Defrosting your car

mikeyboy

mikeyboy

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How do fellow ASN members defrost their cars on a cold winters morning. I know I know it's a daft question & most people will just say start the engine & fire up the heater on the de-mist/frost setting & either patiently wait or scrape away. But the truth is I dont like my engine idling away when it's stone cold, I like to drive off as soon as I start the engine & try to get it up to running temperature as quickly as possible. But I'm sure you will all agree it is hard work scraping the windscreen & side/back windows without the heater helping you out. Gone are the days when i used to pour slightly warm water over the windows as i dont want to risk cracking the windscreen on my A3. I also refuse to use de-icer because it ****s the rubber on your wiper blades. I know it sounds a bit ocd but how do you guys defrost your cars in the morning?
 
I don't like it, but idling with heater on is all I can do - de icer doesn't help much as even if the screen's clear of ice, the inside is misted up and I refuse to wipe the inside cos that just winds up as an almighty mess if you start to do that.
This is the time I miss the heated screens, seats and Xenon lights I had in my previous 2 cars - Jag and a Mondeo.
At this rate I may have to start putting the A3 in the garage!
 
I miss my heated screen I had in my Mondy too.I only have to defrost at the end of a nightshift,usually just start the car and leave it running for a bit while having post shift cuppa and waiting on the dayshift as the de-icer I use(company issue)is crap.
 
I find using neat VAG screen wash in a spray bottle works fine as it has de-icer in and it wont **** the wipers
 
jb0o:1733822 said:
Hot (not boiling!) water from the kettle after my morning cuppa does the job for me.
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I used to do that on my previous cars but with warmish water if that makes sense but sometimes it would just freeze again as soon as you set off.
 
Rear demister on and heaters to demist setting and scrape. Only use de-icer on frozen rain type stuff as that is horrendous to scrape. You probably get more worse mornings up in Inverness mind you!
 
Turn the car on, literally a 30 second blast all round With the hose pipe and you're ready to go.
 
Put an old towel or blanket on the wind screen over night, looks odd but when you take it of in the morning the windscreen will be frost free.
 
A3-black said:
Put an old towel or blanket on the wind screen over night, looks odd but when you take it of in the morning the windscreen will be frost free.
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I used night before de-icer once, it was amazing no ice in the whole street in the morning!
 
Park it in a garage :p if I want to de-ice plenty warm water on the screen so they run over wipers, and turn the wipers on, it should not ice up again, I also use -20 Screen wash, and make sure it is not too diluted.

If the screen is misted up really bad inside then you have problems, or something damp in car.
 
A3-black:1733921 said:
Put an old towel or blanket on the wind screen over night, looks odd but when you take it of in the morning the windscreen will be frost free.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of doing that lastnight but I never bothered. I must give it a try.
 
Brett Butler:1733929 said:
A3-black said:
Put an old towel or blanket on the wind screen over night, looks odd but when you take it of in the morning the windscreen will be frost free.
Click to expand...

This may work, but if it is a damp or freezing fog over night the blanket will stick to the screen
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Oh well maybe not then lol. I'm talking about defrosting the rain water that has frozen over night (thick ice) by the way.
 
mikeyboy said:
Oh well maybe not then lol. I'm talking about defrosting the rain water that has frozen over night (thick ice) by the way.
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You can get frost shields. They are like tarpaulin and cost less than a fiver. I always get strange looks when fitting it but I have started a trend in my street lol
 
I start the car and put front/rear defrost on, then warm/tepid ( not HOT !! water as it only needs to be above freezing ) water poured onto the screen to free the wipers.....turn the wipers on and then add some more of the warm water to the screen while they are wiping ( and stand back as you do it or you will get covered !! ).....after that, the screen is always clear and the wipers prevent it freezing again until the screen is dry.

Works for me...:thumbsup:
 
A little bit of rock salt + water mixture in a hand spray bottle works great.
 
Turn the key and drive off.

Garages are brilliant. :laugh:

On the odd occasion,I am not at home when its freezing, Luke warm water.
 
Well if the boy wants a lift to school he can freeze his knackers off defrosting my car and putting the heated seat on for me.

It's only fair and it gets him ready for the big bad world.
 
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Again another vote for the towel here,i have used these for years and never had an issue with it freezing and sticking to the screen,mind you depends how sticky your towel was before and what you had been wiping with it,again though there must be something that can be done on the heated screen patent or someone come up with another idea
I remember someone once mentioning this could be done as a retro fit as someone was making them but the idea must have never taken off.
 
Classic Ice Scraper for me, normally gives the car 5 minutes to warm up and my seat to be warm at the same time. Two birds one stone!
 
Letting your car idle before driving off will prolong your engine life, in cold or hot conditions as it lets the engine get to temperature and oil has been given a chance to make its way round the whole engine.

Another way to avoid getting ice on your windscreen so you can "just drive off" is using a frost shield, got mine from halfords for about £6, its just a sheet that goes over the windscreen and when i take it off in the mornings there is literally no frost or ice underneath it.

EDIT: Like what MTRL posted.
 
I was curious why people were saying they don't like idling, I can only imagine it's good for the car generally...
 
The Governor said:
I was curious why people were saying they don't like idling, I can only imagine it's good for the car generally...
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I hope so because I always sit in the car for 5 mins in the mornings whilst it defrosts. Hate using de-icer and I think the scrapers put fine scratches on the glass.
 
just fire it up with with heater on de mist for 10 mins before hand or warm water if im in a rush
 
Not sure on the details, but I have always been told ( and every car manual, including the A3's specifically says ) that you shouldn't let the engine just idle on start-up for longer than absolutely necessary as it harms/puts strain on the engine.

The advice is always to drive off a.s.a.p, and the engine will warm up faster that way as well.

I'm sure someone with better knowledge on these things than I, will soon be along to provide the technical reason why you shouldn't let it idle.
 
Shadowman:1736192 said:
Not sure on the details, but I have always been told ( and every car manual, including the A3's specifically says ) that you shouldn't let the engine just idle on start-up for longer than absolutely necessary as it harms/puts strain on the engine.

The advice is always to drive off a.s.a.p, and the engine will warm up faster that way as well.

I'm sure someone with better knowledge on these things than I, will soon be along to provide the technical reason why you shouldn't let it idle.
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+1
 
I might be wrong here but I'm just thinking about the extra strain on the engine. The only strain that it could put on the engine is in the oil pump department! as the oil gets colder its viscosity increases so the pump has to work harder to pump it round the engine which in turn puts extra strain on what drives the pump i.e chain, belt, gear depending on engine of choice.
I would have thought, coming from a engineering background, that it would have been better to allow the engine to idle but then again if the manual says otherwise I am perhaps wrong!

Also in that case, why does the likes of an M3 have lights on the rev counter limiting you until the engine is up to temperature?

Any other thoughts here?????
 
Ashley Martin:1737460 said:
I might be wrong here but I'm just thinking about the extra strain on the engine. The only strain that it could put on the engine is in the oil pump department! as the oil gets colder its viscosity increases so the pump has to work harder to pump it round the engine which in turn puts extra strain on what drives the pump i.e chain, belt, gear depending on engine of choice.
I would have thought, coming from a engineering background, that it would have been better to allow the engine to idle but then again if the manual says otherwise I am perhaps wrong!

Also in that case, why does the likes of an M3 have lights on the rev counter limiting you until the engine is up to temperature?

Any other thoughts here?????
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I've always been of the opinion that you should drive away as soon as the engine is started from cold to get it up to running temperature as quickly as possible and you should go easy with the revs until it gets to running temperature. example.. no more than 2.500 revs until the temperature gauge hits 90oc (running temperature)
 
jb0o said:
Hot (not boiling!) water from the kettle after my morning cuppa does the job for me.
Click to expand...
Been clearing iced windscreens this way for 50 years ( yes I'm THAT old ). Never cracked a screen and am long gone while others faff about with didly plastic scrapers. After the external warm water treatment a spray of de-icer stops re-icing and then it's just a case of waiting for hot air from the heater to clear the inside of the misted up screen.
 
when i use the car all i do is have the car running on idle and get the good old ice scraper out would never ever ever use de-icer on my car but when its really bad i use some black bags over the screen does the trick to a degree
 
Aye, Nowt wrong with the good ol ice scraper in a mornin'. Engine running, heaters on full heat at the windscreen, rear windscreen defrost on and a good ol scrape round the side windows and windscreen. Use a good quality icescraper and put some graft into it to help warm ya self up on those cold minus double figures mornings!"! :cold::cold::racer:
 
I know I'll probably get slated for this, but I pour hot water (NOT BOILING!) over all the windows that need defrosting...
 
chris.vincent3 said:
Letting your car idle before driving off will prolong your engine life, in cold or hot conditions as it lets the engine get to temperature and oil has been given a chance to make its way round the whole engine.
Click to expand...

The engine may get to temperature, but Idle oil pressure is just enough to pump oil round your engine under nominal temperatures, with the increased viscosity of the oil with the cold weather your actually increase your engine wear...

Scrape/warm water, start, drive it's what engines are designed to do
 
IceHanger said:
The engine may get to temperature, but Idle oil pressure is just enough to pump oil round your engine under nominal temperatures, with the increased viscosity of the oil with the cold weather your actually increase your engine wear...

Scrape/warm water, start, drive it's what engines are designed to do
Click to expand...

I always thought it was the opposite - best to leave your car idling for a while to give the engine chance to warm up, so that once you do drive off, the oil will have thinned out enough for the engine to perform as it should. No idea where I got that from - glad I've never had the time to let my engine idle on cold starts (I always felt guilty driving off straight away but now I know that what I should have been doing anyway!).

Every day is a school day :)
 
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