# De-icer



## AAD44H (Apr 12, 2012)

Whats the best de-icer to use or would you recommended just using a scraper?

I've tried asking around at work however get mixed responses.


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## Criptop (Dec 13, 2013)

I find Autoglym's de-icer works really well, think I got it for £3.60 delivered for 500ml.


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## Steve (Mar 18, 2014)

Auto glym de icer.

works extremely well.


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## Smithyithy (Jul 3, 2012)

Luke-warm water?


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## adjones (Apr 24, 2013)

I hate aerosol products, they never last all that long and my hands end up freezing.


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## JwilliamsM (Dec 20, 2011)

does de icer ruin your rubber seals and strip wax and rain repellent?


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## Kiashuma (May 4, 2011)

jayz_son said:


> does de icer ruin your rubber seals and strip wax and rain repellent?


I hate the stuff, eats wiperblades.


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## danski (Aug 4, 2008)

I just go with the barely warm/cold water option too - that with GTECH G1 on the screen and it just runs off before refreezing


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## Bigoggy (Sep 1, 2014)

jayz_son said:


> does de icer ruin your rubber seals and strip wax and rain repellent?


The prestone one in my car keeps stripping the wax where it touches


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## JwilliamsM (Dec 20, 2011)

Kiashuma said:


> I hate the stuff, eats wiperblades.





Bigoggy said:


> The prestone one in my car keeps stripping the wax where it touches


i knew there was a reason i never use the stuff


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## Buckweed (Aug 27, 2012)

Get up 10mins earlier in the morning and scrape it .:tumbleweed:


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## ncd (Dec 12, 2005)

Bottle of cold tap water. Been using it for years. I tell people, friends, family etc but for some reason they prefer to stand there with their scrappers freezing cold


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## w138pbo (Jul 10, 2013)

As said cold tap water.

I also carry a 2ltr bottle of water with a bit of screen wash in to use if no taps about cheap and safe.


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## jebus (Jun 2, 2009)

I use prestone spray bottles and cheapo areosol, pick it up when its discounted at Tesco etc, usually have enough to get me through The cold. Only use it when there a lot of ice on more stubbon bits most of the time anyway. Brush snow off as well, might leave a few marks but am as careful as I can, don't worry much about possible damage. Visibility is the important thing here.

Never tried water, might try it this year depending where I am parked.


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

+1 for cold/tepid water.
If really sub zero I sometimes have 2 2litre bottles to defrost the car.
One bottle slightly warmer than the other so as to have a more gradual defrost of the glass.
Advantages
1. No scratching the glass.
2. No scraping off any coatings you may have coated the glass with.
3. Faster than scraping.
4. No smears like de-icer.
5. Defrosts the INSIDE of the screen too.
6. Helps decrease misting on inside of windscreen as it warms the screen unlike 
scraping.


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## Dannbodge (Sep 26, 2010)

I keep my car in a garage but use tepid water in the gfs one.
Keep the windscreen sealed with a decent coating and no worries


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

I use tepid water and make sure that there is a good glass coating applied. Easy peasy. I used to scrape the ice off, but I learned the hard way after I marked the windscreen and drivers window - even using a plastic scraper. 

Cooks


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## AAD44H (Apr 12, 2012)

Sounds good to me, think tepid water is the best course of action then.


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## adjones (Apr 24, 2013)

Much of the time, the apparent stripping is because there is a sticky residue left behind. If you clean it off properly, often your LSP will still be intact.


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

Remember to save a little of the tepid water to trickle over your washer jets.


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## Mr Concours (Mar 8, 2006)

I would recommend car plan blue star (areosol version.) used last year very good.

Asda have it on offer.Here it on Amazon for referance.

Carplan Bluestar Super Deicer Aerosol 600ml: Amazon.co.uk: Car & Motorbike


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

luke warm water here , no dodgy chemicals and cold hands , nothing to leak in the car etc


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## Starfox (Sep 22, 2012)

Having been a standard user with the (freezing) de-icer tin I think I will now ditch it and go with the Autoglym De-Icer/slightly warm water.

I assume the window washer you can get from the likes of Halfords which stop it freezing strip off window sealants? My GTechniq G4 lasts no time ATM


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## w138pbo (Jul 10, 2013)

Starfox said:


> Having been a standard user with the (freezing) de-icer tin I think I will now ditch it and go with the Autoglym De-Icer/slightly warm water.
> 
> I assume the window washer you can get from the likes of Halfords which stop it freezing strip off window sealants? My GTechniq G4 lasts no time ATM


getechniq g4 is the polish do you mean g5?


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## Starfox (Sep 22, 2012)

w138pbo said:


> getechniq g4 is the polish do you mean g5?


Yes - sorry G5. Product codes on the GTechniq confuse me! I also believe the Halfords screen wash destroys it...


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## Farquhar (May 15, 2007)

If your is reletively modern just get in, start the engine and let the a/c and heat of the engine do it's job whilst you just sit and wait.

My 2013 Peugeot 508SW diesel takes about 3-4mins to clear a frozen screen.


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## Rollini (Mar 23, 2012)

Why not plan ahead and put a blanket or something over your front windscreen?

Then open the car, take it off and you're on your way instantly. The other windows will soon defrost once the car warms up.


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

I put on the windscreen heater on it whilst scraping the outside :thumb:


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## LEE5336 (Sep 26, 2009)

Heated windscreen on and I have carplan de-icer to use on outside and then wait. If I know it's gonna frost over I've got one of those summer windscreen foil things I wrap over the windscreen.


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I'm not a fan of de-icer at all, especially as water is free (ish!) haha. 

I tended to keep a 2ltr bottle with water by the front door overnight. Leave it by a radiator so it's slightly warm, always works fine for me.


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## matthewsimone (Dec 7, 2014)

Problem with pouring water over it is that water then goes all over floor on your drive and freezes leaving your whole drive like a ice rink for the rest of the family leaving house after you!
Il stick with my scraper and let the car idle for few mins to clear screen before set off


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

Tis a good point. My car is parked on shingle so any water drains through and I live on my own haha


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## SPARTAN (Nov 20, 2014)

The ice has normally thawed by the time I get out of bed


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## Guss (Apr 14, 2012)

I fill a sports bottle with warm water. Spray it on the screen and wipe with the wipers before it re-freezes. I always do the side windows as well as it's safer.

I use a sports bottle as it's easy to re-fill plus you can aim a squirt with it


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

Guss said:


> I fill a sports bottle with warm water. Spray it on the screen and wipe with the wipers before it re-freezes. I always do the side windows as well as it's safer.
> 
> I use a sports bottle as it's easy to re-fill plus you can aim a squirt with it


Get a good rain repellant on there too chum - when the ice melts the water will just run off and leave a completely dry windscreen. No need for the wipers then chum.

Cooks


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## Slime (Oct 24, 2014)

It's a kettle full of *hot* water for me.
Been using it for over 25 years and never had an issue.
Pour it on the screen & wipers, then turn the wipers on to clear the screen whilst doing the side windows .......................... job done.


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## Captain Duff (Sep 27, 2013)

Never tried water, always used the de-icer sprays - as I thought they were essentially just industrial alcohol with some colouring I didn't figure that they would harm the rubber in wiper blades (otherwise any screen wash would do the same) - what is it in terms of their standard ingredients that would do this?


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## MagpieRH (May 27, 2014)

Slime said:


> It's a kettle full of *hot* water for me.
> Been using it for over 25 years and never had an issue.
> Pour it on the screen & wipers, then turn the wipers on to clear the screen whilst doing the side windows .......................... job done.












You'll be telling us you store your wash mitts in gravel next!


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## Slime (Oct 24, 2014)

MagpieRH said:


> You'll be telling us you store your *wash mitts* in gravel next!


Wash mitts!
You're having a laugh mate, I use a fine grade sandpaper .................... never been beaten by a bird poo yet!


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