What is the best way to get ice off car windows? My neighbour pours warm water over hers but my husband thinks that is wrong. I use a scraper and de-icer but it takes ages and the windscreen seems to freeze over again fairly soon.
Is warm water the best way?
Somebody told me once that you could crack the screen with water.Should be ok with warm I would have thought but not sure. :)
I just use the deicer and warm air blowing on it from the inside.
Luckily have not had a day when Have to sweep the snow off with a broom yet :)
My OH who is a long standing commercial driver will never use de icer. ::) he says it rots the windscreen rubber. Luke warm water at a push but he advocates starting the engine and let the car defrost itself. If you have a modern car with air con that needs to be on and the air blower on recirculate. TAkes 5-10 minutes but nothing will sway him to use de icer. Each to their own I suppose- Ps I do have a can of de icer :o but usually use the car's blower system.
My husband thinks it will crack too.
Just went outside to start on it and I couldn't even walk on the path, it was all ice. The dogs are waiting to go out and I have to be at the allotments soon to get ready for the party. Brrrrrr!!
Quote from: Jeanbean on December 20, 2009, 07:55:29
My OH who is a long standing commercial driver will never use de icer. ::) he says it rots the windscreen rubber. Luke warm water at a push but he advocates starting the engine and let the car defrost itself. If you have a modern car with air con that needs to be on and the air blower on recirculate. TAkes 5-10 minutes but nothing will sway him to use de icer. Each to their own I suppose- Ps I do have a can of de icer :o but usually use the car's blower system.
I never thought about the windscreen rubber. I haven't got a modern car though, it's a 14 year old Micra! I have noticed that modern cars don't seem to have the same problem with ice on the windows. Mine frost up again fairly quickly.
Thanks for the advice :)
I too used to have a 1990 micra. Loved the car but defrosting was a problem. I think then I used warm water ,the blower system and a hand de icer. Once defrosted I would turn the circulation to outside and I found this helped it not fog up. As I was usually in work by 6.30 this was a very cold process. Every sympathy Squash64 but enjoy the crisp walk with the dogs and your party. Would be nice if our site did this but at the mo the committee are working their socks off to open further plots and tidy up in general. Perhaps next year
Depends on where you live, neighbourhood wise, but I start my car ten mins before I'm ready to leave and go back in the house. If you have 2 sets of keys you could always lock the car door. I never use de-icer as it's just adding extra pollutants into the environment.
Don't use water! Start the car, turn the heater up then scrape the windows. It should clear in five or so minutes even in the coldest weather.
Thanks for all the good advice.
However, I haven't even managed to walk to the car yet because the path is a sheet of ice. The dogs haven't had their walk and I can't take the soup over to the allotments. Why do we have to have Christmas in the middle of winter? ::)
Quote from: reddyreddy on December 20, 2009, 08:27:15
Depends on where you live, neighbourhood wise, but I start my car ten mins before I'm ready to leave and go back in the house. If you have 2 sets of keys you could always lock the car door. I never use de-icer as it's just adding extra pollutants into the environment.
Ah, but I live in Birmingham and don't have a spare set of keys!
What Flighty said! You can put salt on your path to melt it.
My car wouldn't let me lock it from outside using the spare key with the engine running
While using lukewarm water is good for de-icing the windows, it is not so good if you get water in the locks (will freeze quickly!) and you might end up with a pool of freezing water on the ground next to the car. So although it's probably the best way (apart from starting the engine and letting it warm up on its own), be careful walking around the car.
some folk look at the weather forecast, then put a window protector type thing on their cars at night. (these seem to be postmen, milkmen, delivery drivers etc) ;)
so, what's best for de-icing windows?
answer, don't let it happen, speshly if you rely on your vehicle in bad weather.
Cover? Yes - if in a friendly area.
Meths is quick. Water a hazard on its own.
Pollution? Which is worse - an ounce of Meths, or similar, or 10 minutes engine running? And there's a difference in cost too?
Q: What's best for de-icing car windows?
A: My husband!
Happy Christmas all!
CLx
I picked up two tips years ago on another forum - think it was posted by a long-distance driver...anyway, they're ones I still use if/when I need to...1) for the locks: smear with vaseline if your car's going to be left out. (I also invested in a 'hot key' gizmo & between the two they did the trick). Then for the windscreens (& I had an old car & defrosting using the heating system was a loooooong procedure)....the tip was to keep a rag soaked in salt+ water in a polythene bag in the car. After parking, wipe this rag over the screens. It really did help.
Applying neat windscreen washer detergent to the windows after you park up for the night makes de-icing the next morning more straightforward. Obviously it's less effective if there is a downpour overnight, but as the run off heads towards the wiper blades they're generally not frozen to the windscreen in the morning. (Edit: A similar principle to Hyacinth's salty rag).
As for defrosting, I just turn all the fans towards the windows while I scrape.
This information was imparted to me by a retired research engineer at Pilkington's Glass.
Since the early 70's it has not been a problem using hot water on frozen windscreens. They will NOT crack. This concern pre-dates safety glass.
I don't use boiling water, but I do use pretty hot water and have not had a problem. De-icer is, as has been said, bad for any rubber although most modern cars don't use rubber gaskets any more.
Usually I get some water ready the night before and keep it at room temperature.Then if the ice is really thick on the screen I will use that....otherwise its just the heat from the engine and a short wait of around 5 mins.
I use a window scraper, push it rather than pull, it comes off quicker.
Quote from: CotswoldLass on December 20, 2009, 13:23:59
Q: What's best for de-icing car windows?
A: My husband!
Sounds about right.
I do the wife's car when I do my own because I am up and out to work over an hour before she has to be up. Blown air with both engines on to clear the windscreen, and electric heating on the back windscreen whilst I scrape the side windows. Usually the windscreens are clear once I have finished the sides.
Small tip: Never use a scraper to clear the back window. The small metal heating strip that defrosts it can be broken by the scraper; then its a hole new rear window if you want the heater replaced. (Trust me, I am speaking from a costly experience here).
Our car is permanently outside and we have been down to -16.5C already this winter. I use a strip of old plastic tablecloth across the windscreen, held in place by the two front doors. When it's time to go I use a rubber window cleaning dooberry on a long handle to sweep any snow off the car doors, turn on the engine and rear screen heater, blast the heat towards the windscreen and then carry on scraping snow off the car.
Then I remove the plastic sheet and stash it in the garage which is full of other gubbins so no room for car. No chemicals and no water and all done in minutes.
There's only one way really - scrape. Here, in Switzerland it's forbidden to start the engine whilst clearing the windows or using the engine for this purpose with the car stationary . At least the police are hot on cold mornings... When it's really cold it's also best to not lock the doors, use silicone on the rubber door edgings and trying to avoid lowering a window which can freeze instantly. I've even had to take the battery inside the house in the evenings to be sure of the car starting in the mornings.
Quote from: Hyacinth on December 20, 2009, 13:32:55
I picked up two tips years ago on another forum - think it was posted by a long-distance driver...anyway, they're ones I still use if/when I need to...1) for the locks: smear with vaseline if your car's going to be left out. (I also invested in a 'hot key' gizmo & between the two they did the trick). Then for the windscreens (& I had an old car & defrosting using the heating system was a loooooong procedure)....the tip was to keep a rag soaked in salt+ water in a polythene bag in the car. After parking, wipe this rag over the screens. It really did help.
This sounded great so I tried it last night, husband just came in and said thanks for the extra layer of ice! :-\
QuoteHere, in Switzerland it's forbidden to start the engine whilst clearing the windows or using the engine for this purpose with the car stationary
Why? Seems a weird regulation!
Just looked out the window and theres 6 inches of snow, luckily dont have to drive anywhere, but the downside is that I can't use it as an excuse to skive off work!
It causes air pollution and in towns and cities fumes can build up quite fast especially on sunny days with high atmospheric pressure.
A supervisor where I used to work had a hot water faucet installed in the garage when he built his house just to de-ice car windows. I protested that he ran the risk of cracking a window but he swore that had never happened in all the years he'd done it. So now that is what I also do (not boiling hot water though) and find it very quick and no strain. Only risk is wet shoes or water slopped on me.