Why Oh Why Doesn't The Side Windows Clear Themselves?

[thedeanobeano]

Apologies for the strange title.

I'm on my second Prius (up to 88k now on a gen 3)

The Gen 2 had no heated mirrors

Both of them fail to 'wipe' the side windows when you open them.

I find it frustrating that you cannot clear the outside of the glass by lowering and then closing the front windows. It means I struggle to see out when the car is warming up.

Do any other cars suffer from this stupid behavior?

sorry, rant over...

[Cyker]

This came up in another thread; Apparently this is normal for most Toyotas to avoid causing vertical scratches on the glass, although IIRC my old Fiesta was similar in that.

[acetip]

The three VWs i had suffered from the same thing, as my Auris and the wifes Hyundai do.

I should have thought tha seal at the top of the door panel was there to stop excess water getting inide the door panels, which it cant do because of the gap between the glass and seal.

Maybe this gap reduces the chance of the window freezing to the seal in cold weather,as most windows are electric these days and freezing up could blow a fuses or something else if operated

But that cant be the reason when i think about it, cos the VWs were hand wound not electric.

[kithmo]

My previous Ford Mondeos the Mk3 & Mk4 were the same. Can't remember for sure but I don't think the Mk1 was.

[r04drunner1]

Rant reinforced! Totally agree.

This came up in the thread where owners were invited to report on Prius niggles. Which should be required reading for Toyota development engineers :bookworm:

[Cyker]

The three VWs i had suffered from the same thing, as my Auris and the wifes Hyundai do.

I should have thought tha seal at the top of the door panel was there to stop excess water getting inide the door panels, which it cant do because of the gap between the glass and seal.

Maybe this gap reduces the chance of the window freezing to the seal in cold weather,as most windows are electric these days and freezing up could blow a fuses or something else if operated

But that cant be the reason when i think about it, cos the VWs were hand wound not electric.

It might be - I was looking at the seal on my Yaris and it's flush with the glass when the window is wound up!

However, as soon as it is wound down even a little, you can see the rubber move away from the window by a few mm so there is a gap. So when the window is wound up it forms a water seal but only when it is wound up??

[Sooty]

That would be because the glass is slightly curved, concaved as you look at it from the inside.

[Cyker]

Doh, of course!!

[valmiki]

I now keep one of those plastic T-shape window wipers with a rubber edge within easy access in the front. If needed, when I unlock the car in the morning I give both front side windows (and rear passenger-side) a wipe, takes 20 seconds but definitely helps when pulling out of side streets!

[timberwolf]

+1 for the ice-scraper/squeegee. I've always consider it an essential purchase for any car and they are cheap and usually last for years!

[r04drunner1]

Another +1 for the scraper/squeegee, that's what I use now too. It's just a pity though that the window seals don't do the job. That saved me time when rushing out to work in the mornings!

[acetip]

Chap i used to work with years ago had a Capri and i noticed the paint on the bonnet was in a very bad state, so i asked him what had caused the damage and he said he tried to scrape the snow of his bonnet with hard side, not the ruubber bit of one of those scrapers.

[timberwolf]

Chap i used to work with years ago had a Capri and i noticed the paint on the bonnet was in a very bad state, so i asked him what had caused the damage and he said he tried to scrape the snow of his bonnet with hard side, not the ruubber bit of one of those scrapers.

Should have used a brush (soft kind) to sweep the snow off, I wouldn't have thought that the rubber side would be good for the paint work either - but then it was a Capri so who would care?

[Ningpo]

You should, in the interests of safety, always clear the windows of your car before driving off,should

it be necessary.I keep a small squegee in the car for this purpose but do sympathise with the problem,

'cause the windows do still sometimes cloud up again while en route until the car warms up.

Not much else can be done I'm afraid.

[acetip]

Chap i used to work with years ago had a Capri and i noticed the paint on the bonnet was in a very bad state, so i asked him what had caused the damage and he said he tried to scrape the snow of his bonnet with hard side, not the ruubber bit of one of those scrapers.

Should have used a brush (soft kind) to sweep the snow off, I wouldn't have thought that the rubber side would be good for the paint work either - but then it was a Capri so who would care?

That seems a bit snobbish.

There was one Capri on a tv program this week that has tiger skin trim fitted and is was expected to fetch enough money to buy several Ptius at an aution.Its done hardly any miliage and is mint.

If the price it fetches at the aution comes up on the tv i shall post it.

[timberwolf]

Chap i used to work with years ago had a Capri and i noticed the paint on the bonnet was in a very bad state, so i asked him what had caused the damage and he said he tried to scrape the snow of his bonnet with hard side, not the ruubber bit of one of those scrapers.

Should have used a brush (soft kind) to sweep the snow off, I wouldn't have thought that the rubber side would be good for the paint work either - but then it was a Capri so who would care?

That seems a bit snobbish.

There was one Capri on a tv program this week that has tiger skin trim fitted and is was expected to fetch enough money to buy several Ptius at an aution.Its done hardly any miliage and is mint.

If the price it fetches at the aution comes up on the tv i shall post it.

Nothing to do with snobbish, I never liked the shape of the Ford Capri.

From what I can remember, the cars that I liked were these two (or at least they are the ones that stick in my mind)

Rover 3500 (or Rover SD1)

Ford Cortina MK3

and for some reason I liked the really box shaped and the sharp angular lines of the bonnet on the Sherpa Van?

[acetip]

I had a Capri and a mk3 Cortina, an 2 ltr Gt in Daytona yellow.

When the Capri first appeard on the market Ford said in the adverts 'The car you always promised yourself'.At the time it was very populer. Although claimed as a 4 seater it was a bit tight in the back,though i slept for a week in mine (nights),Still remember how my knees ached in the mornings.

The Capri's seemed to be ok then but seeing one now on those tyres that seeme so narrow compared to whats fitted now on cars now. But then the Sunbeam Talbot Alpine seemed in its day a wonderful looking car.

but seeing one now you wonder what you saw in it.

I found the Capri more of a drivers car than the Cortina. when you consider 'Del Boy' had one it cant be all that bad. That car is now up for sale too.