What's the best way to de-ice the windscreen?

Hillsalt said:
I start my car, turn on the heater and heated rear window and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes whilst enjoying a coffee inside my home, looking out at my thawing car.

Luckily, I have automated gates too.
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That might be good for you but it's not good for the engine.... where could I get some Hillsalt!
 
Probably the best method, if you have one available, is to put your 30k car in your garage instead of a €300 lawnmower and a few tins of paint...

...but anyway, the procedure I follow is:
- start the engine with blowers/demisters off
- scrape all windows and clear the loose ice properly
- get in the car, when the engine temp. gauge moves off the bottom stop, turn the blowers on and rear window and heated mirrors if needed
- when clear, drive off and use a lower gear when possible to get the car to full operating temp. as quickly as possible

Warm water can work if you can clear it but you run the risk of cracks. It's also worth remembering that running the car from cold with the blowers on means your car can take an age to warm up as all the heat that's going in to the coolant is extracted via the heater matrix. The internal blower is for demisting, not melting ice.

Some cars in colder climates have diesel-fuelled pre-heaters to start warming the car as diesels in particular take a long time to get to operating temp.

SSE
 
Its already been said in this thread but theres no need for chemicals or scraping or leaving the engine on. You don't even have to use hot water, just pour luke-warm water over the ice until its gone and then turn the wipers on to get rid of the water. No water on the windscreen, no ice. Takes about 15 seconds and your windscreen is clear.
 
Just warm water from the tab in the kettle. Dont use de-icers. They can damage the rubber on your wipers and windscreen surround making it flaky and brittle over time.

ALWAYS KEEP THE WINDSCREEN BOTTLE TOPPED UP WITH WATER AND SCREEN WASH. I only put water in there and it burst the water pipe from the bottle to the jets!
 
I've had to stop using water. Its just too cold for that these day. Problem with water is that its freezing as you pour it. So your using a lot of water. Also as it hits the ground is also freezing so your making that road/driveway lethal with ice.
 
AlbacoreA said:
Also as it hits the ground is also freezing so your making that road/driveway lethal with ice.
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++++++++++1

Having lived in a cold climate....just scrape it off with a scraper or your credit card.

I actually gave out to a woman the other week who was pouring water all over her windows...water was going all over the path and clearly going to freeze on those same paths and be a lethal hazard to pedestrians.

I was stomping into to work to deal with all the fractures resulting from this stoopidity and our apparent inability to clear our own footpaths.

Grrrrrrrr.........................
 

We put this in all our development newsletters every winter and selfish people still do it...grrrrr
 
AlbacoreA said:
I've had to stop using water. Its just too cold for that these day. Problem with water is that its freezing as you pour it on
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thats very true below a certain temperature....just wondering if adding salt to the water would prevent this happening. Anyone try this?
 
What's the best way to de-ice the windscreen ?

The best way to de-ice the windscreen is not to de-ice it at all.

A large towel thrown over the windscreen the evening before , held together with the wiper blades , and next morning , your windscreen will be perfect.
 

What about the rear and side windows?
 
Foolproof way of defrosting car in morning;

1. start 10/15 mins before driving off.
2. Brush snow/ice off driver's door and side mirrors.
3. Pour kettle of tepid/warm water around driver's door seal and lock.
4. Start car, ensuring wipers are OFF (motor will b urn out if wipers frozen to windcreen), putting heat direct to winodws at setting 3-4, heated rear window ON.
5. Pour kettle of tepid water over windcreen, dry off excess with cloth to avoid re-freeze if necessary.
6. While car is heating up,brush snow/ice off rest of car with good stiff brush, starting with roof, moving to bonnet, boot, then sides.
7. Check windscreen/mirrors/back window clear before driving off, using kettle of tepid water if not as in 5. above.
8. Switch off rear window heater when cleared (hard on battery and also increases fuel consumption)
 
So you are advocating letting water hit the ground (door lock and seal) and letting it re-freeze and endanger other road users and pedestrians?
 
When i lived in snowyland before the locals always kept their wipers clear of the window at night...ie sticking out.

Dunno if that was for snow or frost.
 
shesells said:
So you are advocating letting water hit the ground (door lock and seal) and letting it re-freeze and endanger other road users and pedestrians?
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Perhaps he's advocating the steps for those people who have their own private driveways?

Regardless, they're only suggestions ..... people can assess the risks and follow them or not.

No point in shooting the messenger.
 
shesells said:
So you are advocating letting water hit the ground (door lock and seal) and letting it re-freeze and endanger other road users and pedestrians?
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For Gods sake shesells get a grip!!

You sound like somebody from the health and safety board.

All we are discussing is how to get rid of ice off a car windscreen!!!
 
SparkRite said:
For Gods sake shesells get a grip!!
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Getting a grip is the total problem. We have a communal car park on a slope. So far this year there have been three broken bones due to people falling on fresh ice.

Using water to clear a windscreen in sub zero conditions is only a safe option where the driver knows no pedestrian or other road user is going to have to pass that area e.g. the sole car in a one car household. Using water to de-ice a car in a public area has repercussions for other road users beyond the simple inconvenience of ice on a windscreen.
 
Hillsalt said:
I start my car, turn on the heater and heated rear window and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes whilst enjoying a coffee inside my home, looking out at my thawing car.

Luckily, I have automated gates too.
Click to expand...


Ooh, automated gates...get you

I do the same though (sans electric gates).

Contrary to other posts, this is very good for the engine. Allow it to warm up before using it is always a good idea.
Allowing it to warm down is good too, but no-one does that.
 
I've an old laser card I use I don't like to use water due to the ice that forms on the ground after. Must invest in a good scraper...
 


+1.

It does my head in. I also park in a communal carpark and by far the greatest number of falls Ive seen are from people who have slipped on patches of ice from people pouring water onto cars.
 
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