Anti mist for cars

JonathanRyan

JonathanRyan

Suspended / Banned
Messages
10,765
Name
Jonathan
Edit My Images
Yes
It's that time of the year again: small car, cold mornings, ineffectual heater.

Is there an anti mist that I can put on the inside of a car windscreen to stop it fogging up in the morning? I mean, one that actually works.
 
Try a helmet visor demister spray for motorcyclists. THIS is the one that I use and it works. I've also got a long handled squeegee in the car so I can give the screen a quick wipe on the inside if/when necessary.
 
Rapscallion said:
There's this, but it has mixed reviews. I bought a bottle years ago, but can't remember how effective it was.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rain-81199200-Anti-Fog-Repellent/dp/B002G291SW
Click to expand...

Thanks - I think I tried that a few years ago because Rain-X is awesome and I assumed this would be. IIRC not impressed :(

Nod said:
Try a helmet visor demister spray for motorcyclists. THIS is the one that I use and it works. I've also got a long handled squeegee in the car so I can give the screen a quick wipe on the inside if/when necessary.
Click to expand...

Looks good - thanks.
 
Put a cover over the front screen or buy a car with a heated front screen.
 
Rain X Anti Fog does indeed stop the fog, trouble is it just turns it into streaks of water which are equally difficult to see through. WHen it gets really cold it freezes to a and icy sheet that's really hard to get off the screen.
 
Graham W said:
Just a bit of Vaseline on a cloth and wipe the windscreen until the smears disappear. Works fine on bathroom mirrors too. (Sumat to do with surface tension.)
Click to expand...

I think that's basically how they all work - nano coating reducing surface tension etc. I'm scared of vaseline though - wouldn't you have to rub it for an awfully long time?
 
nilagin said:
Put a cover over the front screen or buy a car with a heated front screen.
Click to expand...

I'm often puzzled why more cars don't have heated front screens. But they weren't an option for either of our cars :( other factors won.
 
Keeping the inside dry is key, but it is a challenge in this country that's for sure!
 
JonathanRyan said:
I think that's basically how they all work - nano coating reducing surface tension etc. I'm scared of vaseline though - wouldn't you have to rub it for an awfully long time?
Click to expand...
A tiny amount would do it. Anything viscous would do (washing up liquid, shower gel etc.) but Vaseline being greasy tends to last longer.



By the way. The last time I read the phrase "I'm scared of Vaseline though - wouldn't you have to rub it for an awfully long time?" I was on a completely different site.
 
Have you not got aircon or climate in the car? The main use of these up here in the frozen north is for drying up moisture and clearing windows, although we sometimes get a warm day when we need cooled down. ;)
 
Peter B said:
Have you not got aircon or climate in the car? The main use of these up here in the frozen north is for drying up moisture and clearing windows, although we sometimes get a warm day when we need cooled down. ;)
Click to expand...

It's a Smart. In theory it has aircon but I have to trade it for actually accelerating :) It takes much longer than I like to clear. Normally I don't plan my trips that well.
 
One of those caravan dehumidifier thingies may help. I keep one in my soft top so it reduces the humidity. It's basically silica cat litter in a cloth bag.

I'd get the aircon system checked. It might not actually be working at all. It should clear the screen pretty quickly unless it is dripping. Or wipe screen with microfibre cloth to get as much moisture out as possible and leave cloth behind to dry.
 
I've had mixed results previously - although it was a good few years ago - on father in laws car that didn't have AC, best I found was some old stuff I had for Motorcycle helmet visors - will see if I can find out what it was called...
 
JonathanRyan said:
I'm often puzzled why more cars don't have heated front screens. But they weren't an option for either of our cars :( other factors won.
Click to expand...
It`s got something to do with Ford having the patent for it and like spoilt brats won`t share lol
 
JonathanRyan said:
I'm often puzzled why more cars don't have heated front screens. But they weren't an option for either of our cars :( other factors won.
Click to expand...

ruffdog64 said:
It`s got something to do with Ford having the patent for it and like spoilt brats won`t share lol
Click to expand...

Absolutely nothing to do with other manufacturers not wanting to pay to use the Ford technology or to develop their own systems? FWIW, AC used to work well at clearing the screen on the Citroen - just sit in it while it's running for a minute or 2 and the screen should clear. If not, the AC might be tired and need a top up.
 
ruffdog64 said:
It`s got something to do with Ford having the patent for it and like spoilt brats won`t share lol
Click to expand...

Blimey. They will be granting patents on breathing next.

So using a similar system to the one every single manufacturer uses on back screens on the front is "non obvious"?
 
JonathanRyan said:
Blimey. They will be granting patents on breathing next.

So using a similar system to the one every single manufacturer uses on back screens on the front is "non obvious"?
Click to expand...

Im not sure metallic strips running across the windscreen would go down to well with the MOT tester.
 
JonathanRyan said:
Blimey. They will be granting patents on breathing next.

So using a similar system to the one every single manufacturer uses on back screens on the front is "non obvious"?
Click to expand...

TCR4x4 said:
Im not sure metallic strips running across the windscreen would go down to well with the MOT tester.
Click to expand...
The Ford heated front screens are metallic strips, just very fine wires that aren't very visible. The patent ended recently so other manufacturers now fit their own.

As mentioned earlier the trick is to keep the interior dry and the glass shouldn't mist up or get condensation/ice in colder conditions.
 
Never tried it but I've heard cat litter in an old clean sock and leave it on the dash the night/day before
 
stumac said:
Never tried it but I've heard cat litter in an old clean sock and leave it on the dash the night/day before
Click to expand...
Cat litter, slice open a nappy or ground coffee apparently all work,
 
Can you not just keep a cloth in the car to give the window a quick wipe?

Crikey int'old days (pre air-con etc) everyone had a cloth in the door pocket. (I still do )

Get a microfiber cloth, they're extremely absorbent & work wonders! ;)
 
Nod said:
Try a helmet visor demister spray for motorcyclists. THIS is the one that I use and it works. I've also got a long handled squeegee in the car so I can give the screen a quick wipe on the inside if/when necessary.
Click to expand...
Second for this. I use it on my bike helmet, however for cars you can help yourself. The condensation is from the hot air you pump into the car, allowing the moisture to float about.

As the car cools so the moisture condenses on the windows.

As you reach your destination, open the windows for the last 30 secs,letting all the hot moist air out. It really cuts down on the mist/condensation the next day.
 
Pouring warm water (not hot) on the outside often helps with mild condensation: just drives the mist off and on to other colder surfaces. Washing up liquid will break the surface tension and cause liquid to film instead of forming microscopic droplets that mist up the screen, but I'm not so sure vaseline would work well.

I hate the Ford de-misting windscreens because the wires are a constant distraction and degrade the view: had a new Fiesta as an insurance replacement for a couple of weeks and was very glad to get my old car back.
 
ancient_mariner said:
I hate the Ford de-misting windscreens because the wires are a constant distraction and degrade the view: had a new Fiesta as an insurance replacement for a couple of weeks and was very glad to get my old car back.
Click to expand...
I've had 7 cars with heated screens over the last 20yrs and never found them a distraction, never even notice they are there. The wires in current screens are less visible than they were when they 1st came out.
 
Mrs Nod's car ('96/'97) and mine ('09) both have Ford type screen heaters and both have screens much further away than man cars but neither causes us distraction. The wires are visible if you look for them but vanish when you look through the screen rather than at it. The s***box has a normal screen much closer and the tiny chips are far more distracting.
 
Those wires certainly don't bother a lot of people, but they DO bother me. C'est la vie.
 
Eliminate the source of the condensation, and use the air conditioning/fans...
 
OldCarlos said:
Can you not just keep a cloth in the car to give the window a quick wipe?

Crikey int'old days (pre air-con etc) everyone had a cloth in the door pocket. (I still do )

Get a microfiber cloth, they're extremely absorbent & work wonders! ;)
Click to expand...

I find that whatever cloth I use it smears. Next day when it's sunny the screen looks awful.

Julie1979 said:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ThoMar-604-...&qid=1442861351&sr=1-12&keywords=Dehumidifier

I have 2 of these. I usually have one in the car and one drying out in the boiler cupboard. My audi was terrible for misting up and I just got in the habit of having one in the car even though that one is long gone. It really helped with my audi.
Click to expand...

Interesting. It's a prettier version of cat litter :D That may work - I think part of the problem is the small volume of air in a Smart - 2 adults can raise the humidity quite a lot.
 
stumac said:
Never tried it but I've heard cat litter in an old clean sock and leave it on the dash the night/day before
Click to expand...
Is that before or after the cat has crapped in it ?
 
I saw something in Costco last week, some sort of super de humidifier that you leave in the car to absorb it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top