Quick de-icing advice?

[Shipwright]

Hiya guys!

I am new here, although I have been a 'reader' for quite some time.

I have a question regarding de-icing the car:

When getting the annoying ice stuff off the window, is it best to scrub like a mad man, leave the engine running with all heaters going full blast, splash some warm water over the car, or use somke kind of de-icing spray on the glass?

Also, does idling the engine when it is fairly cold increase wear to the point that it is unadvisable to do it?

What do you do when it is icy and your car resembles a wedding cake decoration?

Regards,

S.

[martine]

Welcome Shipwright!

I've heard the de-icing fluid is not good for your paintwork.

Many Fords have a heated front windscreen - which is wonderful this time of year.

Scraping is effective but you end up with cold hands and can be a lot of work if the ice is thick.

Don't do what one of my neighbours did a couple of years ago...left his car running on the drive, returned to the house and some scallywag nicked it - first I knew was when I saw him chasing down the road behind, shouting. Not only is it illegal (to leave the car), I don't think his insurance company would be too impressed either (it was recovered).

[Custom24]

I used to use de-icer (which I still keep for when I'm not at home), now I just pour very slightly warm water from a watering can, and use a flexi blade to scrape the water off the windows before it re-freezes.

I've found this way so far to be better - you can completely de-ice the car quickly, rather than driving off like most people, still with the windows not quite clear.

My car's manual (Honda '03) says to drive off immediately after starting the engine even when cold, which is at odds with the advice in the latest IAM manual. I choose to believe my car's manual.

[Custom24]

Many Fords have a heated front windscreen - which is wonderful this time of year.

We have an older Ford Mondeo where half of the screen doesn't work, but it's still better than not having it.

[ScoobyChris]

Welcome to the forum.

The best solution is Ford's heated windscreen and I am greatly the one from my last car at this time of year. The heated seats in it were quite nice too! I think whether you leave the car idling depends on whether it's a petrol or diesel. If it's a diesel, it won't warm up until it's put under any load so you're just chucking away fuel and potentially damaging your engine.

My other half swears by using lukewarm water to clear the windows, whereas I tend to use a scraper (or use the windscreen washers with a nice concentrated mix of antifreeze) with the demisters on full blast in the car. A friend of mine puts a small fan heater on the parcel shelf and leaves it running for 10 minutes before he wants to use the car.

Chris

[Shipwright]

Thanks for the welcome, guys!

I suppose I will give the warm water a try in the morning - see how far I get with it! I would imagine the trick is to wipe off the excess to stop it from re-freezing (could be rather "interesting" when driving along).

I too have heard about the risk de-icer spray poses for paintwork. I believe it also is the same for rubber as well.

My car is a Fiat Brava - so no heated windscreen, unfortunately. Rather fortunately, though, is the rear heated windscreen seems to be able to clear itself within about 2 minutes (or less!). Probably the best feature of the car, but I digress.

Thanks for the replies! I will report back in the morning with my water-based de-icing progress.

Cheers,

S.

[Porker]

I too think the Ford screen is excellent, though I have only driven a few cars with them fitted.

I will generally use lukewarm water or deicer. I'm not a big fan of scraping since I have a theory that it scratches the glass. Not too sure about this, but I suspect that, over time, microscopic particles of grit - or even the ice crystals themselves - will damage the glass.

I've not seen any evidence to suggest that deicer causes any problems with either the paint or the rubber parts of the car but I'd be interested to hear if this is the case.

The fan heater is also a rather neat idea.

I suppose the ideal solution is a lovely heated garage - just a dream for most of us though.

regards
P.

[ROG]

CAREFUL - the news is reporting a driver who had the engine running and was de-icing the screen when a thief jumped into the car and ran the driver over

2 sets of keys - start car - lock with second set.

Cold tap water is best and lots of it - works a treat every time BUT the downside is making the ground nice and slippy

[AnalogueAndy]

2 sets of keys - start car - lock with second set.

Be aware though that if the vehicle is parked on the public highway it is an offence to 'quit' the vehicle with the engine running, whether or not the doors are locked:

S42 of the RTA 1988 deals with Construction & Use offences,

'Quitting' is dealt with by Regulation 107 of The Road Vehicles (Constriction and Use) Regulation 1986 (SI 1986/1078 )

"no person shall cause or permit to be on any road any motor vehicle which is not attended by a person duly licensed to drive it unless the engine is stopped and the parking brake is effectively set. Exemptions to the requirements of this Regulation as to the stopping of the engine include a fire brigade vehicle, the engine of which is being used for any fire brigade purpose."

Back on topic. I too am lucky to have a Ford 'quick clear screen' (although unlucky it now has a crack in it) but also use the luke warm water technique, useful too for clearing the general grime and salt spray off the screen at the same time.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

Be very careful that your water is NO MORE THAN LUKEWARM. Otherwise you're liable to hear a sudden noise and see your screen crack in interesting ways as it struggles to cope with differential expansion.

[TripleS]

2 sets of keys - start car - lock with second set.

Be aware though that if the vehicle is parked on the public highway it is an offence to 'quit' the vehicle with the engine running, whether or not the doors are locked:

S42 of the RTA 1988 deals with Construction & Use offences,

'Quitting' is dealt with by Regulation 107 of The Road Vehicles (Constriction and Use) Regulation 1986 (SI 1986/1078 )

"no person shall cause or permit to be on any road any motor vehicle which is not attended by a person duly licensed to drive it unless the engine is stopped and the parking brake is effectively set. Exemptions to the requirements of this Regulation as to the stopping of the engine include a fire brigade vehicle, the engine of which is being used for any fire brigade purpose."

I remember a story from long ago (they all are, aren't they!) about a chap who stopped his car and left the engine running while he nipped into a shop for a newspaper. When he returned to his car he found two police officers awaiting him, and they proceeded to lecture him about leaving his vehicle unattended with the engine running. A small boy who happened to witness this said "Hey Mister, look, they've left their engine running" - and pointed to the police car across the road. Exit two police officers without further ado.

In truth I imagine the police also have an exemption for this sort of thing, but I still like the story.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[zadocbrown]

I think I read about a case involving a filling station where it was found that the driver didn't necessarily have to be actualy inside the vehicle to be 'in attendance'. Anyone else remember that? (quite some time ago)

[MikeG]

We have an older Ford Mondeo where half of the screen doesn't work, but it's still better than not having it.

Might be worth checking the fuses. Focus and C-Max have a seperate (40amp.) fused supply to each half of the screen. May be the same with the Mondy.

Mike

[Big Err]

I purchased a small fan heater for under £10 from a popular store we used to have around the country. You might have heard of it, Woolworths?

I run an extension lead with a power breaker from a socket in the garage (boat lives in the garage, not the cars) and place the heater on the rear self of the car. Run the heater on low heat for 10 mins and not only are your windows clear, but the car interior is warm.

Remove said heater from the vehicle, start the car, put car heater on recirculate and drive off without everything frosting over again.

It even worked on Sunday morning when it was -7 deg C here.

[Custom24]

We have an older Ford Mondeo where half of the screen doesn't work, but it's still better than not having it.

Might be worth checking the fuses. Focus and C-Max have a seperate (40amp.) fused supply to each half of the screen. May be the same with the Mondy.

Mike

Cheers Mike, will do