Car in Snow without Garage + help (San Bernardino, Truckee: sale, apartments, buying a home)

[MylisaCrestline]

Hello-
I was wondering if any one out there could tell me about living in the snow (specifically Crestline, CA or Running Springs, CA) BUT WITHOUT A GARAGE?
You see, I prefer to buy a house with a garage - but now I have less choices to choose from within my budget. So now I'm considering just buying a home without a garage. How bad is it in the morning (I'd probably leave for work at 6:45 a.m - 7:00) as far as removing the snow off a car? How about removing the ice off the windshield? Is there a cover I can put on my car to help with all this? Please tell me your experience - good and bad. I'd really like to know what it was like for you. THANK YOU

[jdavid93225]

I don't live in the San Bernardino mountains, but rather the Tehachapis, where we tend to get a little less snow, from what I've seen over the years. I live at about 5300 feet, so the elevation is similar to Crestline or Running Springs. I have a garage, but do not park in it.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is to have a good ice scraper. Almost any time of year it is possible to get frost on the cars. I've had several occasions where I've had to scrape the ice in the middle of summer.

The snow is not usually too much of a problem, since you can often just push it off the car windows (I use a push broom) and be on your way, provided you can get around in whatever snow you've received.

The worst scenario is when it rains in the evening, then the temperature drops below freezing. This is when the ice on the windshield gets thick and hard to scrape. You can try to scrape the window, but from my experience, it's nearly useless. About the only thing I've found that works is to turn on the defroster and let it run for a while.

I haven't used any sort of blanket or cover, and have found that I don't often wish I had. The only times I wished I did was in the frozen rain scenario mentioned above. Some of my neighbors do put a towel or something similar on their windshields when they expect to get a frost. One trick that I have learned is to put your wipers up, away from the windshield glass, if your vehicle allows you to. That way they don't freeze to the glass, and you can use them the following morning to clear the windshield after the defroster starts working.

[MylisaCrestline]

Thanks a lot! Can you tell me how long you need to run your car in the morning before the ice come off the windshield? (that is when it rains the night before). Do you think as far resale value (when I sale it), that a house with a garage (in Crestline or Running Springs) is sought afer more and a big plus?

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by MylisaCrestline

Thanks a lot! Can you tell me how long you need to run your car in the morning before the ice come off the windshield? (that is when it rains the night before). Do you think as far resale value (when I sale it), that a house with a garage (in Crestline or Running Springs) is sought afer more and a big plus?

The time to run the defroster will vary with the vehicle. With mine, I've had to run it as long as about fifteen minutes to clear the windshield, but that was including the time it takes to warm up. Usually it's not nearly that long, and this type of thing only happens once or twice a year where I am.

I believe that the garage would be a great selling point, and would be more sought after. If you can add a garage to the place you hope to buy, I think you'd get your money out of it when you chose to sell. Quite a few of my neighbors don't have garages, and most of those that don't really wish they did. A garage was one of the things I really wanted when I bought my house, and was influential in the decision I made. My only wish now is that I had a larger garage (mine's only a 1 1/2 car garage).

[grapeguy]

Here's a trick to leave behind scraping ice off windows--
Just bring one or two 2quart pitchers of warm or hot water out with you from the house, and pour them gradually over the windshield/other windows. I've done this countless times on many vehicles, and it works a treat. Just make sure to sweep any large accumulation of loose snow off first. It's also good to run the wipers right after the ice melts, or use a squeegie (like they have at gas stations) on other windows; otherwise the residual water can freeze up again. Sure beats scraping, and takes practically no time.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by grapeguy

Here's a trick to leave behind scraping ice off windows--
Just bring one or two 2quart pitchers of warm or hot water out with you from the house, and pour them gradually over the windshield/other windows. I've done this countless times on many vehicles, and it works a treat. Just make sure to sweep any large accumulation of loose snow off first. It's also good to run the wipers right after the ice melts, or use a squeegie (like they have at gas stations) on other windows; otherwise the residual water can freeze up again. Sure beats scraping, and takes practically no time.

The rapid change in temperatures can also cause windshields to crack, which is why I don't do that. It doesn't happen all the time, but I've seen it enough to prevent me from taking the chance. I've seen lots of folks do this with great success, too.

[greatbasinguide]

Buy a snow hoe, it will clean you car easily in a couple of minutes, that and an ice scraper. do like everyone else, clear a small hole to see through, then start driving, if you don't hit someone the ice will be gone in a couple of minutes

Actually, lay a large sheet of plastic or garbage bag over the windshield at night, no ice in the Am

[Kamsack]

Hello

Although I do not live in California I frequent this forum as I like to learn about different areas. But as someone who lives in a cold weather climate (northeast ND/northwest MN) ...where zero and below temperatures are frequent....we deal with ice/snow and frost on cars a lot. Many people up here who have smaller homes do not have garages or who live in apartments. Most people in the morning or before they leave work will go out and start their car and let it run 15-20 minutes to warm it up. Turn on the heater/defroster (back windshield defroster too) at full blast and it usually does the trick. Having an ice scraper is handy and a long handle for snow sweeping is useful too. There are covers one can get for cars. I have seen them at various department discount stores.

Dan

[sunsprit]

Treat your windshield with "rain-x" and use their windshield washer anti-freeze solution in the windshield washer tank so it is reapplying the product.

The treated glass repels moisture so ice that forms on the surface doesn't bond to the glass as tightly as it does on untreated glass. It will scrape off much more easily.

Get one of the larger two-handed ice scrapers so you can get a good reach across the windshield and more control/pressure than you can get with a small scraper. If used frequently, you will wear a scraper out, so just replace it from time to time.

Idling the car for a long time to warm it up and clear the windshield is very hard on the motor. You'd be better off to use a "block heater" to have some warmth in the motor on start up, and with your cleared windshield, drive away within 30 seconds of starting the motor. You'll get better fuel economy and the motor will warm up faster to running temperature without damage.

I'd advise against driving off with only a small portion of the windshield cleared so you can warm the motor and defrost the windshield. It only takes one other car you didn't see due to an obstructed windshield to ruin your whole day.

You may also find that a small electric heater/fan ... one of the "ceramic" types with a thermostat you can set to a just above freezing temperature set point ... will keep the car windows defrosted overnight. I use one that's a "cube" shape, only 600 watts, about 5x5x5 inches and set it in the passenger side footwell area on it's lowest temp setting. It's not hot enough to melt anything or be a fire hazard ... but you must use one of the smaller and low output ones with a low output temperature. You're not trying to heat the car interior up to a comfortable temperature for you, just trying to keep it a little above freezing to keep the windows clear. So a smaller unit with a low temperature output and small volume is fine. If you can't find one of these small heaters in your local home improvement center, then try a automotive catalogue supplier like JCWhitney. Again, I'll caution you that you must use only an appropriate heater for safety and not have loose stuff close by the heater in the car which could become overheated.

Do you have room to place a car-port? At least that would provide some protection for the car from rainfall and snowfall, and they're not very expensive for the metal ones these days.

[greatbasinguide]

It actually is not a big deal, It usually takes less than five minutes to clear the windshield. Keep in mind that you can be ticketed for having snow on your car. A few years ago near Truckee a load of snow on a car roof blew off, hit the car behind, causing a fatal wreck.