ways to prevent ice on windscreen overnight
Discussion
sawman said:
I havent read all of this but whats wrong with a scraper. turn the car on, heater full on, scrape the windows and a minute or so later you are on your way. As the car has warmed up a bit it doesnt tend to steam up so much when you are breathing inside.
Cant see what the fuss is about....
Too right! And as someone else has mentioned - it warms you up a bit too! My van takes 5 minutes max! It's a Vauxhall Combo so the windscreen and side windows are tallish.Cant see what the fuss is about....
Failing that, I'd like to see if a hot water bottle wedged between the dash and windscreen base would work at all...
useyourdellusion said:
sawman said:
I havent read all of this but whats wrong with a scraper. turn the car on, heater full on, scrape the windows and a minute or so later you are on your way. As the car has warmed up a bit it doesnt tend to steam up so much when you are breathing inside.
Cant see what the fuss is about....
Too right! And as someone else has mentioned - it warms you up a bit too! My van takes 5 minutes max! It's a Vauxhall Combo so the windscreen and side windows are tallish.Cant see what the fuss is about....
Failing that, I'd like to see if a hot water bottle wedged between the dash and windscreen base would work at all...
ambuletz said:
Is there no way of making some kind of home-brew De-icer spray? Surely those de-icer cans are just water with a high salt content? Perhaps dissolving a ton of salt in some water and putting it into a pump action spray bottle would do the trick? I duno.
would be nice to know of some home-brew methods of de-icing and de-misting and mist prevention.
Usually ethylene glycol, which is a type of alcohol. Pour bargain vodka all over it... or if you're a bit posh then a nice 40 year old malt.would be nice to know of some home-brew methods of de-icing and de-misting and mist prevention.
Deranged Granny said:
useyourdellusion said:
sawman said:
I havent read all of this but whats wrong with a scraper. turn the car on, heater full on, scrape the windows and a minute or so later you are on your way. As the car has warmed up a bit it doesnt tend to steam up so much when you are breathing inside.
Cant see what the fuss is about....
Too right! And as someone else has mentioned - it warms you up a bit too! My van takes 5 minutes max! It's a Vauxhall Combo so the windscreen and side windows are tallish.Cant see what the fuss is about....
Failing that, I'd like to see if a hot water bottle wedged between the dash and windscreen base would work at all...
steebo888 said:
Monkeylegend said:
Just buy a scraper and scrape it off. Warms you up at the same time and takes no longer than de-icer.You can even get a scraper with a light on so you can see what you are scraping. Why make life more complicated than it needs to be.
Its more of an issue on the 12 hour nightshifts as i need to get away quickly when finsihing at 7am. A 5-10 min delay can add 30-45 mins to my driving time. I commute home on the A1 from Doncaster, then on the M62 passing Leeds which can be very busy.
One thing I've noticed working night shifts is that if I park my car nose in to the building as opposed to facing out, the screen doesn't ice up anywhere near as much. Really annoys the driver trainers but saves me a few minutes of scraping. I've also got a Ford with a heated screen which is worth it's weight in gold!
tting on it the night before is meant to be quite effective. Don't listen to anyone that says piss on it definitely not as good.Buy a monkey (available from most corner shops, just ask the attendant at the front desk). With a little knowledge and some small banana flavoured treats, you should be able to train it quite easily. Once fully trained, probably within around 2-3 years, this monkey can then be used as a 'de-icer monkey'. He can EITHER start the car for you 20 minutes or so before you need to leave work, alternatively, and this would prbably require a little more training, you can teach him how to become a 'wee monkey'. This would involve carrying him round in your pocket for the large majority of the day, complete with small monkey sized bucket, then whenever you need to answer natures call, you can pop your flies down, he'll wriggle into position and bucket your wee for future use on your vehicles solidly frosted windscreen on your behalf (thus negating the risk element usually associated with urinating).
Now you have a fully trained monkey in both starting cars AND catching urine in a bucket, a sort of swiss army monkey if you will. This monkey can then be used, not only at your beck and call to pander to all of your de-icing needs, but to act as a rudimentary portaloo. This monkey will have only cost you around £50 as initial outlay and roughly £3500 in banana flavoured treats with which to train him, so can now be sold on eBay for around £6000 and advertised as 'multi-monkey, the double use simian friend' - should net you a tidy return on investment at the same time. The profit made can then go on a MK2 Mondeo with a heated front windscreen as previosuly mentioned in this thread.
Happy to help, it's just what I do.
Now you have a fully trained monkey in both starting cars AND catching urine in a bucket, a sort of swiss army monkey if you will. This monkey can then be used, not only at your beck and call to pander to all of your de-icing needs, but to act as a rudimentary portaloo. This monkey will have only cost you around £50 as initial outlay and roughly £3500 in banana flavoured treats with which to train him, so can now be sold on eBay for around £6000 and advertised as 'multi-monkey, the double use simian friend' - should net you a tidy return on investment at the same time. The profit made can then go on a MK2 Mondeo with a heated front windscreen as previosuly mentioned in this thread.
Happy to help, it's just what I do.
My Dad always used to cover his windscreen with a old curtain/sheet etc - similar to the bin bag idea. Tucked under the wipers and in the door shuts the screen was kept perfectly clear...
One night it was clear and cold, so on went the sheet.. during the night the weather changed, it warmed up slightly and rained. a lot. The rain soaked the curtain/sheet and got past the door seals, end result was wet carpets. Not fun trying to dry that out before the weather got cold again and the car froze from the inside..
One night it was clear and cold, so on went the sheet.. during the night the weather changed, it warmed up slightly and rained. a lot. The rain soaked the curtain/sheet and got past the door seals, end result was wet carpets. Not fun trying to dry that out before the weather got cold again and the car froze from the inside..
ludicrous speed said:
XTR2Turbo said:
For night shift - hot flask left in the boot. Chuck over the screen and be a way in seconds.
Best idea yet!Certainly if there are any cracks my understanding was this was one thing you should avoid.
ETA - This is definitely a great feature on Fords... Both my mondeos had them, and my current XJ. 2 mins even a heavy frost is cleared!
Edited by Dimski on Tuesday 16th November 19:55
Trigger de icer spray. Not aerosol.
Asda has the one on 2 for £3 just now.
3/4 squirts does the windscreen , 1 on each side window, 2 on the back.
Spray windows after you have started the car and put the fan on full to the window and by the time you get in you , one flick of wipers later and off you go.
Ford quickclear screens are amazing, had them on two 2002 Mondeos, 30 secs and you are good to go.
Asda has the one on 2 for £3 just now.
3/4 squirts does the windscreen , 1 on each side window, 2 on the back.
Spray windows after you have started the car and put the fan on full to the window and by the time you get in you , one flick of wipers later and off you go.
Ford quickclear screens are amazing, had them on two 2002 Mondeos, 30 secs and you are good to go.
I have a double garage and it's already filled with cars and stuff. So, our daily drivers stay outside in front of the garage.
Thirty years ago, we had our kitchen floor covered in a cushion of thick lino. Forget the name of the stuff. There were a few off cuts two of which I retained as they were of similar size to the average car windscreen.
Lost count of the times I've used these to cover the screens of our cars overnight when frost looks likely. I set the wipers in the upright position and there's sufficient length of the Lino to trap each end in the door shuts. That way if it turns windy, less chance of blowing away. Takes a few sedconds to remove and away you go with a perfectly clear screen. Place the stuff over the fence to dry and all dry and ready for next time. very flexible, it easily rolls up into a tidy tube for storage.
Broadsheet newspaper also works well trapped under the wipers and door shuts. Three or four sheet layers work effectively.
Thirty years ago, we had our kitchen floor covered in a cushion of thick lino. Forget the name of the stuff. There were a few off cuts two of which I retained as they were of similar size to the average car windscreen.
Lost count of the times I've used these to cover the screens of our cars overnight when frost looks likely. I set the wipers in the upright position and there's sufficient length of the Lino to trap each end in the door shuts. That way if it turns windy, less chance of blowing away. Takes a few sedconds to remove and away you go with a perfectly clear screen. Place the stuff over the fence to dry and all dry and ready for next time. very flexible, it easily rolls up into a tidy tube for storage.
Broadsheet newspaper also works well trapped under the wipers and door shuts. Three or four sheet layers work effectively.
Dimski said:
ludicrous speed said:
XTR2Turbo said:
For night shift - hot flask left in the boot. Chuck over the screen and be a way in seconds.
Best idea yet!Certainly if there are any cracks my understanding was this was one thing you should avoid.
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