Your defrosting technique
Discussion
For those of us who leave for work early in the morning and don't have the luxury of a garage or a Cayenne with a preheater...
Normally I'd get in my car, turn the front and rear heated elements on, put the heater on full blast and put the heated seats on max, then I'd scrape the side windows and I'd be away within 45 seconds.
Only this car isn't a Ford so it doesn't have a front quickclear, and to make matters worse it has frameless windows which means it takes me 10 minutes to get into the bloody thing.
I've tried conditioning all the window seals, spraying a ton of de-icer on them before finally scraping off any remnants of ice, in the end I can get the door open it's a b
d to shut it properly again and I need to resort to brute force.
Then I've got to scrape the windscreen because there are no elements in the glass, but then when I get in the car I sometimes find a film of mist quickly appears on the inside of the glass and this takes forever to shift because of the huge 25 litres of coolant these cars have.
Oh and I mustn't forget to scrape the headlights either, due to their angle they too are susceptible to half an inch of frost.
Harmless rant but tips welcome
Normally I'd get in my car, turn the front and rear heated elements on, put the heater on full blast and put the heated seats on max, then I'd scrape the side windows and I'd be away within 45 seconds.
Only this car isn't a Ford so it doesn't have a front quickclear, and to make matters worse it has frameless windows which means it takes me 10 minutes to get into the bloody thing.
I've tried conditioning all the window seals, spraying a ton of de-icer on them before finally scraping off any remnants of ice, in the end I can get the door open it's a b
d to shut it properly again and I need to resort to brute force.Then I've got to scrape the windscreen because there are no elements in the glass, but then when I get in the car I sometimes find a film of mist quickly appears on the inside of the glass and this takes forever to shift because of the huge 25 litres of coolant these cars have.
Oh and I mustn't forget to scrape the headlights either, due to their angle they too are susceptible to half an inch of frost.
Harmless rant but tips welcome
Not sure I can be much help, as I garage my car, but my thoughts anyway.
Firstly, I really don't like the thought of using a scraper. It can cause damage to the glass. Gentle use to remove snow is fine, but I wouldn't do it for ice.
Have you considered warm water? No need for hot, but enough to get things thawed.
The low freezing pint sprays can be very useful too. Use after warm water to stop the residue water from re-freezing.
Firstly, I really don't like the thought of using a scraper. It can cause damage to the glass. Gentle use to remove snow is fine, but I wouldn't do it for ice.
Have you considered warm water? No need for hot, but enough to get things thawed.
The low freezing pint sprays can be very useful too. Use after warm water to stop the residue water from re-freezing.
SkinnyPete said:
For those of us who leave for work early in the morning and don't have the luxury of a garage or a Cayenne with a preheater...
Normally I'd get in my car, turn the front and rear heated elements on, put the heater on full blast and put the heated seats on max, then I'd scrape the side windows and I'd be away within 45 seconds.
Only this car isn't a Ford so it doesn't have a front quickclear, and to make matters worse it has frameless windows which means it takes me 10 minutes to get into the bloody thing.
I've tried conditioning all the window seals, spraying a ton of de-icer on them before finally scraping off any remnants of ice, in the end I can get the door open it's a bd to shut it properly again and I need to resort to brute force.
Then I've got to scrape the windscreen because there are no elements in the glass, but then when I get in the car I sometimes find a film of mist quickly appears on the inside of the glass and this takes forever to shift because of the huge 25 litres of coolant these cars have.
Oh and I mustn't forget to scrape the headlights either, due to their angle they too are susceptible to half an inch of frost.
Harmless rant but tips welcome
Can you run a flex out to the car? If I know it will be a cold/forsty night I'll stick a 1kW electric heater in the car the night before and run it for 10 minutes or so before I need to leave the next morning.Normally I'd get in my car, turn the front and rear heated elements on, put the heater on full blast and put the heated seats on max, then I'd scrape the side windows and I'd be away within 45 seconds.
Only this car isn't a Ford so it doesn't have a front quickclear, and to make matters worse it has frameless windows which means it takes me 10 minutes to get into the bloody thing.
I've tried conditioning all the window seals, spraying a ton of de-icer on them before finally scraping off any remnants of ice, in the end I can get the door open it's a b
d to shut it properly again and I need to resort to brute force.Then I've got to scrape the windscreen because there are no elements in the glass, but then when I get in the car I sometimes find a film of mist quickly appears on the inside of the glass and this takes forever to shift because of the huge 25 litres of coolant these cars have.
Oh and I mustn't forget to scrape the headlights either, due to their angle they too are susceptible to half an inch of frost.
Harmless rant but tips welcome
Pour hot/ warm water over it all, only as much as necessary as excess will run off and freeze on the drive. Unsticks your windows and doors mirrors etc, start wind screen wipers to clear excess from the screen. I know some will claim that the glass can shatter, never heard of it happening and hasn't happened to me ever.
AW10 said:
Can you run a flex out to the car? If I know it will be a cold/forsty night I'll stick a 1kW electric heater in the car the night before and run it for 10 minutes or so before I need to leave the next morning.
That is a good idea, but how would one get shut the door/close the windows with the cable in place?Just out of curiosity, does anyone have a Cayenne with a preheater and if so how effective is it?
A friend had a TDV8 Range Rover with one but the cabin stunk of fumes every time he used it.
I've used a few things over the years...
1) a fan heater in the car 10 mins before leaving. Doors will generally get the first click on the latch allowing a cable to be run in to the car. We've even had weatherproof sockets fitted to the outside of the house to make it easier. ETA - added bonus is a warm interior too.
2) a decent screen cover. I can highly recommend www.icescreen.co.uk - the mirror covers are also good
3) when we've left TVRs out in winter, silicone lubricant (Halfords sell it) on the runners works well. Vaseline also works, but may degrade the rubber over time.
1) a fan heater in the car 10 mins before leaving. Doors will generally get the first click on the latch allowing a cable to be run in to the car. We've even had weatherproof sockets fitted to the outside of the house to make it easier. ETA - added bonus is a warm interior too.
2) a decent screen cover. I can highly recommend www.icescreen.co.uk - the mirror covers are also good
3) when we've left TVRs out in winter, silicone lubricant (Halfords sell it) on the runners works well. Vaseline also works, but may degrade the rubber over time.
Edited by Podie on Sunday 4th January 17:12
Baz99 said:
Pour hot/ warm water over it all, only as much as necessary as excess will run off and freeze on the drive. Unsticks your windows and doors mirrors etc, start wind screen wipers to clear excess from the screen. I know some will claim that the glass can shatter, never heard of it happening and hasn't happened to me ever.
Got to be Honest this is my trick also it never fails..... LOLMPOWERBULLA said:
Baz99 said:
Pour hot/ warm water over it all, only as much as necessary as excess will run off and freeze on the drive. Unsticks your windows and doors mirrors etc, start wind screen wipers to clear excess from the screen. I know some will claim that the glass can shatter, never heard of it happening and hasn't happened to me ever.
Got to be Honest this is my trick also it never fails..... LOLDon't use my Porsche in the winter but for any daily drive I throw an old dust sheet over it trap the corners In the doors to stop it blowing off. If it is realy cold I put a small fan heater in the night before with a lead to the garage flick it on 5 minutes before you go out in the morning job sorted.
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