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!)

@SarahNade no garages here. I live in a terraced row that was built in 1899. No garages here, and no space to put them. They're a bit like this
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/fullscreen/image-gallery.html?propertyId=75500680&photoIndex=7

My car freezes on the inside too. I have microfiber clothes and a squeegee but it still takes a few minutes to clear.

@StatisticallyChallenged Oooo that sounds fancy!!!

Windscreen cover takes me 30 seconds to put on and less than that to pull off and saves me at least 5 mins scraping the windows in the mornings. - always in a rush so every minute counts!

Demisting the inside isn't a time hindrance compared to scraping the exterior. Works for me.

I can't drive my car off if I can't see out of the windscreen!

Even better for the environment then

It is illegal to have your car engine on and for you to not be in the car.

No it's not. On private land eg a driveway you can do this.

It is illegal to have your car engine on and for you to not be in the car.

Oh. I scrape my window with the engine running all the time. Obviously have to get out of the car to do it. I will take my chances, don't think I'm getting arrested for it any time soon.

Your car is not unattended if you're beside it scraping the windows. Unattended is if you're in the house while it's on.

I was responding to the person who said it was illegal to have the engine on and not be IN the car. Not people who mentioned leaving it unattended. Obviously they are 2 different things.

I want responding to you either. We xposted!

Wasnt *

Those of you saying you leave your engine running but lock the car with the spare key - it’s still very easy to steal your car, and insurance will not pay out.

Police officer here, every year we see a spike in vehicle thefts due to people leaving unattended cars running.

Engine running while in it to defrost - ok.

Public road, engine running, you’re inside having a cup of tea - could be liable for a fine.

So as long as it's on our driveway we are fine?

Yes but very easy to steal your car if left running with keys in, even if locked. And insurance will not pay out.

I'm too busy scraping windows to leave it unattended while it's running (plus the keys would be in my pocket, not in the car)

I'd really love to be able to stay in bed at 5am, but unfortunately I have to get up and get the ice off my car in order to get my arse to wherever I'm working that day - so I'll continue to use de-icer spray and run the engine and if my neighbours don't like it, then they can think of it as payback for the screaming kids I had to put up with the night before.

But the insurance thing is irrelevant to the OP anyway because she is objecting to people having the engine running whether they are in attendance or not. I don’t leave my engine running when I’m not actually scraping the car, but having the engine running is not optional in terms of being able to drive it away when it is frosty. The quicker my car is drivable, the less time spent annoying my neighbours when I leave for work :)

I admit I do this as a treat sometimes when I’m leaving the house with cold hair.

Nice to get in a toasty warm frost free car.

But I usually leave at 8.30.

Oh I have a child that screams at night too sometimes. Fortunately I live in a semi and his bedroom is on the unattached wall, but I’m sure sometimes he is heard despite my best efforts. I clearly shouldn’t be allowed to participate in society, objectionable being that I am.

I have a screen protector thing from aldi. It’s bloody brilliant. And I just do the sides then
It was a couple of quid.

Leighhalfpennysthigh

I'd really love to be able to stay in bed at 5am, but unfortunately I have to get up and get the ice off my car in order to get my arse to wherever I'm working that day - so I'll continue to use de-icer spray and run the engine and if my neighbours don't like it, then they can think of it as payback for the screaming kids I had to put up with the night before.

Please don’t use de-over spray. It’s poisonous to cats. They have been known to lick the run-off and die.

De-icer

They have been known to lick the run-off and die. sad

I've been using it for years and never seen any run off. No cat deigns to come near my house anyway because of the three bloody great dogs there!

The kids aren't just screaming sometimes, it's almost fucking constant from 10pm until 2am or thereabouts and these are detached, large houses, quite a distance away from each other - but that's another thread.

I have never had any run off from using de-icer either!

But from this thread it is pretty clear that whatever method used to just get safely on the road on a cold morning someone will find a reason to complain!

I wish there would be some sort of shit old car amnesty where people could trade old bangers in for ones that don’t need to be warmed up and defrosted like this, it’s SO BAD for the environment and for the air we breathe. It takes me about two minutes to squirt some deicer on and turn the engine on with heated windscreens and heated seats and off I go.

And I have a cat and he’s never licked deicer run off - there isn’t any, you squirt a small amount so there’s no waste. How much are people spraying that it ends up all over the floor ?!