Rav Defroster

[bothwell_buyer]

I don't think car interiors yet succumb to any sort of fire regulation

Oh yes they do :D:

PS I find a napalm flame thrower does the trick, it would be perfect apart from the whooshing noise it makes and the tendancy to scorch the paintwork and frighten cats!

Kingo

Oh no they don't. carpets, underlay, felt, sound-deadening; seat material. Jist that I've a wee bit of experience on this.... I've tried and burnt the lot. The covers of seats are lethal.

Why is it when ye see a car having suffered a fire that all thats left is rust??? Even the rubber tyres go up a treat! And the wiring insulation (of which I also know a tad about)???? Or are we talking about the plastic dashboard??

There are no fire regulations for carpets in hospitals and Nursing Homes either......curtains - well the jury is out

Then again I suppose if one drives diesel propelled machinery then one is lulled into a sense of security.

I jist ken a wee bit as I've been consulted oan materials a few times in my ither role in wan o the charities; and my advice following the 14 killed in a Nursing Home fire in Scotland led to a change of regulations up here....

caravans - done some testing on materials in them just this past month - frightening!!

[bothwell_buyer]

shcm i feel what you've done is a great idea, the top priority is safety and seeing out of the windows is top of the list over environmental issues.

The other more expensive options are ...

1) Kenlowe Hotstart..

http://www.kenlowe.com/pre-heaters/cars/whatwill.html

2) Eberspacher heater.

http://www.eberspacher.com/airheating.php?section=airheating

We have a Eberspacher AIRTRONIC D2 fitted in our window van but i would think you would find no room in a RAV4 to fit it as its more van and truck applicable.

Although their water heating unit could well work.....

http://www.eberspacher.com/waterheating.ph...on=waterheating

Bob

interesting info here - especially for NA petrol heads and dieselly oil maniacs.....worth a look defo!!

[NMaria]

My father fitted a Kenlowe Hotstart preheater to his Shogun, mainly to reduce engine wear in cold weather. At first it was great - no warming up required, straight onto the motorway, immediate heating into the interior - but after about a year it gave up the ghost. Kenlowe said it was a known problem - the unit got clogged up with debris that was circulating through the system with the coolant. We sent it to Kenlowe for overhaul but I think my father did not get it back (can't check, sorry). That was a few years ago, and perhaps they have improved the design since then.

[Fujisan]

PS I find a napalm flame thrower does the trick, it would be perfect apart from the whooshing noise it makes and the tendancy to scorch the paintwork and frighten cats!

MEOW!

[Parts-King]

There is fire retardent material in modern Toyota's, not sure when they started to use it, but on earlier Yaris and Corolla, they had a problem whereby when you opened the doors on a wet day, water would drip onto the seats, this produced a stain effect, the staining was something to do with a reaction to the fire retardent coating.........allegedly!

Kingo

[D Winter]

Digging up an old thread here guys.

There was a couple of mentions of it not being recommended to have the car running for a few minutes and use that method to de-ice the front screen. Also someone mentioned that when they do this, they don't leave it idling, they run it at 1500rpm.

Is there a problem leaving the car idling for 5mins to clear the screens? I have done it with plenty of other cars before and it's never seemed to be a problem. Mind you I have never had a turbo diesel before the Rav either ...

[bothwell_buyer]

Digging up an old thread here guys.

There was a couple of mentions of it not being recommended to have the car running for a few minutes and use that method to de-ice the front screen. Also someone mentioned that when they do this, they don't leave it idling, they run it at 1500rpm.

Is there a problem leaving the car idling for 5mins to clear the screens? I have done it with plenty of other cars before and it's never seemed to be a problem. Mind you I have never had a turbo diesel before the Rav either ...

If you're not in the car its illegal - that came up in one of the weekends papers.

Apart from that, the engine is running at a slow speed when the oil is thicker. In this modern age of oils, it shouldn't be a problem.

My turbo petrol RAV warms up very quickly so i don't need to let it idle.

On the other hand, the landrover diesel takes a few miles to warm up, and thats even with the radiator clogged full of sludge!!

Imagine you are on the M25 or any other notorious motorway - the car will be sitting at idle speed anyway! So whats the difference?? Initially the engine will be cold?

[D Winter]

If you're not in the car its illegal - that came up in one of the weekends papers.

Apart from that, the engine is running at a slow speed when the oil is thicker. In this modern age of oils, it shouldn't be a problem.

My turbo petrol RAV warms up very quickly so i don't need to let it idle.

On the other hand, the landrover diesel takes a few miles to warm up, and thats even with the radiator clogged full of sludge!!

Imagine you are on the M25 or any other notorious motorway - the car will be sitting at idle speed anyway! So whats the difference?? Initially the engine will be cold?

Ahh well I guess I broke the law yesterday and also this morning then. :) Where I live is pretty private (most people miss the road entrance) so I'm certainly not worried about people having away with it. I keep an eye on it if I am warming up / defrosting anyway.

What you say makes sense about other situations when it's started from cold, then idling afterwards. Thanks Bothwell.