5 minutes to warm up if you cleared the ice and then drove it.
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.
My stock was tepid (never boiling) water, followed by a wipe. If it is cold on the trip home, take a thermos. Needs very little water. The key is NOT TO USE THE WIPERS! Or the water will be dragged across the screen and refreeze when moving.
I cycle anyway, so what do I know! What fairing to keep me warm?
I have a Ford with a quick clear screen. But the screen is dead so only about two thin strips ever clear. This is arguably more annoying than just having to scrape.
What hammer for authentic ‘stone chip’ broken screen?
LOL, I’ve broken a scraper trying to crack the 5mm thick sheet of ice off the outside of the windscreen. Used to be a half hour job.
Thankfully got a car with a built in fuel fired heater and mobile app (Volvo on call thingy).
Takes 3 seconds to start the heater and 10-15 minutes to warm the whole car up, it’s connected in series with the existing cooling system, so brings the whole circuit up to about 40 odd degrees, and the cabin up to whatever I have the AC set to. Which means even the ice and snow on the headlights, bodywork, tail lights and so on is pretty much gone…….. and the window squirter is warmed up.
[Quote]Since getting a Ford with a heated screen, I now get to freeze to death scraping HER windscreen instead![/quote]
Had to scrape my windscreen this morning for the first time in 8 years. Mighty Mondeo has given way to a company car, of which I could choose anything I liked, as long as it was Vauxhall. 🙁 Heated seats and steering wheel are nice though, but the gear knob now feels oddly cold. 1st world problems…