Break Open The De-icers - But Not This One

[James..]

Mornings down here are getting a bit frosty and I've just been down to the local Halfrauds to buy some more ice scrapers. At the moment they are doing a three for two offer on winter products which was very nice of them so I picked up some of this for free: Halfrauds night before deicer

Last night I applied some to the RAV windscreen and windows and it appeared to be like some sort of lightweight oil. (With dire warnings on the label to remove from paintwork immediately <_< ) And does it work? Nope. It was a little bit frosty last night and this product made no difference whatsoever to the icing on the windows: you still end up with icy windows and it takes you just as much time to scrape the darn ice off as it did before. Only difference is that you end up with a greasy film on the windows which makes it harder to see out and which you then need to clean off necessitating two trips round the car. Great. I think I'll go back to pouring a tepid kettle of warm water on the windows... much quicker and no chemicals to knacker your paintwork. What do you chaps use - if anything?

[pips]

Personally I use a fan heater inside the car to defrost mine. The original idea was posted on this forum (http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.p...&hl=defrost) where the heater was permanently mounted and a cable routed.

At the moment, i just use an extension lead from the garage to the car, and have the heater mounted horizontally sat on the passenger seat. I only use it on the first setting (1kw), then lock the car and go back inside for breakfast. By the time I come out, all the ice has melted, and the car interior is a little warmer too :D

Although, this is only good first thing in the morning, as there is no facility at work to do this (similarly if you don't park your car on a driveway you're gonna be stuck for electricity too.

Cheers,

Phil.

[Plutus]

I start the car and put the hrw and front screen heater on. I then scrape all the ice from all the windows.

I then get in and drive away. The Rav's windscreen never fogs up internally (as have other cars I have driven)

No need for de-icer or electricity or hot water. Takes about 1.5 mins.

[St Thicket]

If you guys need warmth, here's the most popular Norwegian manufacturer for heating solutions for cars in the arctic. I've thought about getting the engine warmer and the interior warmer myself...

[john1944]

If you guys need warmth, here's the most popular Norwegian manufacturer for heating solutions for cars in the arctic. I've thought about getting the engine warmer and the interior warmer myself...

Pips I too use your fan heater solution, a cheap and efficient way of de-icing the car and warming the interior. Plutus, you may run the risk of flattening your battery; I am surprised you can accomplish all this in 90 seconds.

[Plutus]

If you guys need warmth, here's the most popular Norwegian manufacturer for heating solutions for cars in the arctic. I've thought about getting the engine warmer and the interior warmer myself...

Pips I too use your fan heater solution, a cheap and efficient way of de-icing the car and warming the interior. Plutus, you may run the risk of flattening your battery; I am surprised you can accomplish all this in 90 seconds.

Timed it this morning - actually just over 2 mins. Why would it flatten the Battery if the engine is running?

I've been surprised that I can drive away with no interior fogging as every other car I've owned has fogged up to some

extent when I do this but not the Rav.

[Remoh1]

I just start the car put on heated rear window and fan on recirculate then use a scraper doesnt take long, and last year I had the joy of watching the man over the road pour water all over his parcel shelf when his rear window exploded due to him defrosting it with warm water

[chatman]

Timed it this morning - actually just over 2 mins. Why would it flatten the battery if the engine is running?

I've been surprised that I can drive away with no interior fogging as every other car I've owned has fogged up to some

extent when I do this but not the Rav.

I'm with Plutus on this one.. Start RAV in morning set heater to full heat and speed setting turn on re-circ. Go back to house, get laptop bag and suit jacket + packed lunch kiss wife & daughter good by, pat dog, get back to car place items away in back then drive off....

No misting no frost all gone... may need to use heated rear window to clear of persistent frost but mainly to see out of side mirror's as reversing out of drive....

[richwafta]

Start RAV in morning set heater to full heat and speed setting turn on re-circ. Go back to house, get laptop bag and suit jacket + packed lunch kiss wife & daughter good by, pat dog, get back to car place items away in back then drive off....

If it's still there!! A colleague of mine did the same with his Golf TDI, but someone obviously knew his habits and nicked the car while he popped back to the house! When he reported it to the police, he told them exactly what he had done.... So insurance refused to pay out and vehicle was never recovered. A very expensive lesson learnt :(

Try filling a hot water bottle and placing it on the dash 10 minutes before you are due to drive off. Clears the screen and still warm enough to put on your lap and keep you warm til the car heats up.

(Iwas trying to quote Chatman but the I guess I trimmed the quote marks better lucknext time)

[James..]

Start RAV in morning set heater to full heat and speed setting turn on re-circ. Go back to house, get laptop bag and suit jacket + packed lunch kiss wife & daughter good by, pat dog, get back to car place items away in back then drive off....

If it's still there!! A colleague of mine did the same with his Golf TDI, but someone obviously knew his habits and nicked the car while he popped back to the house! When he reported it to the police, he told them exactly what he had done.... So insurance refused to pay out and vehicle was never recovered. A very expensive lesson learnt :(

Try filling a hot water bottle and placing it on the dash 10 minutes before you are due to drive off. Clears the screen and still warm enough to put on your lap and keep you warm til the car heats up.

(Iwas trying to quote Chatman but the I guess I trimmed the quote marks better lucknext time)

Now that's a good suggestion! Warming the car by leaving it running like this could only be an option with my Alfa banger as nobody in their right mind would steal it! I've heard plenty of stories of people's back windscreens exploding suddenly ( even if you don't pour water on them ) just because of the tensions in the glass innate to their location / installation process. Usually Vauxhalls I think???

[bothwell_buyer]

With temps down to -5, I've not had any bother. Number 1 RAV heats up to running temp very very quickly - a quick spray of deicer on the exterior mirrors, start up and full heat+ full fan and rear screen heater on and windows are clear by the time I reverse out of driveway and her indoors is now indoors (in the car). Within 1/2 mile tops, the engine is pumping out hot air that we need to turn heater down!. One of the benefits of a highly tuned turbo petrol running at high efficiency????

The Punto needs a fan heater in for 30 minutes. Same with my sons Corsa. The landrovers still in the garage getting mended, not that it would be used in temps of -5 (ma wooly socks areny that long!!).

Yesterday, 3 cars did a slow motion slide across the road in front of me - 1 probably written off. Me? In the RAV4 number 1 slowly drove around debris having checked no-one hurt to phone polis to tell them of the accident and that the whole bridge was black ice.....I'd driven down it 15 minutes earlier with no problem! Went back to tell the polis (who by then had closed the road) that I'd seen the accident from start to finish - "Insurance Job" they said so I slid back to the RAV and drove away.