Winter and Driving
Author
Discussion

Saleen836

Original Poster:

12,514 posts

239 months

Saturday 21st January 2023
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With the frosty mornings and iced over windscreens why do some drivers think it a good idea to start the car turn the fan on full chat and put the wipers on the clear the screen? we all know that sound as the rubber blades glide over ice!
Anyone else noticed when following other drivers on dark mornings that they rarely or never use main beam?

GranpaB

20,094 posts

66 months

Saturday 21st January 2023
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No, and its unlikely you see that many people driving along with an iced up windscreen.

Got4wheels

555 posts

56 months

Saturday 21st January 2023
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I'm yet to see anyone do this. I only use my wipers and washers to clear the ice after my heated screen has done it's work. Tell you what though, the amount of people you see driving with foggy screens and windows (especially at night) is incredibly high. I try to give them a wide berth.

Michael

Davie

6,261 posts

245 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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Nothing new... just another thing that a worrying proportion of the UK motoring public treat with minimal effort or regard. Add it to those who have tyres at 1.2mm, bulbs out, dogs or kids bouncing about the back seat, are busy making Tik Tok videos at 89mph on the M6, in the rain, 5ft from the car in front, park in disabled baya, don't bother with insurance etc etc...

Sheepshanks

41,227 posts

149 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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Saleen836 said:
With the frosty mornings and iced over windscreens why do some drivers think it a good idea to start the car turn the fan on full chat and put the wipers on the clear the screen? we all know that sound as the rubber blades glide over ice!
Anyone else noticed when following other drivers on dark mornings that they rarely or never use main beam?
One of my sons in law does the peephole in the screen and wipers thing. He crashed into the back of another car but still does it. Our daughter told us last week that he came in and said he’d cleared her car for her - she said there was no way she’d drive it like that.

J__Wood

582 posts

91 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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Davie said:
Nothing new... just another thing that a worrying proportion of the UK motoring public treat with minimal effort or regard. Add it to those who have tyres at 1.2mm, bulbs out, dogs or kids bouncing about the back seat, are busy making Tik Tok videos at 89mph on the M6, in the rain, 5ft from the car in front, park in disabled baya, don't bother with insurance etc etc...
and those that drive off with 10cm of snow frozen to their car (that they just couldn't be ar5ed to properly remove) that after x minutes, because the interior of the car has warmed up, loosens off and becomes a 10kg unguided missile taking out the car/motorcyclist/cyclist/pedestrian around them.

TheInternet

5,267 posts

193 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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Like many cars, ours helpfully activates the wipers after using the washers for a period. On a hard frost morning there is a high-stakes game to be played if you want maximum benefit of the de-icing qualities of the washer fluid whilst avoiding the automatic activation of wipers.

LimaDelta

8,517 posts

248 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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My OH's Mini is prone to sticky doors in the cold weather. We've lightly greased the door seals, but some mornings it feels like I will pull off the door handles when trying to open it to get it running. Would be nice if it had remote start/heating, but I've not had this issue with other cars.

Normal routine though is a couple of bottles of warm water over the glass, and then leave running for 10 mins to get everything nice and warm.

trashbat

6,314 posts

183 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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LimaDelta said:
My OH's Mini is prone to sticky doors in the cold weather. We've lightly greased the door seals, but some mornings it feels like I will pull off the door handles when trying to open it to get it running.
Use silicone spray (you can buy it at Halfords) on the seals - often there are multiple layers. Do the contact surfaces of the door too.

Sheepshanks

41,227 posts

149 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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LimaDelta said:
My OH's Mini is prone to sticky doors in the cold weather. We've lightly greased the door seals, but some mornings it feels like I will pull off the door handles when trying to open it to get it running. Would be nice if it had remote start/heating, but I've not had this issue with other cars.

Normal routine though is a couple of bottles of warm water over the glass, and then leave running for 10 mins to get everything nice and warm.
It happen on wife’s car on the first cold day we had but was fine after that. Could be if you tip water over the car then you’re extending the problem unless the car gets a very long run to dry out.

honest_delboy

1,760 posts

230 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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I was behind a guy this morning who had used his windscreen washers and frozen his windscreen. Hazards on but still driving, crossing into the oncoming lane whilst trying to drive with his head out of the window. Eventually he pulled over into a sideroad, quite stunning behavior.

georgejoshington

423 posts

192 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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My wonderful next-door neighbour - possibly the laziest and certainly a contender for most ignorant man on the planet - has been treating us to the sound of wipers on an iced-up windscreen at 5:30 every morning for the past week or so. This is usually accompanied by the sound of him gunning the engine, presumably in an attempt to warm the car up. God forbid he uses a scraper, let alone some de-icer.


Bobupndown

2,988 posts

73 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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I'm fortunate to live in the back of beyond where there is only one local neighbour. I can start and let my car run and warm up for 10 minutes fairly sure that no little scrote will nick it. I do miss the heated windscreen ov my previous car though.

Sheepshanks

41,227 posts

149 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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georgejoshington said:
My wonderful next-door neighbour - possibly the laziest and certainly a contender for most ignorant man on the planet - has been treating us to the sound of wipers on an iced-up windscreen at 5:30 every morning for the past week or so. This is usually accompanied by the sound of him gunning the engine, presumably in an attempt to warm the car up. God forbid he uses a scraper, let alone some de-icer.
My neighbour does his with warm water which turns the footpath into a skating rink, and we’re on walk-to-school route. I feel compelled to go out and put salt on it after he’s gone.

georgejoshington

423 posts

192 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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Sheepshanks said:
My neighbour does his with warm water which turns the footpath into a skating rink, and we’re on walk-to-school route. I feel compelled to go out and put salt on it after he’s gone.
Hell truly is other people.

Sheepshanks

41,227 posts

149 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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georgejoshington said:
Hell truly is other people.
He’s OK, but he just doesn’t think - he’d be mortified if a kid fell and fractured something.

QBee

22,511 posts

174 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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Another thread that leaves me glad that I have no neighbours, and an electric gate to stop would be car thieves.
Just a simple 5-bar farm gate with a electric arm, worked by a control box linked to my phone.
Mind you, I am not sure the cow next door has the brains to work out how to nick my warming up car.



I know it's a car thread, but as the farners among you will have recognised immediately, they are limousins... getmecoat

Edited by QBee on Sunday 22 January 11:18

Wills2

29,754 posts

205 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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I did a 470 miles round trip last week (over two days) and I'm amazed at how many people will drive in sub zero temps like it's a sunny summer day, they make zero allowance for the conditions and results in the 4 crashes I was delayed by whilst on the trip.

Morning of the trip I was heading to get my car serviced, it was -4c and people where still tailgating each other at 70mph on the bypass, I was stuck for an hour because a bus had smashed into 2 cars and this was before the real 470 mile drive started, the next day on my way back the M1 had 3 crashes on it and around 1.5 hours of delays and tail backs.

So over the two days 2.5 hrs of needless delays all because some people will not drive the conditions.


sixor8

8,613 posts

298 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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It's a combination of a lack of forethought and attempting to make up for it, IMHO.

A lot of people don't even have the foresight to check a weather forecast in the winter. So when they 'arise' at their normal time and have to spend time defrosting the car, they try to make up time in case they're late. It's also why you see the occasional driver looking through a porthole of frost frown

GiantCardboardPlato

5,974 posts

51 months

Sunday 22nd January 2023
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GranpaB said:
No, and its unlikely you see that many people driving along with an iced up windscreen.
I too have rarely seen this, but i guess it’s a bit harder to see out when your own windscreen is iced up.