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 never scraped a car in my life. Does no one use de-icer? Quick spray while my engine is running to de-mist inside then 2 minutes later I’m good to go. If we have a prolonged cold spell I cover with an old sheet/towel so I don’t have to get up earlier to do it.

On a public highway I think it's illegal to run the engine like this. I might be wrong. I think the Police refer to it as 'quitting'.

I don’t know what it’s referred to, but it is illegal to turn your engine on and leave your car unattended.

Because it must be illegal to drive with poor visibility.

Suck up that clean air then

Are you always this pleasant or is it just this morning?

The Highway Code states:

‘You MUST NOT leave a parked vehicle unattended with the engine running or leave a vehicle engine running unnecessarily while that vehicle is stationary on a public road’.

The operative word being unnecessarily.
Running it to defrost windscreens and ensure clear, safe vision is quite acceptable. It may be noisy or annoying if it doesn't suit your personal wake up schedule, sure, but that's not relevant to the HC

(And a lot of people aren't even on a public road, so...)

I think the Police refer to it as 'quitting'.

Isn't it called idling?

We have a heated windscreen but yeah, wiping inside of the window creates streaks which are hellish to see through in low sun so a few mins of fans on. Pretty sure they stay on if we click the engine off one turn. That's on our Mondeo. On our C8 nothing works unless you have the engine on fully. And it freezes on the inside cos its a piece of shit.

@ChardonnaysDistantCousin do you expect people to walk on motorways to work?

I run the engine to get the heated windscreen to auto defrost.

I find a scraper cuts through me!

I think running the engine to defrost a car is fine, the fact its 'illegal' is unimportant, and the OP should invest in earplugs.

Just be happy OP that you are snuggled down in a warm cosy bed, while your neighbours are out early doors in the chilly dark morning. I really don't see lying in bed in the warm in the morning while others go to work as a reason to complain.

Funny how the least logical can be so easily offended!

1. Don't use a chemical spray, it's bad for the environment and can damage your paintwork worse it can poison my dog!

1. Scrape. Just buy a proper scrapy thing, wear gloves and get on with it.

1. Don't rely on the battery, turn the engine over. In the cold if you don't you can wreck your battery

1. Try the RAC tips

www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/winter-driving/how-to-demist-your-windscreen-in-double-quick-time/

Oh - and shaving foam cleans bathroom mirror beautifully too!

OK, so maybe not on motorways, but on my street most cars have children in being driven to school, which is walking distance. Because it's cold and they cannot possibly walk in this weather.

Take those fumes away, and you take a bit part of the problem away.

Worst pollution is around schools.

@CuriousaboutSamphire that advice literally means you have to start your engine 🤣

So, erm, what about those of us with no kids, miles from any school, in a different county from you?

Like it or not, even when we all have 100% electric cars, windows will need defrosting and some energy will be wasted every frosty morning!

@GiveHerHellFromUs Yep! And the AA are just as bad

on my street most cars have children in being driven to school, which is walking distance.

It's the same at our school, but many of those parents will be going straight to work after dropping the children off, so need to go in the car.

Whilst it may be necessary to leave an engine running to clear the windscreen, it is never necessary to abandon the car while you go off and have a cup of tea. It makes sense to speed up the process by scraping whilst the engine runs.

Plenty of cars got stolen
Last winter, keys in, engine running, makes it too easy. I doubt the insurance would pay out eityer

I have a brand new car and still takes 10 minutes to scrape and demist the windows. It's just one of those things in the winter that people have to do.

Not about to freeze my tits off for anyone.

Get in the car - turn the engine on - put the heated seats and steering wheel on which are almost instant heat.

Listen to the radio whilst the screen defrosts.

Its called, the benefits of modern life.

it is never necessary to abandon the car while you go off and have a cup of tea. It makes sense to speed up the process by scraping whilst the engine runs.

I scrape the windscreen then go and finish my coffee whilst it demists. I don't see why that is any worse than sitting in the car?

Oh I'm sorry, tomorrow morning I will risk my life and not bother demisting and deicing my windscreen so you can get your kip, I mean, who needs to actually see where they are going anyway

Some seriously dense people posting on this thread.

I slink out, turn the engine on, come back inside and have a coffee in the warm.

Absolutely nobody should be leaving their engine running whilst they’re not in the car.
It is a finance offence and not only that, if someone steals your car (opportunist thefts are very common for people doing this in winter) the insurance company will more than likely not pay out.

I don’t care about people leaving their engines running whilst deicing (as long as they’re in the car) but it’s annoying when I’m taking my child to school and I’m having to walk past 5-6 cars who are parked by the gate with their engines running. It absolutely stinks and is so unhealthy.