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Leave your wipers raised up after you park the car. So that they do not freeze to the glass.
Especially if you have hidden wipers. There are also stick-free plastic covers you can get for your windshield. They look like just plain pliable plastic, but it has to be a kind that sheds ice.
As we have about 1/8th+ of an inch of ice on everything today, I started our vehicles to get the ice somewhat chipped/cleaned off. Our Rav4 thawed out in about third of the time it took my Buick. Has anyone had a vehicle that warmed up very quickly, much quicker than others that they have had? We had a Honda years ago that warmed up really fast, maybe faster than the Rav4. Which vehicle have you had that warmed up the fastest? Which vehicle is the slowest?
Buick had the best heater we have ever had. It would almost run you out of the car. Most of the time the sun had my windows cleared before I got in it. My back window in the Buick had lines of heat in it. Rav4 must really be fast to be faster than my Le Sabre.
Vehicles should be warmed up driving in low gear at low speed. That's how it's done in cold countries. This puts the most demand onto engine and makes it warm up faster. For winter time, place a piece of cardboard in front of radiator to limit air flow. This feature is actually standard OEM on several vehicles.
Buy a darn scraper.
Back in 'ol country we simply poured some cold water onto frozen windshield. Never had one cracked and we had crappy glass.
Leave your wipers raised up after you park the car. So that they do not freeze to the glass.
a. All depends on how cold cold is In "my cold country" it gets so cold that your face will be frostbitten is jumping in the car and driving off, and unless you have X-ray vision to see out the windows and windshield, you are an accident waiting to happen. If the vehicle is parked outside, or at work, it's usually plugged-in to an electrical outlet when the temperature drops from perhaps zero and colder, and most drivers you start the car remotely (remote start) from the house, or place of work. Ten or more minutes later, if very cold outside, the motor is pumping some warm antifreeze, which in turn softens the ice on the windshield enough for the scraper to work. Otherwise you would have to use a wide-blade and sharp chisel and rubber mallet on the hard ice
b. While the car is idling and warming, the hot air in turn melts the layer of ice on the windshield and windows inside the car. If you just drive the car without warming the very cold air blown on your face by the heater would freeze any exposed skin within minutes.
c. Instead of placing a piece of cardboard over the radiator (some people do), most of us go to a local shop that makes automobile front covers of high grade vinyl. These covers do not cost very much, are custom made to fit your vehicle, and have a zipper in the middle for days when Chinook winds bring warm temperatures in the middle of the winter. In this case one opens the zipper to allow air to flow through the radiator.
d. Cold water on a cold windshield does not crack it. It just freezes solid within a few seconds. And hot water even faster. For example, when -30 degrees or so, take a cup-full of hot coffee, toss the coffee in the air, and the rapid cooling of the hot liquid turns it to ice before it hits the ground. You don't want to pour hot water on a cold windshield, because the rapid temperature change of the glass makes it crack.
To put insult to injury, many cars automatically turn on the A/C as soon as you put the air in defrost mode and on many of them you can't turn it off. I have resorted to pulling the fuse for the A/C compressor clutch on the winter months. I don't need the air to be cooled before it is warmed up.
To put insult to injury, many cars automatically turn on the A/C as soon as you put the air in defrost mode and on many of them you can't turn it off. I have resorted to pulling the fuse for the A/C compressor clutch on the winter months. I don't need the air to be cooled before it is warmed up.
Are you sure the compressor is actually engaging? Many cars are aware of the outside temp and won't allow the compressor to turn on below that temp.
Are you sure the compressor is actually engaging? Many cars are aware of the outside temp and won't allow the compressor to turn on below that temp.
The compressor does not come on around the freezing point (around 30 degrees or so), so the defrost action is left to the heater. Most cars are designed so that the AC comes on defrost, but the AC light stays out, and only comes on when the AC control is turned to AC. It is possible that some US automobiles turn the AC light when on defrost, but I don't know of any that do that.
Even the Ford minivans we drive at work keep the AC light off when the air-flow control is placed on defrost.
To put insult to injury, many cars automatically turn on the A/C as soon as you put the air in defrost mode and on many of them you can't turn it off. I have resorted to pulling the fuse for the A/C compressor clutch on the winter months. I don't need the air to be cooled before it is warmed up.
You realize it is doing more than "cooling" the air...
You realize it is doing more than "cooling" the air...
Yes, I know it dries the air. I don't care about dry air inside the cab when I'm trying to DEFROST the windshield outside. You realize that some of us in the northern parts use the defroster for defrosting, not just for defogging.
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In "my cold country" it gets so cold that your face will be frostbitten is jumping in the car and driving off, and unless you have X-ray vision to see out the windows and windshield, you are an accident waiting to happen. If the vehicle is parked outside, or at work, it's usually plugged-in to an electrical outlet when the temperature drops from perhaps zero and colder, and most drivers you start the car remotely (remote start) from the house, or place of work. Ten or more minutes later, if very cold outside, the motor is pumping some warm antifreeze, which in turn softens the ice on the windshield enough for the scraper to work. Otherwise you would have to use a wide-blade and sharp chisel and rubber mallet on the hard ice 
