Removing Ice / Frost from windshields and/or windows. Share your methods.

[sixty7mustang22]

-Use the winshield covers to prevent ice/frost

-Use a defroster spray like you already do.

Does anyone know of a good windshield cover that doesn't wrap around and shut in the doors?



How bad is defroster spray for trim and such if you get over spray on it?

What's wrong with using a scraper? Driving on the freeway regularly is gonna do far more damage to the surface of my windshield than a scraper ever will.



Deicing spray is nice and easy, but you'll also be putting a nice load of ethylene glycol down the drain into the nearest river. When I lived in a cold area we just made sure to put a piece of cardboard over the windshield (and wipers) at night. Lo-tech and ugly but effective and reuseable!

I have noticed extra, fine scratches on my windshild other than the normal wiper scratches on a couple of my previous cars. The go horizonal and diagonal. The only other things that touch my car are sheepskin mitts and microfiber towels. Those scratches weren't there before winter.



I like the cover idea, but a little more high-tech than cardboard.lol

remote car starter!

No for her Audi. The cluster has to recognize the key in the ignition before the Imobilizer is deactivated. There isn't a good way to get around this with any remote starter on the market that I can find. Besides, it really isn't good for a car to sit and idle anyway. so I stay away from that.

4) Like mentioned earlier, they sell a cover for your windshield that has straps that you close in the doors to secure it. I have one, however, its a pain, and theres a possibilty of marring on the A-pillars from the straps.

Yeah, she showed me one that she wanted. I didn't wan to get it for the very two reasons you mention.

I make sure to get a good layer of Rain-X on before the cold weather hits. It makes the frost less "sticky" to the windshield.

I definitely agree. I find the same to be true. However, I still need to use the de-icer sometimes and I know that is degrading the Rain-X each time I use it, if not taking it off totally.

Anybody ever tried one of these?



eBay Motors: Toyota SOLARA CAMRY COROLLA PopTop Sun Shade, Car Cover (item 300169570064 end time Nov-17-07 06:30:52 PST)



Only covers from the glass up, so you only have to worry about marring, etc., on the roof. Seems like it could work. Keep the heat out in the summer too.

Yeah, but the marring is what would concern me.

Cold water. That simple. Start your car and pour cold water over your car. Melts the ice.

Heard it before, but I'm scared to try it.lol Watched someone crack a rear window with warm water and have been scared to try any temp of water since.

off topic, but relevant.



are you sure about this. most cars will rev high for the few minutes on cold mornings, ie, my honda idles at 1500 for about 2 minute and then drops to 1000 - 700 is normal.



one of the problems is the strain on the transmission if you don't allow the car to warm up especially on an auto. switching from P to D on a cold morning with 1500 revs is very bad for the trans.

Just a word on this, because I think it is realavant.



You are right, it isn't good to just start the car and drive right off. Most cars, '90s and upish have a warm up idle upon the first start in a while. It will idle around 1 rpms more than normal and then drop to normal idle a minute or so later. It is best if you always wait for the idle to drop and them put the car in D or R and pull away. Cold or not. It also isn't good to let it keep idling after it has reached normal idle. The engine can't properly warm up and neither with the transmission.

I never let my Jeep idle for more than 5min. I also use 5w-30 in the the winter to help with cold starts and lubrication.



Idk what is so complicated about scraping the windshield. I can scrape it in less time than it takes to get a sheet out of the doors or whatever.

Same with me. I let it idle for just a couple of minutes and then take off. 5-30w synthetic for me.



It isn't complicated, I just want to avoid scratches.

This info on NOT letting your car warm up before you drive is 180 degrees opposite of everything I've ever been told or read. Even my mechanic who is a Toyota master tech has told me it's better to let the car warm up for 5 minutes before you drive it.

Yeah, 5 minutes. Some people are talking about 10min plus to let the frost thaw. My mom lets her SUV warm up for 20 min in the morning to melt the frost and it runs like crap now. Ran fine before and everything has been checked. The start up is horrible now. It turns over a bunch of times before it starts.

When it's real cold, I'll let my car run for a good 5 minutes or so. 2 of my cars are turbo'd and I don't need to screw a turbo because I didn't let it warm up well enough. After the car warms up for 5 minutes I'll take an ice scraper to the windows. The wrx has heated mirrors and windshield wipers so that really helps!!

I have taught her to let it idle until the idle drops and go. On really cold mornings, I let it idle for about 3 minutes before she leaves to get the oil warm enough to lube the turbo well. It doesn't need much more than that though. A good synthetic oil will lube the turbo good enough after a short idle.



We both have heated mirrors and rear windows. That does make it nice.



Heated windshield wipers? Really? How does that work?

 

[BigJimZ28]

No for her Audi. The cluster has to recognize the key in the ignition before the Imobilizer is deactivated. There isn't a good way to get around this with any remote starter on the market that I can find. Besides, it really isn't good for a car to sit and idle anyway. so I stay away from that.

there are ways around anything

most place will just wire a dummy key under the dash to bypass the system

I am sure the are other way around it also if you spend some time looking

My mom lets her SUV warm up for 20 min in the morning to melt the frost and it runs like crap now. Ran fine before and everything has been checked. The start up is horrible now. It turns over a bunch of times before it starts.

so you think it runs like crap because she let the engine run......:wow:

 

[jshillin]

Heated windshield wipers? Really? How does that work?

It just has the defroster bars like the rear window underneath the wipers, I thought it was pretty cool!!!

 

[NickelPlated.45]

I Know all glass is not the same

but I think a scraper is safe on any auto glass



I Would like to have some more info about the seconday air system in you your BMW

if you have any info or links that would be great

thanks for the info

It was last year when i researched the secondary air system and found out it's mainly for cold starts and emission controls. There are negative effects of letting my car warm up (i have a feeling the previous owner did this, that's why the secondary air pump went out). If i get a chance i'll try to find out some info on the system.



I never let my car warm up. It runs like a champ even on the coldest of mornings.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Have I mentioned lately that I am glad that I live in SoCal?!?!

 

[metload1]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but I've heard a heated ice scraper does a great job



getting one in the winter!

 

[jshillin]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this but I've heard a heated ice scraper does a great job



getting one in the winter!

Heated ice scraper??? Haven't ran across that yet...

 

[sixty7mustang22]

there are ways around anything

most place will just wire a dummy key under the dash to bypass the system

I am sure the are other way around it also if you spend some time looking



so you think it runs like crap because she let the engine run......:wow:

Yeah, but do I want to rewire/rig a $13k Audi's ignition system and take chances with the ignition system becoming faulty and screw up the resale value on a car that I have worked so hard to keep in pefect condition? Not just to have the ability to start my car from inside the house I don't. Now, if it would start the car, have the car drive to my my job, complete all my work and then return home, I will definitely hook one up.



I do.

It just has the defroster bars like the rear window underneath the wipers, I thought it was pretty cool!!!

Sweet. Those would be nice.

 

[imported_NYV6Coupe]

I've lived in Western NY all my life & I don't have a problem with scraping my windows with a plastic scraper. I get more arc-shaped marring from using dirty/contaminated wiper blades than I've ever had using a window scraper.



Using a snow brush on the paint is an entirely different issue so if I have 6" to 8" of snow on the car I'll brush off most but not all ... the rest can just blow off.



As for letting the car warm-up, 3 - 5 minutes is OK but I've seen people let their car idle for almost 30 minutes which is not good for the car, your wallet, or the environment.

 

[01TrublUGT]

While we rarely get ice on the windshields here, when it does happen I make good use of my drivers license to get it off. Scrape it up a bit so that it isn't a solid sheet, get in hit the hot defrost, spray the windshield and trun on the wipers.



As for a scraper marring up the glass....I don't think so. Your windshield is bombarded daily by sand, grit, and road debris while you are doing 60+, do you honestly think a piece of plastic is going to hurt it??



For car guys I would have to say other than washing and waxing some of you know nothing about the function of the cars powertrain.



1.) Leaving it idle will pollute the air. Well yes but so will driving it. Considering your exhaust system is doing its job it would put out less emissions idling than doing 50mph. Then again when it is cold it does take a bit of extra time for the cats to lite up so in essence you are putting MORE chemicals in the air by driving it before it is up to temp than letting it idle for 10 min. until it gets there.



2.) Letting it idle for 5-10 min will put more strain on the motor as the oil has not had a chance to heat up. Modern oil does not turn to molasses when cold, it will still lubricate. So if the car has been off all night long, most of the oil has made its way back into the crank case. What would cause more damage here, starting it up and letting it idle at 1000rpm's for a few min....ooorrr starting it up waiting 20 seconds and then spinning it to the tune of 3000-4000rpm's right away before the block had a chance to heat, pistons had time to expand, ect...ect...



3.) Remote start, on the Audi there is a bypass module put in to allow remote start. No offense but it is a $13k Audi SUV not a $60k Benz, if anything the remote start, if installed properly, would add to the value rather than take away from it.



4.) BMW secondary air system, letting the car idle vs driving away will have NO effect on it. All it is is an air pump that puts fresh air into the exhaust system to keep emisions down. Its running either way the only difference is if it is running upstream of the cats or directly to the cats.



Ask any mechanic in the world what would do the most damage to a cars motor, either a short trip around the block or a 200 mile trip to the next town. Every last one will tell you the short trips as the engine, internals, and fluids were not able to reach operating temps.

 

[KnuckleBuckett]

A 200 mile trip does little or no damage to an engine. Get it straight.



Short trips under 20 minutes are tough on nearly the whole car.



Most engine wear comes from startups not run time.



Approximately 70 to 80% of all engine wear is caused during "cold" (oil has dripped off of lubricated surfaces) startups. This can be decreased by pre-oiling systems (and other such gadgets), but never eliminated.



Engines are designed to be on the move, not sit and idle. Air flowing across your engine and manifolds creates necessary air to metal heat exchange. Thus aids the radiator and fan(s) in properly maintaining engine temperature. Idle should be kept to a reasonable minimum. Idling at the bank is fine. Idling in a parking lot all day is not.



Just use common sense. It isn't like fixing a copier.

 

[NSXTASY]

This whole thing about letting a car idle when cold is odd. Think about it, how is your engine going to circulate oil throuh it at 1000-1500 RPMS and heat the oil to the correct temp.? Run the car for 30-50 secs and go, however, dont redline/rev high until the car is warm. Its going to take your 10-20 min to heat up your oil when its freezing (15-20) by idling v. 2-3 minutes of low rev driving.



Unfortunately, in MI, there is really no way of getting around using an icescraper (unless the obvious, ie. garage, blah blah). When you come out to your car and have 12" of snow on the whole thing, yeah.

 

[sixty7mustang22]

As for a scraper marring up the glass....I don't think so. Your windshield is bombarded daily by sand, grit, and road debris while you are doing 60+, do you honestly think a piece of plastic is going to hurt it??

Think about what you just said for a minute. Sand, grit and road debris bombard the windshield. They also stick to the windshield. Now, think about rubbing a hard plastic tool over a windshield that contains a lot of gritty debris and tell me that it isn't going to harm it in some way. Sure, using it on a perfectly clean windshield isn't going to hurt. Using it on a dirty windshield is a whole different story. That is the same concept as cleaning the paint before you polish or wax it. You want to remove contamination before you rub something on the paint.

3.) Remote start, on the Audi there is a bypass module put in to allow remote start. No offense but it is a $13k Audi SUV not a $60k Benz, if anything the remote start, if installed properly, would add to the value rather than take away from it.

There isn't a bypass module on her Audi that allows a remote start and her Audi isn't an SUV. And I do take offense to that comment. What is just a $13K Audi to someone else is a $60K Benz to me. Do you think I care more or less about a vehicle I own because it isn't the most expensive thing on the street? I treat every car I own and every car I detail with the same top respect, from a Ford Fiesta to a Ferrari F430.

 

[ryotto]

One of the main problems I see with letting the car sit and idle, especially when the motor is cold are carbon deposits. I believe you will get way more carbon deposits in your motor when it sits and idles when the motor is cold then when you drive it. Also, exessive idleing is bad for your motor oil.



I personly let my car idle for a minute or two in the winter before I drive it, then drive easy and shift at a low RPMs untill it warms up. I use a plastic ice scraper to remove the ice, and I havent seen any scratches in the glass from it.



I just bought myself a winter beater, so I dont car about the damage winter causes anymore.

 

[BikeFreak]

Since we are on the topic, kinda.... My driveway is kinda steep but a little flatter near the top. My truck sits about 12-16 inches lower in the rear when parked. In the morning I do let it warm up for 1-2 minutes if it is cold. But a more important concern..... How does this affect the startup as far as the oil is concerned when the vehicle isn't sitting on a flat surface???



Dan

 

[BigJimZ28]

There isn't a bypass module on her Audi that allows a remote start

are you sure, I found this after about 10 seconds of searching!:

Vehicle Specific Auto Alarms & Remote Car Starters - Audi Bypass Kits

 

[imported_truzoom]

I think you guys are all nuts.



I leave my truck running idle all the time so it never shuts off. If I need to go somewhere, I'll just hop in and drive off.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

A 200 mile trip does little or no damage to an engine. Get it straight.



Short trips under 20 minutes are tough on nearly the whole car.



Most engine wear comes from startups not run time.



Approximately 70 to 80% of all engine wear is caused during "cold" (oil has dripped off of lubricated surfaces) startups. This can be decreased by pre-oiling systems (and other such gadgets), but never eliminated.

Agreed.



I have one of these on my car:

Accusump by Canton Racing Products

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Holy crap! They still make the Accusump? I remember that from 30 years ago.

 

[Rob Tomlin]

Holy crap! They still make the Accusump? I remember that from 30 years ago.

Yep. It's a proven product! :xyxthumbs