Ice - scrape or spray ?

[Mandrake]

Hi All,

Frosty/icy mornings are nearly with us again (the last two mornings the car has been well and truly frosted) so I was wondering what peoples techniques are for getting their cars de-iced and going in the morning.

Last winter I mostly used the cheap spray on de-icer from the likes of ASDA on the front and rear windows and scraped the side windows with a scraper and didn't really have much trouble.

But this morning (-3 degrees) the windscreen fought me to the bitter end - no amount of spray would dissolve the ice completely, leaving hard icy lumps all over the window which I couldn't seem to scrape off either. I ended up having to head up the road with a limited amount of visibility through the bottom of the window until it thawed out with the heater.

The heater in the Xantia V6 warms up quite quickly - but only if the car is being driven. When driven its pretty hot within about a mile but idling it can idle for 10 minutes with the air barely becoming warm. (Yes, the thermostat is working properly, to my knowledge)

So my morning routine is usually - start the engine, put the rear window demister on, fan on full, air-con on, heat directed to the windscreen, then I go out and start spraying the front and rear windows and scraping the sides, which typically takes me nearly 10 minutes on a morning like this morning.

By the time the windows are done the heater is warmish and the bottom half of the windscreen is usually defrosted enough to see - the rest defrosts fairly quickly after I start driving as the engine warms up quickly on the move. I sometimes put it in sport mode to keep the engine rpm up in the hopes of the heater warming up faster.

One thing I'm not certain about though is the best setting on the climate control to quickly demist/thaw the window ? air-con on or off ? Fresh or recirculate ? fan on maximum (more air flow) or one step down from maximum ? (hotter when the matrix isn't at full temperature)

There's no supplementary heater on the V6 like some of the diesels. What do you guys do ?

[DHallworth]

Start the car, back in the house, have breakfast and coffee and then when I see all the windows clear, leave the house.

Other option is start it, lock it with the spare key and go back in the house

David.

[Hell Razor5543]

Something I have found is that a windscreen treated with Rain-X (the neat stuff, not the spray cleaner) seems to clear far more easily. I think it is because the ice does not stick to it well.

Simon, it is very likely that when you set the front windscreen demister on the air-con comes on automatically. It does on Gracie, and she is a lowly Forte LX.

[Northern_Mike]

2 litre milk container filled with hand-hot water and a decent squirt of Tesco value washing-up liquid to help prevent it refreezing so quickly. Walk out to car. Start engine. Walk round car pouring water over windows and lights, switching on the wipers as I do the front screen and switch the heated rear window on. Get in car. Drive off. Laugh at everyone stood there scraping furtively and wasting fuel.

Now, some will tell you that the salt in the WUL is "bad for the car". It probably is. However, it is a *miniscule* amount, and I mean *miniscule* amount compared to the amount on the roads which the car gets covered in daily.

They'll also tell you that you are guaranteed to crack the windscreen doing this. Nonsense. I've done it every freezing day, often twice a day, all my driving life. Never had a problem. Car windows are rather tougher than that.

I don't understand the mentality of sitting letting an engine idle and waste fuel. As Simon rightly states, the car will be warming up within a couple of mins/a mile or so on the road under load. Engines take *ages* to warm up idling outside, it's a complete waste of fuel and time. I'm never outside for more than about a minute, before I drive off!

[c.morewood]

I use an electric fan heater sitting on the brake lever, for about 5 mins before leaving.. all the windows are de iced, the car is warmish and if you recirculate the air, stays warm for a few miles. costs pennies compared to the pounds you'll pay for de icing products...I agree with "Not Alistair" about the Rain-X makes it much easier to remove ice.

[myglaren]

I use a similar method to Mike.
Bucket of cold or barely warm water sloshed about liberally. Run the engine for a few minutes with the demist/defrost button pushed and the recirculate button too.

Unfortunately my blower module isn't working again, my bodged repair I presume. Should have revisited that and done a proper job.

[Stickyfinger]

I Just turn the thermostat up on the radiator in the garage a little.

[VertVega]

scrape

Edit: but I forgot to mention that I have cabin heater Calix Slim Line 1800
http://www.calix.se/en/products/cab-heaters" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[KP]

Push the button on the park heat remote fob and wait 20mins and then get in and go

Never ever ever ever scrape, it scratches the screen which isn't good for it really.

Warm water always works for me, puts some heat into the screen which helps more than some de icer poop which leaves the screen even colder!

[KP]

Oh and on the warm water mix, 1/2 fill a kettle and boil. Then fill with cold tap water and by the time you get from kitchen tap to car it will have mixed and cooled to a good level and will then heat the screen and melt the ice and snow off. Never fails me on non pre heat equipped cars

[Northern_Mike]

Oh and on the warm water mix, 1/2 fill a kettle and boil. Then fill with cold tap water and by the time you get from kitchen tap to car it will have mixed and cooled to a good level and will then heat the screen and melt the ice and snow off. Never fails me on non pre heat equipped cars

I just fill it from the hot tap. The water comes out at 55c according to the stat on the tank. Never had a problem.

[myglaren]

Last year I watched a neighbour pour (presumably boiling) water from a kettle on her screen.


CraaaaK!

ooops

[VertVega]

It happens here also a taxi driver's wife was trying to be helpful and poured hot water on the windscreen resulting same C r r a a a a k effect ...

[Northern_Mike]

Last year I watched a neighbour pour (presumably boiling) water from a kettle on her screen.


CraaaaK!

ooops

I generally go by the rule that I wouldn't pour anything on my cars I wouldn't pour on my hand. It's been ok thus far.

[RichardW]

I use the fan heater as well - but you need a handy power supply for that!

I broke a windscreen going the other way - had a tiny (and I mean tiny, like the size of child's finger nail clipping, just scratched into the centre of the screen) on our Xsara Picasso. It had been sitting with the engine running for a while (no 1 son being asleep inside it, and the temperature below -10) - we then went out, and I washed the windscreen (I use the screenwash from Lidl, diluted down to -20 strength). Bang - cue a crack from one side to the other of the screen. It was only a few months old as well! OTOH the Xantia has a large bullseye in the passenger side of it, which has been there for 4 years, and no sign of it cracking yet!