Help, frozen car's windows in the morning , can not see to drive properly?

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SteveN

I had this problem in the past and it's not just the frost or ice in winter mornings. In fall and spring, you may not have frost/snow/ice on the windows, but can still have condensation that requires you to put the defogger on.

Trust me when I tell you that you should let the windows become clear on the front and sides before trying to go anywhere! I once had a dental appointment two blocks away from my house, and figured I could just drive with them all fogged up since it was not that far. I turned a corner and the sun lit up the front window turning it from semi-visible to a solid white you could not see through, and I proceeded to bump into a car coming the opposite way. Low speed colision (under 5mph) but still caused me $2300 worth of damage!

So needless to say I now let the windows defog before going anywhere.

If you don't want to wait in an icy cold car, get yourself a remote car starter and make sure you leave the fan on so that the hot air can hit the windshield and clear it up before you go to get in.

And always have a good snow brush in the trunk or back seat to scrape the windows and clear off ALL the snow, even the roof.

(FYI - Did you know that it is illegal in some provinces in Canada to drive with any leaves, snow, or ice buildup on your car that can blow or fall off and affect the cars driving behind you?)

Leafsfan29 is on the 1st tee

Buy an ice scraper. Canadian Tire sells them for around five dollars. They might be having a Thanksgiving Weekend sale.

When you start your car in the morning...turn the defrost on high (on heat). Let it run for a few minutes.

Do NOT pour hot water on your windows.

*ajidamoon* the Eh team

Perhaps you should leave a few minutes early, and let your car heat up sufficiently before trying to drive away. When heating your car, you aren't only making it a comfortable temperature for driving in, but also letting the engine components reach ideal temperature, and defrosting the windows as well. Its bad for your car to just jump in, start it up and drive away. Invest in a scraper to remove excess ice from the outsides of the windows.

Wintergirl

I lived in Anchorage, Alaska for several years with my car open to the elements and had the same problem. Here's what we did in Alaska: Start the car's engine at least 10 minutes before you have to leave (longer if it's really cold like zero or below) and blast the heater onto your windows. When you're ready to leave the ice should be mushy and slide right off and the window will be warmed through and through and not be foggy.

sheloves_dablues

You must be new to Canada... Buy an ice scraper to scrape the ice. Then use the defrost option on your interior thermostat.

If you think it's bad now, wait til the middle of January...

Melanie B

buy a scraper. you'll need one for the winter here.

twiggy

Frozen windows already!?!? Wow, I am not ready for winter! I use the wind shield wiper fluid with antifreeze, turn on the wipers and the heat!

Arthur

Ha!

Warm your car up for 5 min. with the defroster on before you leave.

Brooke

The best ways to prevent this is to cover your wind shield, however this will only work if it isn't too cold outside, leave your window cracked just slightly to equalize the temp and moister in and outside your car, start your car ten or so minutes before you are to leave, purchase a wind shield scrapper and scrap the frost off your car, park under a shelter of some sort, there is also a deicer that comes in the way of wind shield cleaner. Although all of these ideas can help, it is one of those things that happens here in Canada.

You could also have a heater installed in your car that will keep the inside of your car warm.

Karen L

Gosh, it's barely winter yet. This is just the beginning of cleaning the windshield of ice and snow. It's hard to prevent ice forming on a windshield entirely, but it helps to cover the windshield with a sheet of plastic. Getting it to stay on can be a problem, but I've had pretty good luck with tucking the bottom edge under the windshield wipers, and strong magnets can hold the top edges in place. You'll still need an ice scraper, and it's smart to let the car run long enough to let the heater clear the windshield before you drive so don't be in a big hurry in the mornings.

I used to do the same as SteveN, drive anyway, and the windshield would clear as I drove, but I was luckier. One day I decided I really better scrape the windshield so pulled over a few blocks from home to do that. When I got out of the car I found I had stopped about 2 feet from a parked car that I never even saw.

Mug R

Could you possibly be a canadian and not know what an ice scraper is??? funny, Canadian tire also has a product called Rain Away which I think helps with this.

jaco

by a gallon of methyle hydrate , put it in a squirt bottle , give the windows and mirrors a few shots and away you go. it dos not hurt the paint. have been doing that for many years.

meeomyo

try covering it with plastic it works ok in Colorado most of the time

Shivam G

just put some hot water on its glasses and park it some in a shelter ok
and then at night give it some hot water on the whole car and put it in the shelter!

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