This has just come into my mind as I went out to start the car as the weather is chilly and ice on cars I wonder are you a scraper of windscreens or a sprayer of deicer...or do you turn on the warm air blower onto the windscreen? ...

I park in the back garden one of the only pluses of that is I can start the engine and put the blowers on and come in the house and wait...or eat my toast.

i am a scaper
i wouldnt leave my car running while i was indoor incase someone want to nick the car.

I'm a blower, I'm lucky that my car is well off the road and out of sight and earshot, plus it's parked under a security light that sets off a 'bing bong' in the house when it comes on, mind you that in itself can be annoying as every passing moggie or fox sets it off

bit of all three really - this morning no de-icer left and running late so OH started car for me and then scraped the rest off!

When I have the de-icer that's used if not blow and scrape!

Car is off main road in drive but I still worry that someone might pinch the car so I rush like mad!

im a blower - although this morning it took forever so I ended up getting my nice pink scraper out ;)

I do all three!  Start the car and put the front blowers on and the rear heater thingy then spray the windows starting with the windscreen.  Once all the windows have been sprayed I start scraping the windows starting with the drivers window.

Eventually all the windows are scraped clear and the front windscreen just needs a quick scrape over at the very edges.

It takes forever and I was frozen by the end of it all this morning but all the windows were clear and unlike my neighbours I didn't get stopped by the police car at the end of the road for driving with reduced visibility!

More of a hybernator here LOL - my wheels have looked like a giant popsicle for weeks :-D

If I can force myself out to do something with it (been using OHs all the time) I'm def for the blower option.  I use the spare keys to lock up while it thaws out and I stay cosy :)

Of course I should just put it in the garage but that's rather taken up with doggy stuff :-p

Yep all 3 here too, whichever works the quickest cos I'm always late & never leave enough time to deice the car properley!!!

I'm a scraper (although I put the blowers on while I'm scraping).

I've found that when using de-icer it makes the inside windows steam up.  Does this just happen to me?

Im a blower (I wondered what on earth this thread was about at first - lol!) Where we live is quite isolated so my OH leaves the keys in the car on the drive with the blower on full, so its nice and warm when I get in it to go to work.

A couple of Christmases ago my mum bought me a very fancy scraper (cant remember the name of the company but they do really bright multicoloured stuff) - it even has tassles on it! I have to say I only use it when showing off! ;-)

>I've found that when using de-icer it makes the inside windows steam up.  Does this just happen to me?

nope, happens to me too :)

Im a blower and scraper if my OH is feeling lovely he starts the truck and its defrosted when I get to go, if he's not I strat the engine, and start the scraping, then sit in the truck until the windscreen is clear enough to drive. As a rule I do not drive until i ca see v. well and I scrape all the windows so when i back out I miss any other car daft enough to park too close to mine!!!!!

No you get clean outside and misty inside with ours as well. But at least we have a big 4X4 (firms truck) OH walks Jake in. Whistler and I head for the local beauty spot and walk around the field for 40 minutes then take the truck into work. I do have a Kia Carens but I have only done about 5,000 miles in 2 years so its pristine at home!!!

> nice pink scraper out

WOW i want one!!! LOL would go with my decorated pink interior! LOL

I am a de-icer definatly, i am too lazy to just scrape so tend to spray a lot of de icer so dont have to scrape quite as much, but have the heated windscreen on whilst i do it so it gets a chance to heat up

I was a de icer user.......then it ran out and i didnt buy anymore :-O
then i became a scraper........ but soon found my fingers were too numb to drive as i was using my national insurance card cos i didnt have a proper scraper
Now i leave the blowers on and come in to finish my cup of tea and hey presto - car is de iced!!:-)
I suppose the car could get nicked but i could get run over crossing the road - i like to put things in perspective :-)

Ha ha, that made me chuckle about your NI card!!! What you like!! lol!!

I might try that on the drive, its fair quiet around the back of the house and i doubt anyone could get it off the drive and manover it around anyway, and i could lock the gate, might be easier, i dont have time for a cuppa in a morning though!! Would rather sleep ha ha :)

Naughty naughty...dont blame you for wanting extra sleep though. What am i like with a NI card - you got a pink scraper...pot/kettle??!!! :-)

A kettle of warm water and the windscreen wipers on full , along with the blowers and back window heater on for me .
I have been doing this for 21 years without a window cracking .
I once heard that de-icer is really bad on the paintwork so i have never used it .

> A kettle of warm water and the windscreen wipers on full

Me too :-)  Hubby goes ape :-D

I always thought you ran the risk of cracking your windscreen doing that - maybe it's an old wives tale!!

Maybe it depends whether you have a laminated or just a toughened windscreen. I've had no problems using warm water to defrost laminated windscreens for years.

Actually, that must be a load of toot! I use the same warm water to do the side windows too; they're ordinary toughened glass and have also been fine.

Actually, I don't use warm water.  A jug of water out of the cold tap works just as well I find.

I get the extension lead & fan heater out leave in on for about 10 min all defrosted & nice warm car  ;-)

Barry

> Maybe it depends whether you have a laminated or just a toughened windscreen. I've had no problems using warm water to defrost laminated windscreens for years.
>
> Actually, that must be a load of toot! I use the same warm water to do the side windows too; they're ordinary toughened glass and have also been fine.

Warm water is fine - its when the kettle is still steaming that you have a problem - as I saw 3 people do today *idiots*.

> I've found that when using de-icer it makes the inside windows steam up.  Does this just happen to me?

No, it happens to me too.  I have stopped using the de-icer spray for that reason.

Kettle of warm water (just from the tap, not boiled) here too.  Quick and works a treat. 

I use all 3, all the blowers up hot and the air conditioning on, a wee scoosh of de-icer and a scrape if necessary.  recently I forgot to add more anti-freeze to the water as I was still using the summer mixture and it all froze when I was driving.  Not a great experience and to boot I looked like an idiot having to stop the car and scrape and spray in the middle of the street. Doh!

The scraping causes me too much of numb hands that i then have to warm them up before i can drive.

I am very much a sprayer and its so much quicker, though while i am spraying the car is started and the heat is blowing.

So glad my car is in carport! But if left out, definitely a blower!

Heated windscreen & mirrors.

I am a hot kettle on the windscreen, been doing it for 20 odd years, quick, painless straight in the car and drive off. :-D

I'm a coverer, we have simple plastic screen covers which make de-icing the front really easy... then a blower :-)

i saw ottmans scraper last night at 5pm leaveing boston show in newk,ice  and frogy.

the things you do to get a left back home.

Kettle of warm water here too, works so much better than the other techniques.

I get the engine going and leave it running for 10-15 mins (20 on really cold days) to warm up.  That way I get clear windows and the icy edge is taken off the air in the car.  Nothing worse than having to get into a freezing car on a freezing day and drive, never mind if the windscreen's clear or not!