To think people can defrost their cars without running their engine all morning?

[shinysnowman]

I start work in a couple of hours. I have been awake since 5am, due to a steady flow of neighbours who have sat in their car with their engine running, one actually revving their engine constantly, waiting for their car to defrost. The first at 5am, each for a good 15 minutes each. It's been the same every day this week.

Don't people scrape their cars anymore? Is it wrong for me to be annoyed and think that they are being inconsiderate?

(Apologies to those with DC who are dragged up with them at this time!)

My new car has a mode where you can turn on the heating remotely on cold mornings to de ice it...can't wait to see if it works so I don't have to fanny about with scraping!

The practice of de-icing by leaving the engine running is

1. illegal in UK
2. proven deleterious to the health of neighbouring children
3. known to cause higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than ordinary car usage.

Given which, those of you who knowingly persist in this practice are law-breakers who care neither for innocent children nor the harm to our shared world when set against a minimal inconvenience to you.

Shame on you.

If its before 7am that would really annoy me

Well, lots of people have to be up and about well before then. I'm sure they'd rather be toasty warm in bed rather than standing around freezing their tits off at half five.

I’m pretty sure the practice of driving with a misted up windscreen is both more dangerous and going to concern the police more than someone doing what is needed to ensure their car is safe to drive.

The practice of de-icing by leaving the engine running is
1. illegal in UK
2. proven deleterious to the health of neighbouring children
3. known to cause higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than ordinary car usage.

1 - it's not illegal unless it's deemed unnecessary and you abandon your vehicle. Sitting your vehicle to defrost/de-mist the windscreen is perfectly legal. In fact, it's illegal to drive with poor visibility to waiting while your car de-mists fully is a necessity.

2 - do you know what's also bad for children? Being run over because drivers are driving around with poor visibility.

3 - yes, but again, people need to clear their windscreens in order to be safe on the roads. Nobody is arguing that it's good for the environment but there isn't really another choice for most people. I can't drive my car off if I can't see out of the windscreen!

God bless the sanctimonious MNers. For they bring no solutions whatsoever yet are ever-ready to make up shit tell people what not to do in perfectoworld.

"If it's before 7am that would really annoy me. "

I'll be sure to tell my manager that shift times across the entire hospital should be changed. Or perhaps we could suggest that nobody need medical or obstetric care in anti-social hours do you think that would work?

I'd love to walk to work. Except I don't because I work an hour drive away from home so....

My shifts are 7am til 7.30pm. I leave the house at 5.30am. I'm deeply sorry for anyone who I inconvenience getting up at that time. I don't particularly enjoy it either but every single person born has benefited from midwifery care so I think I'll keep doing it.

Does nobody use those foil windscreen covers? I got some in Aldi last year for €2.99 and they work like a charm. No ice or frost on the window at all. You just put them over the front window and they have two longer pieces at the side which you just catch in the door to keep it steady. No need for scraping or heating in the morning.

I've been looking for and excuse to buy a long hot water bottle! And a hot water tap. This is it!

Thanks

Does nobody use those foil windscreen covers? I got some in Aldi last year for €2.99 and they work like a charm. No ice or frost on the window at all.

And once more:

The windscreens need demisting on the inside as well (best achieved by using the car blowers). It isn't just about ice on the outside!

DH car can be programmed from his mobile to defrost remotely from anywhere in the world. Mainly our kitchen while car is on our drive.
Couple of minute job done toasty car no mist anywhere. Safe to drive off our private drive.
I think it actually not the engine that he starts some bit ok kit in the car. Will ask when he’s home tonight.
Me I’ve got a windshield cover for my car no ice gets through it. Thin nylon with suckkie pads folds v small stick it in my boot till next use. Game changer for me.

Also perplexed by the make-up doer who said "While my body is drying..."

Don't you dry your body? Do you drip dry? Is this why DH leaves water all over the floors, because he's walking around drip drying?!

There is no other way to get the inside of the car clear enough to safely drive away. It's just 'one of those things

There is. I do it.

i always scrape the car but have to run the engine when stationary to demist the screen. Whether I do that during or after scraping is immaterial - it still needs to be done because the interior of the car is cold. Wiping the inside screen doesn’t work because it remists when cold and the screen smears and is just as dangerous to drive. While I get that the fumes are horrible, it’s illegal to drive without being able to see properly out of the screen. To people who say “just scrape!” not own cars? It has been like this for every car I have ever owned. No one enjoys de-icing the car but it is part of life if you have to get to work at a certain time in the morning in winter. Engine revving is never on for whatever reason of course

I have heated windscreens but I still need to sit with the engine running while they do their job. Only takes me a couple of minutes so I tend to run the engine while I take coat off/sort out my music/put seatbelt on/get the dog in the boot and by the time that's sorted, I can just set off.

I can't just get in the car and drive off without running the engine for a couple of minutes.

Also perplexed by the make-up doer who said "While my body is drying..."

That was me.
I get out of the shower straight onto a bathmat and put my warm dressing gown on (cotton waffle, nicely absorbent). It dries me in a couple of minutes while I mess about with hair and makeup, no active drying needed. I may have damp calves but I put moisturiser on anyway so it makes no odds.

I suppose I dry by capilliary action, if anything

It’s not illegal on a driveway to have your car idling. I use auto glym de-icer which is by far the best out there. Instantly gets the ice off but I still need to keep the engine running to de mist. No way am I fannying about with hot water bottles (which I don’t have anyway)

@adaline Most screens will take tepid or even cold water out of the tap and clear most of the frost off, it can then be finished off with the demister in the car. Some De-icers are aerosol type, and contain CFCs and Ethylene Glycol. CFCs are bad for the Ozone layer, and tiny amounts of Ethylene Glycol can kill animals, especially cats that are attracted to the stuff. Using water can make the area slippery, but costs nothing and does not present a risk to pets.

My new car has an app that allows me to remotely start the engine and defrost and warm the car whilst keeping the doors locked and secured.

The car is parked on my drive, so not on a public road, and as others have pointed out it is essential to deice and demist the car so that I can drive it safely so whilst it would be possible for me to stand freezing cold scraping the screen, I would have to use the fan heaters inside anyway to demist. I usually start the engine and do this while my DS is getting his shoes and coat on, bag sorted etc, which takes about 5-8 minutes, and by the time we're in the car it's lovely and warm and ice and mist free.

I can't imagine these apps would be allowed if they were encouraging illegal behaviour. The car is locked so it can't be stolen and I need to deice and demist anyway so makes sense to do it in the 5 minutes before I leave the house rather than sit in it for 5 minutes while it's warming up from freezing!

Hot water bottles are sold in all good chemists and supermarkets

Most screens will take tepid or even cold water out of the tap and clear most of the frost off, it can then be finished off with the demister in the car.

Pouring water over your car is so dangerous, though. Not because it might crack your windscreen, but because if it freezes the road turns into an ice-rink. I don't use a de-icer on my car as I have the heated windscreens so just need to run the engine for maybe 90 seconds and I'm good to go.

Even when I had an old battered Ford I never poured water over my car - when it freezes on the ground it's so dangerous. We live on a hill and have a lot of elderly neighbours so I'd rather not make the street even more dangerous than it already is in the winter months.

I'm not using hot water either as my neighbours children often cross over my drive (as do my own) and I'd rather not have them break their necks on an ice rink I've created. Anti freeze is a no no too as the vet told me that it's toxic to cats but often irresistible to them as it tastes slightly sweet.

My mum’s partner left his stupid Freelander running and stinking up the street for about 20 minutes the other day, so that he could undertake a 5 minute car journey.
People, honestly.

Don’t forget if you leave it running with they keys and it gets nicked, there’s a good chance your insurance won’t pay out.
The remote starts are also discretionary on insurance pay outs.

I’m a scraper without the engine running, unless the insides misted, then I have to run it. It’s been so damp lately all the cars seem to be struggling. I do have a work van I cannot reach the window, so I really really try not to use that first thing. I do have a diesel heater for that, which has a timer on it (so you can set it to come on 10/15 mins before you leave), but I’ve not got round to fitting it yet.

@BuzzShitbagBobbly you sound like a sensible drip dryer. DH on the other hand I think flounces around anywhere he sees fit until he's dry and the floor is soaked 🙄