Best winter screenwash

Seem to remember a couple of months ago Halfords Pink stuff getting plaudits .

Do what it says on the bottle; some concentrated ones can be used undiluted.

You can also add up to 10% methylated spirits. The normal place it freezes is at the nozzles however, and nothing seems to prevent that under extreme conditions except for heated nozzles.

Chris

Thus spake Chris Whelan ( snipped-for-privacy@prejudicentlworld.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

It's even worse if it freezes on the windscreen as you operate the washer just as you set off, as has happened to me on a few careless occasions!

Do you mean it's worse if you use meths? Or if you have heated jets?

Either way, it's difficult to imagine any impact on screen freezing.

Chris

It's certainly more annoying if you could see, then spray. Then can't see or spray...

Thus spake David Taylor ( snipped-for-privacy@yadt.co.uk) unto the assembled multitudes:

Yes, that's precisely what I meant. Very annoying to have a slightly dirty screen which I can still see out of, suddenly becoming totally opaque as a result of the screenwash freezing during an attempt to clean it!

Ah, OK.

Meths will definitely help prevent that.

Chris

Will it? If the meths evaporates it will remove thermal energy from the windscreen, causing the remaining water to freeze even more.

4 pints of warm water from the kitchen tap poured in 5 or 6 goes over the windscreen over a period of a minute or so heats up the glass enough for the screen to remain clear until the internal heater gets to work.

[...]

Interesting theory, but it conflicts with my real-world experience.

BTW, what is "the remaining water"?

How archaic!

Just switch on the heated front screen for 30 seconds before you drive off.

Assuming you have been sensible enough to buy a car with one, of course. ;-)

Chris

Last time I did that (Ford Focus) it was !!!!CRACK___!! new screen needed. Warm water would have been more gentle

Lol

Indeed. I also press the button which sets the fan at maximum, the air on "demist" and the heat at max at the same time.

I would think that heated nozzles would be very useful because we seem to get icy weather until February most years, yet this useful feature is something car manufacturers do not boast about. I don't know whether my car has them and if it does, I wouldn't know how to switch them on. Do they come on automatically by some thermostatic control or do they come on with the rear window demister? Which cars have them: are they common or rare? Can they be easily retrofitted?

But you have to be careful that the half a gallon of water doesn't freeze on your drive causing you to slip on the ice later.

you can get retro fit kits, I noticed a focus with them the other day, so not really upmarket only as oe

They're common on most cars in the last 10 years or so. If you have a frosty bonnet you should see little melted circles around the nozzles after 10+ minutes, you should also see some wires going into your bonnet along with the washer tube. They usually come on with the rear window/mirrors demister, which may itself come on automatically on some cars with a temperature readout. My old MK4 Golf has them and my Mk3 Mondeo turns on everything if it is less than 4C when you start, except the heated seats :-(

Of course if the screenwash is frozen in your tubes, the heated nozzles won't help you.

Z

I'm surprised the Focus doesn't have them as standard, considering that it has the heated windscreen for icy mornings, you would think they would have fitted heated jets too.

Mk1 Focus has them if the HFS is fitted.

Chris

sorry, I meant two statements:

1. you can buy retro fit kits
2. a focus came in the other day (so not a high grade vehicle) that had them as standard fit and yes, it did have heated front screen.

Thus spake OG ( snipped-for-privacy@gwynnefamily.org.uk) unto the assembled multitudes:

That's all very well if you're at home and don't have a garage. If you're out and about, there's unlikely to be a supply of warm water when the screen's all frosted up. Like another poster says, blowers on full and demist, heat on max, and after a few minutes it's usually safe to give the washers a go - if the screen needs cleaning, that is.

It distresses me when I see people sitting there with their wipers going in an attempt to clear frost from their windscreens. Surely the quickest way to knacker your wiper blades.