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!)

I have a handy hint...with all the cardboard packaging you are all no doubt accruing from having parcels delivered for Christmas; flatten the cardboard and put it over your windscreen on frosty nights, held down with the wipers. Works a treat!
We take it off and put into our shower cubicle, ready for use again later. If it rains and gets soaked put it in the recycling and look for another sheet of cardboard.
I have to admit, that it is not so good in windy weather!

There was also some great advice about moving house. Practical.

I have very much enjoyed the Marie Antoinettes of this thread

But you have no choice because the stupid fan doesn't work until you're moving!

This could mean 9 points on your licence and a hefty fine

Amazon and eBay sell fans that’ll clear your screen without the engine running & under £20

A great many of us don't have garages. If we had (and they were fit for purpose) we'd certainly keep our cars in them. In Britain we put up with smaller houses and the garage is used to house stepladders, DIY items, washing machines and the like because the frigging house isn't big enough. Walk down many a street and you'll see cars parked bumper to bumper, not through choice.

I have an old car and have to run my engine with the blowers on to de-mist the screen, this can sometimes take 5 mins so I leave the engine on, I don't rev the engine tho.

You don’t need to leave the engine running as there are other methods - you choose to leave the engine running which you could face a fine

Ivykaty while the fan is a useful suggestion, you keep talking about fines and points when most people are not leaving their cars unattended. You do not get fined etc for scraping your car whilst the engine is running. This has been covered several times already.

Great idea - get a car heater like the one above.... which needs plugging into the car battery to run. And to make sure you don't run your battery flat, you should have the engine on anyway!

or you could have the noise/foul pollutant of a breakdown truck/friend driving around to jump start the car which would still then need demisting and deicing anyway

www.amazon.co.uk/Lynn025Keats-vehicles-anti-fog-windshield-defroster/dp/B07T6GP1BY?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Ivinshiw where does the HC state that idling unnecessary is ok if you’re scraping your car?
As what you are advising isn’t written in HC rule 123

Car batteries will not run down after 10 minutes use of a fan heater in a car

But does it count as being unnecessary if you are defrosting your car?

2 minutes it states doesn’t it

My car is old. If I only scrape and don’t run the engine (to demist the inside) then the inside of my front window freezes up too. I know because I’ve tried it more than once. So yes I turn on the engine. Put the fans on full and go out and scrape. It takes about 10 minutes to get the car ready to drive. I do tend to also have to manually wipe the inside windows also. The times I’ve just scraped without the car running I’ve either them had to deal with the frost forming on the inside or having the parts I’ve already scraped re- freeze by the time I’ve finished so it takes a good 20 minutes to get it ready to go. My back window is heated and it makes a huge difference.

Start a rumour about car thefts from people leaving them running on their drive. That'll stop them!

“ As what you are advising isn’t written in HC rule 123”

Actually what you are stating isn’t in HC rule 123. You will not get fined for having your car engine running whilst spending a couple of minutes scraping the ice off. You are not leaving it unattended. If it’s on a drive, it’s not on a public road. You are talking about scenarios that no one else is. You can argue about the “unnecessarily” point - that’s basically what the whole thread is about - but you’re still talking about a scenario that most other people are not

MNetters are the only people ever to have read the Highway Code for any purpose other than cramming before a driving test

My drive is not a public road.
I am sat in my car as it demists.

Interestingly the traffic cop who lives opposite was doing exactly the same thing the other morning at exactly the same time as me. Should he be fined too?

, Ivinghoe? You stated further up the thread it was already covered and legal if you are de icing - I’ve asked for the exception for idling your car for the purpose of de icing and where does it show this in the HC

What people on this thread are talking about is leaving there engine running for 10 minutes whilst their car defrost. It’s often reported in media that in winter it isn’t something that is allowed & why, so I’m interested in your knowledge that advices that for driving purposes it is legal and would be helpful if you could show me where this is?

Media reports tend to be about cars getting stolen when people leave cars running unattended. The article someone linked to earlier told you to turn the engine on to defrost your car

I said nothing at all about it being “covered and legal”. I said it had been covered during the course of the thread. Going on and on about people getting fined for running their engine whilst scraping their car (which no one has said happens in reality except you) just makes you look silly and like you haven’t read the thread.

I think the environmental and health arguments are completely valid and suggesting alternatives for Demisting is really sensible, but going on about fines that just don’t happen is daft

So you can’t find anything that states it legal for de icing your car... so instead you’re now saying I’m looking silly - sounds to me like you have no argument so a personal attack is your tact

Theres nothing that states its illegal while defrosting your car either. The news article from earlier

www.devonlive.com/news/motoring/breaking-law-defrost-deice-car-2278902

It may surprise you to learn, though, that if you leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running in the cold weather you're actually breaking the law.

That's because drivers are expected to always be in control of their vehicle while the engine is running, even when they're de-icing the windows

This is from the Devon newspaper you linked to - you’re saying it doesn’t say it’s illegal?
.

So we’re arguing about what “unattended” means, then?