water vs deicer

Boiling water, never any issue I decades. Windscreens are made of tempered glass that withstand a fair amount a use.
 
If it gets bad this winter I shall be running a 240v extension lead and a 3kw fan heater out into the car and on a timer.
My shed doesn't get warm enough to clear the ice on the INSIDE for the first five miles otherwise. :D
 
D.P. said:
Boiling water, never any issue I decades. Windscreens are made of tempered glass that withstand a fair amount a use.
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Do you use boiling water in the summer aswell? I mean what's 20 degree difference matter when your starting with water at 100C?
 
esoteric said:
A guy at my old work lives 5 mins away from work, and most of the time took the car to work, and his wife would cycle to work instead, AND use the bike to perform the work.
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I live even closer to work. **** walking when I have a nice comfy car.

To answer op. Turn car on, click heated screens and make sure the heated seats are on. Go back inside house for 2 minutes, come back out to a De-iced nice warm car. Just wish it had a heated steering wheel.
 
My driveway is a single space, followed by a big iron gate, then two more spaces in my back garden. 99% of the time I park in the spaces inside the gate (garden).
The Focus has the heated front screen and it works well.

The car itself however is a nightmare. They take AGES to heat up and there is no use letting it idle for 5 mins before setting off to work. They were so bad that the facelift model had an aux heater to provide the cabin with warm air. In <2C weather with gentle driving the temperature needle can never reach half way. This is just the nature of the 2.0 TDCI Ford engine and not an actual issue. Thermostat is OK.
The car itself is a very good all-rounder. It has enough power, enough comfort, enough space, good running costs etc. but this one issue with them is quite irritating this time of year.
 
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Focus owner, so I get in, set windscreen heater to on, wait thirty seconds whilst I adjust heater temp and how warm I want the seats, change radio station if necessary etc.

Wipe once with wipers and drive off.
 
Cool water poured over the windows then drive off. Don't get fogging since using Wonder Wheels window spray.
 
Last Thursday and Friday I had ice. Later in the day when shopping at ASDA I saw a Windscreen cover for £3. Not a massive amount of money for less messing about at 5am in the morning so I bought it. Saturday morning, no frost :rolleyes: By the temp atm though I think it will be frosty tomorrow morning so I went out earlier and put it on.
 
Django x2 said:
here's what I do. Never fails.

I set the electric heater timers on the idrive to come on at 6:50am and 7:10am. Turn the temp dials to full and turn the fan speed to 3/4.

When I get up at 6:20, the car has a thick old frost on it. When I get outside to the car at 7:15, it's completely warm, deiced and ready to drive....

What is this water / de-icer / blanket / credit card witch craft that you speak of?
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What a fantastic plan.

Let me pull 20k+ out my rear end and go buy a bmw.

OpenToSuggestions said:
The car itself however is a nightmare. They take AGES to heat up and there is no use letting it idle for 5 mins before setting off to work. They were so bad that the facelift model had an aux heater to provide the cabin with warm air. In <2C weather with gentle driving the temperature needle can never reach half way. This is just the nature of the 2.0 TDCI Ford engine and not an actual issue. Thermostat is OK.
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Really? Never goes above half way? The engine must always be on choke, not good for fuel economy. Even my pathetic 1.1 fiat engine can just about maintain its temperature in the cold with the heater on full and fan on min setting. Though saying that Diesel engines dont seem to produce as much heat afaik.

Back when I lived with parents I would run an extension lead out to the car with a 3kw heater running inside the car, let the car idle with the blower on recirc to help warm the matrix up a bit quicker, also defrosted very nicely.
 
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joey1211 said:
LOL... WHAT! Next you'll be wanting heated pedals and gearknob
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OpenToSuggestions said:
My driveway is a single space, followed by a big iron gate, then two more spaces in my back garden. 99% of the time I park in the spaces inside the gate (garden).
The Focus has the heated front screen and it works well.

The car itself however is a nightmare. They take AGES to heat up and there is no use letting it idle for 5 mins before setting off to work. They were so bad that the facelift model had an aux heater to provide the cabin with warm air. In <2C weather with gentle driving the temperature needle can never reach half way. This is just the nature of the 2.0 TDCI Ford engine and not an actual issue. Thermostat is OK.
The car itself is a very good all-rounder. It has enough power, enough comfort, enough space, good running costs etc. but this one issue with them is quite irritating this time of year.
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Put some cardboard in front of the rad
 
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