Just been reminded why I've adopted the warm water method of de-icing. Two different brands of de-icer spray have resulted in an impervious but wet icy layer on the windscreen. The scraper would not break through without pressing really hard.

Winter - doncha just love it.

Can't stand de-icer and never use it for the same reason that you found.

Always whack the fan on full on to the screen and use the A/C - no probs!

Pee on it

I'd like a quick clear windscreen please!!

Can't stand de-icer and never use it for the same reason that you found.

Always whack the fan on full on to the screen and use the A/C - no probs!

Me too

I lived for ten years in Iceland and never saw de-icer being used. Can't recall even seeing it in a shop or filling station. Stick with a scraper I'd say.

Always whack the fan on full on to the screen and use the A/C - no probs!

According to my manual the air-con is deactivated below +2C. Its a nuisance because air conditioned air clears mist better than non conditioned air due to it being drier.

Parts of Scotland, ie 2010, End Oct-Dec.

There was 4 weeks where the ambient temp was not above 0*C for 4 weeks.

You would not use warm water which freezes faster & actually harder than cold water.

(using warm water where the Air Temp or Ground Frost temp is above freezing is different from where it is and is going to stay below Freezing once you set off)

http://www.maths.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/hot-water.html

That is day in and day out going over and into the Air Intake for the Heater & freezing hard and possibly never thawing during the day,

even if there is direct Sunshine melting some snow & ice.

Ambient temp or heat from the engine never gets the ice thawed.

I few days of build up can be OK, days and weeks of, need you to get the vehicle inside and thawed.

I have been going to Scottish Ski Centres over 4 decades, since being a child,

& De-icer works fine for our temperatures of around 0*C to -15*C

In Really cold and dryer climates & Ski Centres abroad, things are different.

Horses for coarses, & this winter i have already used 5 tins of De-icer.

Does the job perfectly IMO.

Warm water poured over a Cold Vehicle in cold conditions is a no no for me.

Window/door & door lock problems, Heater & A/C problems.

Never ever scraped windows in my life.

Replaced plenty thast are ruined with people scraping & damaging.

Its all down to what works for you

george

Scraper is best.

The AC doesn't work below 4 degrees.

Quick clear is great, although the wires can be distracting, especially in replacement screens.

De-icer is ok as long as it's a good one (Prestone for example) and only used for when the screen keeps freezing up.

For example I'll scrape the screen, but if it all starts to freeze up again, then a quick dose of de-icer will keep it clear until the car is warmed up.

If we all had plug in pre-heaters, that'd be great

Just use a cover for the windscreen.

No scraper or de-icer needed then.

I still miss the Quickclear screen on my P-reg Ford Escort Si. And the front seats which were better than any other car I've driven, Octavia included. But nothing else...

Not sure what good putting the blower on the screen is for melting ice on the outside. Surely that will take a very long time?

I normally find that the inside isn't misted up when the outside is iced, but once I've defrosted the outside the inside is misted up! I have a "no touching the screen" policy to avoid marks, which means sitting and waiting for it to clear. Do people find it's best to defrost the outside with the blowers OFF - if anything it seems to be the blower that causes it to mist.

Those de-icer sprays were popular up here back in the aircooled beetle days. They went by the name "VW Spray".

Rumor also has it Hitler invented his famous salute during VW prototype testing, because people kept checking if the heater was working or not.

Seriously, use a scraper or an interior heater if you have access to 230V where you park. These are the best I've used, no idea if you can get them in the UK though.

http://www.kungs.fi/In-English/Products/Car/Winter-products

If only we had mains at parking spaces :(

IMO warm water is the way to go as it raises the tempetature of the windscreen too, thereby stopping it freezing agains 50m down the road. Done it for years and as long as you use plenty of warm water rather than hot you'll not break your windscreen.

Alternatively leave it on the drive with the engine going so some scroat can nick it, then you won't need to worry about defrosting it!

Warm water for me too. I can see it may not be suitable everywhere although I have never had my screen iced up somewhere where it is very cold.

I have to agree with George I also live in north Scotland and have alway used de icer with no issues. Spray it on hop in car blast the window with air to de mist the time this is done the de icer has run down the windows melted the ice and off I go. I just hate the days when the windows get ice on the iside. Not had on my Skoda but my civic was awful for it.

Those de-icer sprays were popular up here back in the aircooled beetle days. They went by the name "VW Spray".

Rumor also has it Hitler invented his famous salute during VW prototype testing, because people kept checking if the heater was working or not.

Seriously, use a scraper or an interior heater if you have access to 230V where you park. These are the best I've used, no idea if you can get them in the UK though.

http://www.kungs.fi/...Winter-products

I think i will need you to get me one of those scrapers

http://www.kungs.fi/In-English/Products/Car/Winter-products?itemid=1287&showlocation=1aa4fb36-fa2b-43eb-b932-808c108f8d9e

and a few replacement blades.

I use 2 litres of water from the hot tap (not boiling) and use most of this on the windscreen.

As has been said, if you use large quantities of warm water, it heats the screen up and it tends to stay clear until the engine heats up. I've used this method down to -10c and it works well.

I just use neat screenwash in a spray bottle and it works for me.

The main reason the shop stuff freezes is due to the high water content.

.... You would not use warm water which freezes faster & actually harder than cold water ....

I don't understand how warm water can freeze faster than cold water, and how it can freeze harder (to make harder ice?) than cold water.

A quick google

Why Hot Water Sometimes Freezes Faster Than Cold Water

There is no definitive explanation for why hot water may freeze faster than cold water. Different mechanisms come into play, depending on the conditions. The main factors appear to be:

Evaporation - More hot water will evaporate than cold water, thus reducing the amount of water remaining to be frozen. Mass measurements lead us to believe this is an important factor when chilling water in open containers, though it isn't the mechanism that explains how the Mpemba Effect occurs in closed containers.

Supercooling - Hot water tends to experience less of a supercooling effect than cold water. This makes it more likely to become solid when it reaches the freezing point of water.

Convection - Water develops convection currents as it cools. Water density usually decreases as temperature increases, so a container of cooling water typically is warmer on top than on the bottom. If we assume water loses most of its heat across its surface (which may or may not be true, depending on the conditions), then water with a hotter top would lose its heat and freeze faster than water with a cooler top.

Dissolved Gases - Hot water has less capacity to hold dissolved gases than cold water, which may affect its rate of freezing.

Effect of the Surroundings - The difference between the initial temperatures of two containers of water may have an effect on the surroundings that could influence the rate of cooling. One example would be warm water melting a pre-existing layer of frost, permitting a better cooling rate.

I think i will need you to get me one of those scrapers

http://www.kungs.fi/...32-808c108f8d9e

and a few replacement blades.

I prefer the one with the brush on it though. For maximum leverage when the ice is stubborn.

Tried to find someone that sells them online, no luck.

A quick google

Why Hot Water Sometimes Freezes Faster Than Cold Water

All very interesting, but surely the key factor is the *rate* of re-freezing. So all this may be an issue if you pour the water on and then leave it to re-freeze, but if you're going to drive straight off so it quickly warms up anyway, then it won't have the opportunity to re-freeze.

I find the best solution is keeping my car in the garage.

I used to keep the car in the garage, but its so full of crap at the moment I can't fit te car in. Considering its 20 odd ft by 30 something ft and should fit three cars comfortably (four at a push depending how big they are) that's not good!

Tuesday morning it was -5 and had been damp so had a thick layer of ice on the screen. Found an old can of de-iced in the adage (I don't normally use the stuff) and it cut straight through it......