how can I de-ice my car windows cheaply and easily?

jeffy22

michael37 wrote: »

If you are lucky enough to have access to a garage why not use it for it's intended purpose?

I have not had to scrape or defrost my windscreen first thing in the morning for the last 10 years..... Even with an unheated garage there is enough residual warmth in the glass to keep it clear until the car's heaters warm up.

If I had a garage I'd be using it!!
car also has no heating (its a very old car and I'm a student nurse and can't afford to replace it)
some great ideas guys thanks everyone!

Kingsd316

I just press this button:

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vikingaero

custardy wrote: »

i go out
start the car
set the AC to defrost
put the rear screen heater on
spray the windscreen with de-icer and a quick spray on the sides
scrape the windscreen with my luxury £1 scraper
drive off if im good or give it another spray and scrape/squegee

luckily my cars a fast heater as well

A/c on "most" cars doesn't work at 0 degrees C or below. The light will still come on but the a/c will be off. This is to prevent ice reaching the compressor.

I find that Japanese cars tend to have smaller radiator volumes and heat up quicker than European makes. Also diesels tend to take ages to heat up.

djkarl

to clarify my earlier post
for some reason the person who had the house before had a drive way installed that is actually to narrow to get anything other than a micra/corsa down

wobbley

Surely it's a job for the chauffeur,,,,,?

200888

greenbee wrote: »

but once it's done, if you turn the warm air onto the windscreen, it should stay clear.

in both cars i have owned, the warm air doesnt actually heat up until the car has been moving for a minute or two, i can never get warm air when the car is still sitting on the drive...

i would say to the OP to buy an ice scraper, a couple of quid from halfords or supermarkets do them as well, i used mine the other day, never had to get frost off the car so thick before (snow that had melted and froze again in the night) and it worked really well!

custardy

vikingaero wrote: »

A/c on "most" cars doesn't work at 0 degrees C or below. The light will still come on but the a/c will be off. This is to prevent ice reaching the compressor.

I find that Japanese cars tend to have smaller radiator volumes and heat up quicker than European makes. Also diesels tend to take ages to heat up.

well on mine if i select the defrost it kicks in the AC
if i select the auto option and the temp is below 3 degrees then the compressor stays off

thescouselander

onejontwo wrote: »

Have you tried the pre-icer the night before? Buy this from many shops, spray on the night before if frost is threatening, and simply use your wipers to clean the thin film of frost. If the frost is thick a quick scrape is all it neds.

I tried this once. I thought there was going to be frost as it was getting cold so I applied it to my windscreen - in the morning it was frozen solid! The trouble is it seems the air was dry so there was no frost on any of the other cars in the street and I was the only one scraping ice off the windscreen. I've never bothered with it since!

pineapple

Luke warm water but don't just then leave it or it will freeze over again pretty quickly. Also, careful if you are near a public thoroughfare. If the weather is still freezing, the water runs off and leaves a trail of ice on the ground.

Plushchris

Puzzledbubbles wrote: »

have you tried prevention?

A sheet over the windscreen saves hours in the morning

I would never do this if your car has a "bonded" windscreen.

A couple of years ago I was walking to the shop and saw someone pulling a piece of carpet that had frozen solid to the windscreen, they pulled it and pulled it until *CRACK* they shattered the windscreen and pulled a load of that out too - car full of snow AND broken glass!

I just get up 5 mins earlier and put the heating on in the car, I'd never cover the windscreen.