To think cars should have all heated windows

[Snoopsteandcooper]

I was out scraping my car at the crack of dawn. I've got a heated front windscreen, but what's the point when I've still got to scrape the side windows. I think someone should make a car that all the windows are heated!

I eventually did the truck with the ziploc bag and warm water and that was quicker, but I'd much rather press a couple of buttons while I sit in the car!

*trick, not truck

Is your front window electrically heated or do you mean the with warm air vents? As the side windows move up and down I imagine it would be difficult to install actual electrical heating on them. You could turn your heater up full and face the side vents towards the side windows?

Yes, it's electrically heated. I'm up in Scotland, so although I do turn air vents on, it takes absolutely ages. It was particularly cold overnight, so ice was quite thick.

Side windows move though, so not quite sure how the elements that go through the glass are supposed to attach?

I know what you mean though - it's lovely having a heated windscreen (is it still just Fords that have this (I know they had it patented originally), or is is more common now?) But surely you just whack the heated screen on, scrape the side windows for 20sec each and then get in the car in time for all the ice to just fall off the front screen. You still have to wait for the screen to heat up, so a short scrape of the side windows isn't all that much of a bother.

I used to have heated car windscreen, my current car doesn't and, in this frosty weather, I miss it! I think it is more expensive to replace the heated ones and the excess is higher.

If I remember I put the frost cover on

Yes, it's a Ford. I think other makes can now have the heated windscreens at the Ford patent lapsed.

You really should let the engine do the work and get warm to defrost the screen (EV owners can just watch their battery flatten). That way when you set off you stay clear and safe.

Quite depressing the number of cars I see that have cleared scraped the ice off and then immediately set off and the screen is refreezing.

To answer the OP, there are lots of features cars "could" have, if the market is willing to pay for them. But a feature that might only see use 10 days in a year is unlikely to be one of them. Well, not until they can find a way of getting you to pay a subscription for it.

I thought that too OP. The reasoning that the side windows move isn't really a reason when you realise some cars have heated wing mirrors, they move too.

Rarely have an issue with side windows. Even with the heat blasting on the windscreen I have to scrape it though!

This problem will solve itself as electric cars become the norm. Our PHEV defrosts and warms itself up every morning 15 minutes prior to planned departure, you can also use the app to tell it to do it if you don't have a planned departure time - it's much more efficient to do this while still plugged in to the charger rather than doing it while on the go and using the battery.

All the innovation in car manufacturing is now in EVs.

Ooh that does sound good!

All the innovation in car manufacturing is now in EVs.

https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/12/hertz_electric_vehicle_cuts/

I never really understand all this stuff. If you chuck a blanket or large towel over your windscreen you get zero ice. You can cover side windows too quite easily.

These things require no fuel/energy to heat the car and take less time too.....

You really should let the engine do the work and get warm to defrost the screen (EV owners can just watch their battery flatten). That way when you set off you stay clear and safe.

Except that it’s illegal to leave a car idling.

Oh god I miss our Ford which had the heated windscreen! I put a windscreen cover over my windscreen last night and the cover actually froze solid so I had to snap it off gently. As soon as I melted the ice it refroze. Then I walked around the car to get in and slipped on the ice and fell over. T’was a fun morning 😅

Quite depressing the number of cars I see that have cleared scraped the ice off and then immediately set off and the screen is refreezing.

Windscreen wipers can cope with the tiny amount of moisture in the air that refreezes to a cold windscreen

Land Rover have had heated windscreens for years, the best feature through is the heated steering wheel! Bliss!

We have an EV & a PHEV and we just use the preheat function controlled by the app so we can defrost the cars whilst staying in the warm. As we charge from home it's still plugged in so it doesn't really affect range at all although it's not too bad even when not plugged in.

In winter - that and the heated steering wheel are my favourite aspects of the cars.
I'm glad as I'm very tiny and have in the past struggled to scrape the centre of the windscreen as I can't reach.

Our 15 year old Land Rover used to do that, timed heating has been around long before EVs

Our 11 year old Mazda has a heated windscreen and it's such a time saver. A bit of de-icer before scraping the side windows and it's done in no time (and at least you don't have to lean over the car when it's just the side windows).

@Snoopsteandcooper @Mothership4two was this post written in the last century?? some of the answers are really weird. does every car nowadays not have front and rear screen hearing built in?? what kind of car does not have a heated windscreen??

I've never known it to refreeze again while driving once clearing.
I always thought it was more likely that they hadn't done a good enough job clearing it to begin with and not scraped all the ice before setting off.

@2jacqi plenty of cars don't have a heated windscreen!
Ford had the patent originally, so I think only they had it. It's now far more cars, but many even quite recent cars still have to use the internal blower system.

Most cars in the UK don't have heated front windscreens as Ford had a patent on the technology for a long time. Now it seems to be avail on more high end cars. For example you can only have it as an option on the Mini John Cooper Works model, which is the highest price / level of trim