Don't scrape your windscreen to clear frost...

facade

You could get heated front screens for the series III Landrover, many many years ago.

Buses used to have them donkeys ago, might still do.

No idea why manufacturers don't fit them.

I suppose they come under the heading of stuff you actually want on a car (air-con, leather steering wheel, cheap tyres, heated mirrors, heated front screen, rev counter, temperature gauge, instruments with white numbers on a black face) so they don't get fitted, but you must have white instruments, pointless spot lights under the bumper, colour co-ordinated door handles, massively expensive low profile tyres that jar your teeth out over a blade of grass on the road etc. etc...

sillygoose

facade wrote: »

You could get heated front screens for the series III Landrover, many many years ago.

Buses used to have them donkeys ago, might still do.

No idea why manufacturers don't fit them.

I suppose they come under the heading of stuff you actually want on a car (air-con, leather steering wheel, cheap tyres, heated mirrors, heated front screen, rev counter, temperature gauge, instruments with white numbers on a black face) so they don't get fitted, but you must have white instruments, pointless spot lights under the bumper, colour co-ordinated door handles, massively expensive low profile tyres that jar your teeth out over a blade of grass on the road etc. etc...

Not to mention the self-dimming anti dazzle rear view mirror! what a waste of money. Firstly they reduce what you see behind to just headlights so it can be a bit of a shock to find a marked patrol car was right behind when you do your dukes of hazzard impression over the bridge..

Secondly I have it in an SUV so are too high up to be dazzled by lights behind anyway unless they are pointing skywards. I would trade it for something useful like a boot liner or rain sensing wipers any day!

Kim_kim

sillygoose wrote: »

With the new car I am getting soon I can turn on the heating in it and the defrost function from an app on my phone, then go back to bed for another 10 minutes. By the time I am ready it will be all thawed and cosy.



Hot water bottles? nah.

I test drove this.
I guess you're going for the 4?
I'm thinking about the price difference & features between the 3 & 4 (& what colour to get!).
Have you got yours yet? Any advice for me?

forgotmyname

You can buy a Rover 75 diesel for less than £1500 with a parking heater operated by a timer or remote control.

It warms the engine and heats the interior and defrosts the screens. Uses a cup of fuel an hour. But your engine gets a nice warm start. Less wear and tear.

Flying-High_2

Never Scraped any of mine... Always been under cover or I'll fire them up go back and finish breakfast and theyre good to go when needs be.

forgotmyname

Flying-High wrote: »

Never Scraped any of mine... Always been under cover or I'll fire them up go back and finish breakfast and theyre good to go when needs be.

BIL did that. Started it up put the demister fan on and went inside to pickup his wallet. Came out to see a policeman holding the remains of his garden gates.
They went to arrest him around the corner he leaped some back gardens and came out in a garden where some helpful person had warmed a car up and left it running with the keys.

God must have been smiling on him that day.

alastairq

The problem with scraping screens, and the risk of scratching the glass, stemmed many years ago from people wearing [diamond?] rings, and forgetting to keep them out of the way.

Best excuse ever for getting out of having to buy one?

I use a plastic scraper, rather than anything wet..[which might freeze again as one drives off?]...providing the scraper is frequently given a wipe, to avoid trapping grit, it works better than anything....mine has a rubber blade as well, for the softer frost/ice.

But, there's nothing like sitting in an ice cold car, with the electric screenheaters on, demisters on,running the engine for several minutes whilst it de-ices. By the time its clear, I find I need a pee!

jc808

njb783 wrote: »

Instead, 10 minutes before you need to see through the windscreen, place one or two (to clear passenger's view and the driver's wider view) hot water bottles inside, on the dashboard (what is called the scuttle, in some circles).
Hot water bottles WITHOUT COVERS....you want them to quickly warm the air under the glass.
This method prevents damage and annoying scratches to the glass, keeps your hands warm, and when you go to drive away, you can stick the bottles on your seat - or share them with the kids if you are doing the deadly school run.
This is FAR better than running the engine for 5 minutes and polluting your neighbourhood, and it will save you fuel.
:beer:

Bought to you by Viz 'top tips' section....

BeenThroughItAll

jc808 wrote: »

Bought to you by Viz 'top tips' section....

Only 91 posts late on picking that up, I'm afraid

Marktheshark

I fill the watering can with like warm water and rinse the ice off.
Despite the old wives tales, in 35 years of doing this the windscreen has never cracked.