'lo all
have read the topics on external deicing, and the kettle malarky etc... I personally favour my gym membership card instead of a halfords scraper as it makes me feel I am getting some value out of it.
What can I do to stop the car icing up on the inside? In some conditions the car will have major condensation which is beyond the powers of the heater to clear. I soak it up with newspaper or bog roll before waiting an age for the heater to finish the job.
Level of condensation is normal in that other cars have the same amount on the outside, I guess my door seals are old?
Any top tips for reducing the condensation? Cos it freezes now and I'm unlikely to buy new seals.
I was thinking maybe ski-waxing the inside of the windows so the water doesn't hold. whaddya reckon?
M.
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My winter routine is in disarray.
A technique I had perfected over the years involved starting the car and then going back in the house for a coffee and cigarette.
Having given up smoking I am now having a crisis, since I can finish a coffee more quickly than the car can warm up.
I think bigger cups maybe the answer.
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You could waste a few minutes grinding your own beans. Probably do wonders for stress levels if you can no longer chill out with a hit of nicotine ;-)
I find having a car port helps enormously. Go outside, start car, drive off. Smile smugly at the poor saps chiselling away at the ice or others who have had their pride and joy stolen while they left the engine running...
If there is condensation in the inside of the car some of those silical gel doodads or caravan dehumidifiers placed on the dashboard might suck up the excess moisture out of the air inside the car before it freezes annoyingly on the inside.
teabelly
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Aprillia had a good trick he mentioned a few weeks ago.
Put a fan heater in the car with a flat extension cable trailing back into the house and connected to a time switch in the power socket. Set the timer to come on about 15 mins before you want to drive off.
Sounds a good idea to me.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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Don't use bog roll or paper handerchiefs - both are impregnated with talcum powder.
Kitchen roll is OK though.
--
Use it up : Wear it out : Make do : Do without
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Aprillia had a good trick he mentioned a few weeks ago. Put a fan heater in the car with a flat extension cable trailing back into the house and connected to a time switch in the power socket. Set the timer to come on about 15 mins before you want to drive off. Sounds a good idea to me. -- Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
I used to put one of those 40W cupboard heaters in the car and leave it on all night. Not only would the windows stay clear but the interior kept warm as well. Used minimal electricity. Thoroughly recommended.
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Hi,
This sounds what I've been looking for.
Where can I get one?
Are they, or do you get, re-chargeable battery powered ones?
A.D.
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What with everything electronically controlled in cars these days I'm surprised no manufacturer has come up with a time switch function which will start the engine at a time set by you, put the heaters on, while of course making sure it's in neutral before it starts! The doors would remain locked until you bliped the remote and engine would stall if the alarm goes off/throttle pressed.
Simple!
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As seen on Tomorrow's World, circa 1985.
Seems to have suffered from the well-known "Tomorrows World Effect".
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"What with everything electronically controlled in cars these days I'm surprised no manufacturer has come up with a time switch function which will start the engine at a time set by you, put the heaters on, while of course making sure it's in neutral before it starts! The doors would remain locked until you bliped the remote and engine would stall if the alarm goes off/throttle pressed.
Simple!"
Well that does exist...sort of, its available from a few manufacturers that also do car alarms. The ones I have seen don't have a preset time switch fuction which means you have to manually "blip the remote" to start the car, but that could easily be done when you first wake in the morning and you really only need about 15-20 mins running time to get the heating (or air-con) going effectively.
There are usually a host of safety features to prevent the car being started in gear etc, but the bigger problem would be that here in the UK there seems to be a law that prohibts one from leaving a car engine running when it is un-occupied. Or am I mistaken on that?.
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Hi mfarrow,
Check this w/site www.eberspacher.com/car.php?section=automotive.
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I'd appreciate any thoughts on how this intriguing sounding product compares, say with a Kenlowe system, in terms of effectiveness, ease of fitting, cost etc? On Eberspacher website there's no mention of cost.
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Hi El Hacko,
Don't know anymore than their website says. I just thought I'd tell mfarrow that something like she described does exist, and to let others know there is something to do the needful without running the engine!
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answering one of my own questions, I now learn that this particular heater costs nearly (wait for it) £1,100 plus VAT - cheaper to buy an electric fan blower and leave it on under car, off road, on coldest days, say, for 15 mins or so before you set off.
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Mark
A fine and well proven technique still alive and well and employed in the RF household.
Now part of your schedule has been ruined you can
1/ Start smoking
2/ Make your coffee hotter
3/ Throw a slice of bread in the toaster
4/ Read the paper
5/ Play with the dog/wife/kids (yes in that order of preference)
6/ Whip out the laptop and abuse your postion of authority and terrorise some poor bloke into calling himself Blank {NP}
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Buy a Ford with heated front and rear screens.
Problem solved:-) clear in 2 mins...
madf
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Buy a Ford with heated front and rear screens. Problem solved:-) clear in 2 mins...
1'30" normally does it!
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i find my car has condenstaion on the inside alot....no leaks that im aware off
so experimented with turning the heat off and opening a window a minute before i park up, maybe leave the door open a while when i get out so that the inside is outside temp
i now find it alot better :)
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Mark A fine and well proven technique still alive and well and employed in the RF household. Now part of your schedule has been ruined you can 1/ Start smoking 2/ Make your coffee hotter 3/ Throw a slice of bread in the toaster 4/ Read the paper 5/ Play with the dog/wife/kids (yes in that order of preference) 6/ Whip out the laptop and abuse your postion of authority and terrorise some poor bloke into calling himself Blank {NP}
RF, you forgot-
6a to 6n/ Ditto 6 for a range of other unfortunate souls:)
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I think bigger cups maybe the answer.
But then you have to factor in the time taken to visit the men's room.
H
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I reckon water is best warm/tepid (25 deg c), not warm enough to risk cracking, just enough to wash the frost off and impart that critical few degrees onto the glass so that it won't refreeze.
De-icer is teh worst thing, as it causes the glass temperature to plummet to -double figures degrees C.
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>>involved starting the car and then going back in the house>>
Local car thieves love the people who do this. Saves having to break into the vehicle or extract the keys via the letter box and a hook on a long cane....:-)
Just jump in and drive off.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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>>involved starting the car and then going back in the house>>
>
>Local car thieves love the people who do this.
Yawn. Sure, they'd only have to get down a long farm track and past my dogs ( one is 8 stone, the other 7 ). Assuming, of course, that they knew the car was there in the first place, assuming that they wanted, yes I know I could be sued if my dogs bit someone, yes I know that I could be done for speeding on my way to see my lawyer about defending the law suit caused by my dogs biting someone and yes I know that international terrorists will be reading the local court schedules with a view to building a nuclear bomb in my house after they've had it confirmed that I won't be home because I'm in court dealing with the speeding fine....etc. etc.
I swear to god that if I said I was crossing the road only when there were no cars coming somebody around here would warn about the dangers of being hit by a meteorite.
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"yes I know that international terrorists will be reading the local court schedules with a view to building a nuclear bomb in my house"
Blimey, I wondered what that big bulbous thing with spinning wheels and a countdown timer was in my conservatory.
Still no problem, I have it up on E-bay, the auction runs out in three days and the timer says 7 days.
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Mark,
I changed m habits too. I used to run the car to defrost it until YOU told me off for it a couple of years ago......! Well it drove me to converting an outbuilding into garage anyways !
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Interesting, assuming your vehicle is a Xantia I'm having the same experience. The warm moist air that subsequently condenses is certainly rising through the demister vents. Not coolant; weather related. Happens when it's lashing down in the morning and clears to sunshine while the car's at the station. Suspect something is either leaking (pollen filter?) or a scuttle drain hole blocked but I've still to find time to get it looked at. Might be worth checking the same area?
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Is it residual moisture in the aircon system coming back into the car?
--
L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Air Con! I wish... I haven't even got ABS!
Its an M reg Xantia TD LX. The LX stands for Less Xtras. I don't mean to be rude about my car cos I do love it dearly, but it is basic (probably why it doesn't give me much bother).
It used to be really bad for internal moisture but I found water under the carpets which I traced to blocked sunroof drain pipe thingies (exit is in the rear wheel arches, inspired design!). Maybe they're blocked again, but I can't find any wet carpets.
The window down thing is interesting. Its worst in the morning (car only goes to station and back) when the car has sat overnight (and the conditions are right). In the evening the car has sat in the station all day and I drive from the carpark barrier to a bay with the window down so the car cools down...
Hmmm.
What do you reckon about the waxing idea? I had some stuff you put on the outside of the windows that meant that water just ran off. Figured it might do the same on the inside...
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What do you reckon about the waxing idea? I had some stuff you put on the outside of the windows that meant that water just ran off. Figured it might do the same on the inside...
The moisture will still have to settle somewhere so your side windows and rear screen will get damp instead.
When I had this problem with an older car it was simply an accumulation of damp from diving into the car with soaking waterproofs on. I picked a dry day and put a small fan heater on a low setting in the passenger footwell, with the passenger seat well back. Left all windows down an inch and sat myself down by the window with a plentiful supply of books, newspapers and coffee to keep an eye on things. Three hours later I removed the fan heater and closed the windows up a fraction more. After letting the interior cool to ambient I closed everything up and had a clear car for the next 6 months.
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I had a similar thing from wetsuits.
I put the heater on full as I was blasting up the motorway from the Solent, with the windows open.
Didn't have to use a fan heater, didn't take three hours, but it did solve the condensation problem.
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Didn't have to use a fan heater, didn't take three hours, but it did solve the condensation problem.
Fair point, but as Xantiargh says
Its worst in the morning (car only goes to station and back) >> when the car has sat overnight (and the conditions are right). In the evening the car has sat in the station all day >> and I drive from the carpark barrier to a bay with the window >> down so the car cools down...
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Xan, if your car has no rainwater leaks, you will have to (a) avoid climbing in with wet shoes (difficult in winter) and (b) breathe out as little as possible (no easier). Without air-con a lot of energy input is needed to shift condensation at 2°C.
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Tricks that work for me:
* Plastic refuse bag on the windscreen, trapped by the wipers.
* Even better, use a doormat, rough-fabric side to the windscreen.
* Park the front of the car as close to the house as you can, so it gets some of the escaping heat.
* Buy the MB winter kit (de-icer, etc.), which has the best ice scraper I have ever used.
* Consider installing an engine pre-heater. I've just done that (a Kenlowe) and, apart from its obvious function, it's improving fuel consumption by 15-20%. If the car were used only for short trips, the improvement would be even greater.
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Solution 1.
Always put the heater into re-cerc mode as you park up, seals up the ventilation system from the outside world and stops internal overnight misting/icing up. Dont forget to turn re-cerc off when starting up again. Still doesnt solve the ice on the outside though.
Solution 2.
Buy a Ford with a quickclear windscreen.
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Solution 3.
If it's that cold, who wants to go out? Phone in sick.
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Couple of things to check. Drain holes in the outside corners of the scuttle area should be clear, or the heater matrix might be leaking slightly. Does the inside of the car smell of coolant, or is it using any coolant. A little water vapour goes a long way on the inside of a cool windscreen.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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The lid of a CD/DVD 'jewel' case (why do they call a tatty bit of plastic a jewel?) makes a good scraper.
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Re: external icing. I always defrost the outside of the car with warm/hot tap water. I've done this ever since I started driving over 30 years ago, and my parents used to do the same.
People warn that this could cause the windows to crack or shatter. It's never happened to me or anyone I know. Maybe if one used boiling water straight from the kettle on a screen that's -25 degrees C the thermal shock might be too much.
I've always thought scrapers might scratch the glass, so I've steered clear of them
Cheers, Sofa Spud.....crr..ak....tinkle, tinkle!
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You do seem to be able to get separate heaters for quite a lot of cars. Merc and Audi do them where you can use a remote control or set a timer, but just not in the UK!
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Is your Xantia petrol or diesel? We have a 1994 1.9 TD LX, the heater of which I have always found to be excellent, certainly as good as any I have experienced before, and it usually clears the windscreen pretty quickly.
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I forgot to add that I always use hot water to get ice of the windows and have the wipers going at the same time to ensure it doesn't have time to freeze over again on the windscreen.
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Move to London. I've never (yet!) had an iced-up car parked on a London street. [/helpful mode]
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Move to London. I've never (yet!) had an iced-up car parked on a London street.
because your cars parked on london streets seemed to disapear before they got icy
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unhelpful mode>> >> Move to London. I've never (yet!) had an iced-up car
Keep it in a garage - I've never yet had an iced-up car!
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A cheap plastic cover that you throw over and clip to the wheel arches solves a lot of problems.
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