how do you defrost your car

got my average mpg upto 11.6 in the Range Rover now in this cold weather and short urbum commutes what a joke
I also have a toyota poous £10 a year road tax 50+ mpg urban but the heater is useless and Toyota don't have rapid deice screens
 
Last edited:
When I used to drive to work I filled a bucket with hot water from the bath tap and used that over all the windows (poured slowly rather than thrown on!)

As it heated the windows as well as defrosting them it prevented misting on the inside as well.
 
Old bathroom towels over front and rear windows.
Works a treat, even in the coldest weather.
 
Lowell ID Light batteries get some hammer off me :)
Take a charged battery, plug in standard cig lighter heater/blower, walk away and lock the car.
Dont point it at the screen either, just in the cab.

Though, in the past regard commercial vehicles its been:
  • Unlock,
  • Door stuck
  • pull hard
  • still nothing
  • go to boot of car for crow bar
  • still not budging
  • yell and scream a little
  • spray some de-icer along seems
  • try pry bar again
  • get in
  • alarm goes off (even though its unlocked)
  • take snips from pocket and cut wires (after checking to make sure I have some spare insulation tape to put it back together later)
  • get in
  • start engine
  • listen to extensive beeping and air tanks low and other warnings
  • switch on cab heater
  • doesn't work
  • get spare key and lock with car still parked along side
  • get back in warm car
  • wait 20 minutes for ruddy thing to melt.

AND, if its snowing have had to dig access to the door, once or twice giving up as it was snowing faster then I could dig! which is a kick in the gonads when-its your own car and you want to get home at 3>4 am after working since 5 am the previous day (got my 9 hours in).
 
I stand in the house, press the button on the remote for the pre heater and go outside in five minutes to a nice warm toasty car.
If I really want to be pampered, I put the heated seat on and the heated steering wheel. Not cold enough for that yet though. :D:D

Then I go outside and defrost the wifes car and sons car. :bang:


Kev.
 
Unlock car
Spray de-ice on windows
Fans on hot and full power
Go inside
Cup of coffee
Go outside
Wipe windows
Drive away.
 
Mank said:
I press 2 buttons, one for the rear screen and one for the front. Then sit and wait 2mins with the heaters on as hot as they will go! :D
Click to expand...

I don't even have to do that, mine switch themselves on below 2 degrees C about 1/2 a second after I start the car.
 
1. Go outside

2. Scrape off ice on screen side windows and rear screen

3. Start engine and drive off

4. Stop 100yds down the road as screen has fogged/frozen up again

5. Rinse and repeat no. 2, plus scrape off frozen breath accumulated on inside of windscreen



:lol:
 
Last edited:
Get bratt to cover front window at night.
get bratt out of bed to go scrape the rest, in the morning.
is bratts car she can do it...
 
For all those starting the car with the keys in it - beware.

My boss had his car stolen from the driveway on monday doing just this. Insurance company have said "tough luck".

I have comfort access to the BMW, so I can start the car then jump out and lock it - no keys in it. I always hang around at the front of the house while it defrosts with a nice warm cup of tea
 
An insurance compnay not wanting to pay out? Who'd have thought. Hope he doesnt renew with them at the very least. So he left the keys in it, so what? Its still bloody theft.
 
DorsetDude said:
An insurance compnay not wanting to pay out? Who'd have thought. Hope he doesnt renew with them at the very least. So he left the keys in it, so what? Its still bloody theft.
Click to expand...

Good luck on finding an insurance company that would pay out for a theft claim if the keys were in the ignition and the vehicle unattended. I suspect you will be looking a long time, it's been in the policy of every motor insurance policy that I can recall.
 
onomatopoeia said:
Good luck on finding an insurance company that would pay out for a theft claim if the keys were in the ignition and the vehicle unattended. I suspect you will be looking a long time, it's been in the policy of every motor insurance policy that I can recall.
Click to expand...

Im sure it has. Its still theft though.
 
Walk up the hill around 04.30.
Open Van start it up, heater on internal flow, spray screen with de-icer. Sit outside have a smoke and take in the view of surrounding hills and trees. Finish smoke,get in van and then up up and away :thinking: Waiting for Scrivens to tell us we are all doing it the wrong way :suspect:
 
barneyrubble said:
For all those starting the car with the keys in it - beware.

My boss had his car stolen from the driveway on monday doing just this. Insurance company have said "tough luck".
Click to expand...

Same thing happend to my wife's uncle last year, although he left it running out on the street (quiet cul de sac), the jumped in a drove off in his Golf TDi. Same thing re. the insurance company, they wouldn't pay out. Apparently it's common during winter for these guys to simply roam about looking for unattended cars running.

On the plus side he got his car back a few months later when it surfaced, the poor guy who bought it had just got the alloys all fixed up as well.
 
kevshore said:
I stand in the house, press the button on the remote for the pre heater and go outside in five minutes to a nice warm toasty car.
If I really want to be pampered, I put the heated seat on and the heated steering wheel. Not cold enough for that yet though. :D:D

Kev.
Click to expand...

:plusone: Don't you just love pre-heaters ?

Don't have a heated steering wheel though :(
 
i regularly see the same people scraping away with a debit card or similar clamped between blue fingers. they are outside already when i take my phone off charge & still there after i've fanny'd around in the kitchen for a couple of minutes & filled an old 2 litre mineral water bottle from the hot tap.
i simply go to the car, reach in & start the engine, walk around the car pouring the hot water over the windows, jump in, flick the wiper switch & i'm away.
30 seconds tops :thumbs:
sometimes they just gaze at you in disbelief :shrug:
mind you i return that gaze when after 3 days of watching me do it they are still scraping away for 20 minutes at a time :cuckoo::shake::lol:
 
'Pre Ice' it the night before. £1.50 a bottle from asda.
Get in, one wipe of the wipers and hey presto....ice gone.


Or just sit there for 10 mins with the heaters on.
 
Smithy101 said:
'Pre Ice' it the night before. £1.50 a bottle from asda.
Get in, one wipe of the wipers and hey presto....ice gone.

Or just sit there for 10 mins with the heaters on.
Click to expand...

I used to use the pre ice but it leaves a residue on the glass which is very distracting.
 
Stick a fan heater in the car for ten minutes. Toasty car, warm windows so nothing freezes on them until the car warms up, and I've not left my car idling on cold oil.
 
Tirpitz said:
i regularly see the same people scraping away with a debit card or similar clamped between blue fingers. they are outside already when i take my phone off charge & still there after i've fanny'd around in the kitchen for a couple of minutes & filled an old 2 litre mineral water bottle from the hot tap.
i simply go to the car, reach in & start the engine, walk around the car pouring the hot water over the windows, jump in, flick the wiper switch & i'm away.
30 seconds tops :thumbs:
sometimes they just gaze at you in disbelief :shrug:
mind you i return that gaze when after 3 days of watching me do it they are still scraping away for 20 minutes at a time :cuckoo::shake::lol:
Click to expand...

i think the only time ive ever needed to spend 20minutes defrosting my vehicle was at -28c in sweden its a two minute job usually with the scraper in this country, wouldnt even waste water doing it any other way :)
 
Byker28i said:
Stick a fan heater in the car for ten minutes. Toasty car, warm windows so nothing freezes on them until the car warms up, and I've not left my car idling on cold oil.
Click to expand...

same as me then best way to do it IME
 
Have been caught out by the warm water and de-icer refreezing onto a cold windscreen in the past (OK the de-icer day was particulary brass monkey weather) - so always go through the "heat things up" routine.

Was interested to hear about the BMW key thingy - didn't know about that - and works on my 2009 Beemer 135i OK. Only question is about the driving off bit - I was able to drive off in my car with no key in the lock after doing this. Would this be because I did it with unlocked doors (not going to brick the window to test this theory :) ) or might it have something to do with it being an automatic?
 
Krisstiffer said:
Have been caught out by the warm water and de-icer refreezing onto a cold windscreen in the past (OK the de-icer day was particulary brass monkey weather) - so always go through the "heat things up" routine.

Was interested to hear about the BMW key thingy - didn't know about that - and works on my 2009 Beemer 135i OK. Only question is about the driving off bit - I was able to drive off in my car with no key in the lock after doing this. Would this be because I did it with unlocked doors (not going to brick the window to test this theory :) ) or might it have something to do with it being an automatic?
Click to expand...

I would imagine it's because the key is in the car, and therefore the key is in range of the car...

I don't suggest trying it due to safety reasons, but if you left the key in the house, I would hope the car would cut out :)

Or, ask a dealership if it should do it....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top