Hot water, scraper or de-icer?

sheslookinhot

Have those leaving the car with the engine running for 10-20 minutes considered that they are polluting the atmosphere?

Idiot_Savant

I'm always concerned that these plastic scrapers scratch the windscreen. The edge is never flat, or clean. I tend to use an old credit card.

If anyone can recommend a good scraper, however....

sheslookinhot

Idiot_Savant said:

I'm always concerned that these plastic scrapers scratch the windscreen. The edge is never flat, or clean. I tend to use an old credit card.

If anyone can recommend a good scraper, however....

I remember years ago when in Nashua, USA, n business we work up to a freezing morning with thick ice on the car. We searched for a scraper but couldn’t find one. My colleague and I split the windows and proceeded scraping with credit cards. My fingers were freezing and not in a good mood. When entering the car the doors were slammed. A scraper dropped down from the overhead storage beside the rear view mirror/reading lights. 😂

pulliptears

Our local 'newspaper', a term I use loosely, has today posted a video on their Facebook page advocating the use of salt water to clear your windscreen.  "Pour it over and it wont refreeze!" They say.

What could possibly go wrong....😂

alanjuk

Idiot_Savant said:

I'm always concerned that these plastic scrapers scratch the windscreen. The edge is never flat, or clean. I tend to use an old credit card.

If anyone can recommend a good scraper, however....

You can get ones with a brass edge, apparently brass is softer than the glass so will not scratch it.

I've been using one for a few years now without any issues. 
       
https://www.amazon.co.uk/KAJA-Murska-Siluk-scraper-brass/dp/B01MDOYEBY

Brie

wild666 said:

I know there are law saying that you cannot let the car run idling whilst stopped but they can do nothing if it's on a driveway.

Stationary idling is an offence under Section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The act enforces Rule 123 of the Highway Code, which states: "You must not leave a vehicle’s engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road."

I would say that getting your car safe enough to drive (aka with a clear view through ALL windows) is a necessity and that you are more likely to be fined for not clearing them as that would be unsafe.  

Yes - it does add to pollution but even when scraped a car needs to be warm enough to be unfogged as well and that's the other part of the problem.

Idiot_Savant

sheslookinhot said:

Have those leaving the car with the engine running for 10-20 minutes considered that they are polluting the atmosphere?

I wonder how many people will be willing to do that with an all electric car, and risk using up precious battery charge. It remains to be seen.

Idiot_Savant

alanjuk said:

Idiot_Savant said:

I'm always concerned that these plastic scrapers scratch the windscreen. The edge is never flat, or clean. I tend to use an old credit card.

If anyone can recommend a good scraper, however....

You can get ones with a brass edge, apparently brass is softer than the glass so will not scratch it.

I've been using one for a few years now without any issues. 

Thanks very much, just ordered one. I'll let you know how it goes.

Username03725

Warm water here, have done for the best part of 40 years and never cracked a screen nor seen one crack. Fill a jug from the kitchen sink at no more than 'warm', where you can plunge a fist in without wincing. For most icy mornings a jug full is enough to do the windows all round the car, sometimes it needs another jug full to finish off, and if it's snowy it needs another jug anyway to do the lights too. 

The benefits are two-fold - it clears the glass thoroughly and evenly so all round visibility is good from the off, and the warmth that dissipates into the glass suppresses the steaming up that would otherwise happen as soon as you climb in and breathe out. 

Grumpy_chap

Idiot_Savant said:

sheslookinhot said:

Have those leaving the car with the engine running for 10-20 minutes considered that they are polluting the atmosphere?

I wonder how many people will be willing to do that with an all electric car, and risk using up precious battery charge. It remains to be seen.

I understand that several EV models have a feature to set the car to heat / defrost while still plugged into the mains, so achieving the comfort advantage without sacrificing range.