Preventing ice on the car windscreen - what really works?

[User482]

I bought Mrs R a bike and some warm clothes.

 

[Night Train]

I just scrape with a good scraper. The ice is off and away from the screen and other windows.

I used to use luke warm water but I found that the water that ran off the screen froze in the door gaps and on the wiper arms and I ended up with icicles. Not so bad in the door gaps but wiper arms incased in ice don't work very well and pull the rubbers clear of the glass.

 

[fossyant]

The obvious way to avoid this task is to get her to do it herself.

Some of us still try to help..... even though my car will remain iced up.......

The engine warming thing...for wear and tear....yes and no - depends upon oil used, driving it carefully, and apparently it's illegal to leave a car idling !!! - Won't do any harm to a well maintained car, that's used daily for a reasonable distance - not recommended if you can't see the car though.....

The rubber mat thing sounds a good idea.... might have to try a few things...

 

[Hilldodger]

Buy a steam engine.

 

[JonoB]

Urine +15 pints of bitter

Many years ago while working late nights, I saw a guy stand on the bonnet of his car (Triumph 2000) and urinate on the windscreen (it was in the car park of a Workingmens' Club). He had (obviously) been drinking heavily and indeed was well oiled - but the ice didn't stand a chance. He was off down the road while I was still spraying and scraping.
My point of course is..........keep bottles of urine from a night out, microwave them........use them in the morning...........and Bob's y'r uncle........

 

[CopperBrompton]

True. The handbook of any modern car will specifically advise against doing this.

As for ice, I garage my car, but if it gets left out anywhere else, some warm water does the trick nicely.

Ben

 

[Lardyboy]

Old blanket over the windscreen, and if I've not believed the weather forecast, tepid water poured slowly down the windscreen. Never failed with either.

 

[Mortiroloboy]

When the weather(wo)man tells me it'll be freezing, and I'm off early doors, then, out comes the trusty Lidls windscreen cover.

 

[jay clock]

When there's will, there is a way

I think you mean where there's a willy there's a wee

 

[beanzontoast]

This is going well. So far I'm building a garage, taking up the doormats, scouring Ebay for a second-hand steam engine (thanks for that Rog! ), peeing into a milk bottle, and shutting Mrs B outside with a scraper at 6 in the morning.

Can the day get any better?

 

[got-to-get-fit]

At night before you turn in, cut a potato in half and rub the raw spud over the windscreen.

Dont ask me how this works, i think its some kind of witchcraft.

 

[sheddy]

My old diesel had a totally useless heater. In order to get going on an icy morning I had to place 2 hot water bottles on the dash (on top of a towel)

 

[Lardyboy]

When I had an Austin A30 its heater was bloody fantastic. It was almost as big as the engine!

 

[JonoB]

Well my dad had a 60's VW beetle. The heat was channeled from the exhaust manifold. The gasket leaked, so the heater just pumped hot CO straight in to the car (at least that was the reason he gave us for not putting the heater on and for wearing hats and gloves in the car)

Looking back this may account for lots of things.....

 

[Monst]

Buy a Ford with a quickclear screen.

Get in the car on a cold n frosty morning, start car, hit the screen clear switch and the rear defrost switch and as if by magic the front screen, rear screen, and the outside rear view mirrors are defrosted within seconds. Superb invention.