I just purchased a 2008 Prius -- I live in the Seattle area, and we've been having some cold winters lately. I noticed in the owners manual it says not to scrape the windshield or mirrors of the Prius, instead that I should use a spray de-icer. Does anyone know if this warning is worth following, or if it is just manufacturers being paranoid....I'd like to make sure before I start scraping the 1/4 of ice off a few times a week when it gets cold.... Thanks.
I have scraped my windshield with no ill effects, but just installed a Hot Wash fluid heater and scrape no more! I highly reccomend one of these to anyone dealing with ice. I can't believe how well it works! Anyway, I don't scrape my mirrors, just use the defroster on them.
BerkshirePrius, please elaborate on what a Hot Wash fluid heater is and what store or website you purchased it at and how much it was and how long or difficult it was to install, thanks.
Or you could move to Australia although I used to have frost on my windscreen maybe 3 days a year until I started storing my car in the garage.
Statements like that will get you banned by Moderators who park outside and drive to work on 3ºF mornings! I have a metal-edged scraper that I use to remove ice. Bronze, perhaps? I haven't noticed any glass scratches. However, I have slipped and scraped the black piece under the wipers. I have a bottle of the de-icer spray but try to limit its use since it's just a bunch of chemicals. However, in my defense, when it's negative-something with wind chill I just want to get out of the cold.
GM invented the heated washer resevoirs a few years back, audi's can have the spot where the wipers rest on the windshield be super heated, so is Toyota too proud to copy these guys, or do patents prevent this?
Time to call Mythbusters...... I was told that putting warm liquid on a cold windshield (or the opposite in summer.....if you are going to wash your car, cold water on a hot windshield) would crack it. Yet, we have heated wiper fluid items that don't apparently do this. Have I been living an old wives tale regarding warm water and a cold windshield?
I scape. De-icer is usually hight volatile and as it evaporates off the windscreen it cools it further, and you end up with ice on the inside and re-freezing problems. I knew of someone (urban myth coming up) who poured boiling water on the windscreen and shattered it. I spose it would depend on the temperature difference between the water and the glass and the way in which the glass expanded, I bet its possible just not as easy as all that. Whenever I am outside in the cold scraping away, I think of the poor person who had to scape cars in these photos. Ice Storm Photos | Gadget Crunch
I purchased the Hot Shot brand off ebay. Do a search, I paid around $70, about 1/2 retail. More info can be found here: http://www.windshieldwiperheaters.com/ I thought it was very easy to install, once I found a mounting location. I decided to mount it under the wiper cowl, actually over the 'stamped in' body VIN.
I know as a fact that if you place a drinking glass in the freezer and thoroughly freeze it, you can shatter it by pouring boiling water into it. This is caused by the interior of the glass wanting to expand from the heat faster than the outside. I can not prove nor disprove the windshield myth. Though I would like to see it tried on Mythbusters.
Isn't the windshield glass tempered and or laminated? That would make it much stronger than your average drinking glass. I suppose if the temperature difference were great enough you could shatter it. I'm lucky enough to be able to park in my garage, so I don't normally have to deal with ice.
Well I know that hot water can crank a windsheild. But usually not one that is completely intact. Even seen a windsheild heater crack a windsheild that had a pit on it. If you have any damage to the windsheild better to slow the temp changes or it will continue the crack right out to the edges. Had one windsheild that hhad a small chip at the top could barely see inside. Washed it when it had snow on with a steam cleaner and it went straight across to the other side. But also washed windsheilds with the stream cleaner in smae temp and not cracked them.
Aside from the cracking issue, what happens when all that water freezes? It could be Spring before the wipers move again.
No frost in Alice Springs, but I'm not sure the trade-off would be worth it. When I had to park out of doors in rural North Dakota (before the Prius) I had an extension cord out there to plug in the block heater. If there was more than a light coating of frost on the windshield, I'd take the hair dryer out and use it to de-frost the windshield.
I just use water out of the garden hose which is not frozen, like we get alot of frost. NEVER hot water! ! !
I bought a 2008 Prius about two weeks ago. Yesterday, I had to scrape some frost off it for the first time. I used the same plastic scraper I had used for about a year on my old car. My windshield is now scratched up pretty badly. I'm going to be calling up my dealership today about this. Needless to say, I'm not pleased that my brand new car's windshield now looks like it's about 10 years old. -Derek
Reading these posts makes me glad I live in FL. The coldest we ever get is in mid 40's, and that is only at night and for a few weeks a year. I lived in upstate NY though for 25 years so I can feel your pain.
