Defrosting the car

[DustyLee123]

It really winds me up when people leave the engine running for ages, and windscreen wipers going full pelt, instead of just defrosting the car with water/scraper and going.

Driving with clear visibility is pretty necessary though.

YANBU to find it annoying it is.
However YABU because actually running the car is often about demisting the windscreen rather than de icing. Old cars especially can be damp and take a while to clear enough to see well.

I have a dehumidifier in the car which means there is a bit less inside the car to clear but I still need the engine on to fully clear it.

Me too - took about 10 mins this morning to get the ice cleared from inside the window. Scrapers don't work there (wrong angle) and the 10 mins included me trying to wipe off as much as I could.

Not an especially old car either.

I always use a scraper to clear the windows whilst leaving the engine running to clear the inside of the windscreen - which takes forever. Would you rather I drove off down the road not being able to see where I'm going?
About 20 years ago I had a Ford Galaxy with a heated front windscreen. I've never had a car with that feature since. Of all the pointless features on modern cars I'm not sure why this hasn't become standard like the heater rear windscreen. (On reflection know it's a cost issue as front windscreens need replacing more than rear ones)

@ohtowinthelottery im sure I had a focus with that too. It was amazing. I agree. Why isn’t it a standard?

I used a jug of water this morning. It doesn't help with the demisting at all and took 85% of the ice off but I still had to scrape. Had no de-icer so it took a while scraping and then had to sit there waiting for it to demist even while wiping the inside as much as I could. Took well over 5 mins, nearer ten.

Exactly. And that’s on top of scraping the outside.

Yes, my old focus had it. Ford had a patent for ages so other brands couldn't have it but the patent has run out now. Am amazed more cars don't have it.

Have you considered it might be when she has to leave for work? If she does it before the 20 min school run window it might be frosted over again.

My DH used to do mine
But we've been married too many years so now he sits in his Ford with the heated windshield whilst I scrape... bastard 🤣

I vaguely think if you leave your car running and unattended, you're not insured

You can idle a car on the road all you need to if you have a good reason. My car is on the road not on a drive. I still need to "idle" it for 10 mins while clearing the windscreen. I'm pretty sure the police would prosecute me if they caught me driving about with non clear windows. Plus I could kills someone.

Even after 10 mins of the engine running today only the bottom 66% of my windscreen was clear. Thankfully I am a shortarse and don't need the top section to be clear. Only advantage ever of being short, if I was taller I'd have to wait longer 😁

Get a car windscreen cover, and you can cut down the time needed dramatically, as at least the front windscreen doesn't need scraping. I then put the engine on with heaters full blast, directed at the windows, to demist whilst I scrape the other windows. Takes about 5 minutes. My neighbour leaves her car running so it's warm inside for her. That pisses me off. Just wear a fucking coat love.

It's about doing what you can for the environment. Sometimes I think petrol is nowhere near expensive enough. You wouldn't burn ten pound notes, so why burn more fuel than you really need to?

This thread just goes to show that car drivers will try to justify anything antisocial about using their vehicles. See also pavement or grass verge parking - it doesn’t matter who else is adversely affected

I’ve never scraped a windscreen in my life. Does no one use de-over anymore?

@Whinge yes thats exactly my issue! My car Is quite old so maybe thats it, but the inside takes ages and if I use a cloth it smears and gets worse.

Mines diesel, so I don't waste any petrol defrosting my car. HTH

A few years ago I bought a window cover that you leave on over night, t isnheld in place by the wiper blades and it prevents any frost from developing on the front window. You just roll it up and place it in the boot and you just have to sort out out your wing mirrors and side windows. Takes no time.

I'm not a car driver but I would much rather all my neighbours who do drive could see before setting off it's just common sense.

I'm also quite amused about the anger towards the one women above running her car near a school so she can go to work. Schools at pick up ans drop off times are full of parents doing exactly the same.

Can’t imagine de-iced is particularly good for the environment, neither the product or the packaging. Again though de-icer doesn’t clear the mist inside a windscreen.

Yes, and lots of people (including me) are telling you thinking you can demist the inside in 2 minutes is over optimistic. About 7 minutes minimum for me to have it clear enough to drive safely.

Stop deliberately being a dick. The woman turns her car on and goes inside, why can't she do this 10 mins earlier?

People saying about the inside of the windows taking ages - just get a demister pad/sponge. Takes 2 seconds then you're off. Granted you still need to let the car warm up for a few minutes first but not as long as just solely relying on the air con clearing the inside.

@Whinge I lease my car, so by the time you factor in not paying for petrol my EV doesn't cost me any more than my previous petrol vehicle (a small citroen, so nothing flash )
I just discovered I could heat up/defrost the car from my phone this weekend so still pretty excited by it (sad cow that I am)

Scraping without the heat going inside the car would be very difficult. It often seems to bond to the windscreen. Then, like others have said, the mist inside needs to be dealt with before it is safe to drive. I don't have air con in my car.

It was in the news recently that a man had a 12 month ban for dangerous driving because he drove without properly clearing the windows.

I bought one of those ice scrapers that looks like a funnel and you go in circles. It's definitely more than halved the time it takes