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Pictures taken during the late November snow storm gowing through Nebraska and into South Dakota. Locked in the front hubs so the transition into 4WD was quicker. Probably drove about 4 hours in 4WD with no problems. The ice build up in affected the steering alignment, stopped the steps from retracting completely when the door was shut, and the windsheild washers stopped working. Once the ice melted, no problems. Plugged in the block heater when temperature dropped below the teens.
ota. Snow was a bout six inches with a bunch of ice.
I am plenty annoyed with windshield washer fluid that seems to freeze up well above the point stated on label......like rain-x.
Or is it just me?
Not just you. I've just been kinda flabbergasted that I've never seen anyone talk about it. Every time I go to buy some concentrate to put in the fluid the guys at the parts house are always like "what do you want that for?"
In the winter I have taken to only using the -30° or -35° fluid. And when it gets down to say -20° maybe -15° there have definitely been times when it will freeze up. So I always keep a fresh unopened bottle in our rigs. And if it's looking like a cold snap I pre-add the concentrate before I have issue 1. I've learned my lesson.
I like this stuff mainly just for packaging purposes (fits in the door better). I've used a couple other brands as well, all seemed to work the same.
Last edited by Compression-Ignition; Dec 27, 2025 at 07:53 PM.
Reason: Add picture
I am plenty annoyed with windshield washer fluid that seems to freeze up well above the point stated on label......like rain-x.
Or is it just me?
Not just you, I have been using the yellow colored Prestone -34 Deicer the last few years with no issues. Cheaper stuff definitely is not truthful or light on the alcohol. Rain-x probably congeals with the slip agent it contains. I live in the NW hills of CT so it gets fairly cold here.
Thanks for the reminder to put the good stuff in for winter. Snowbirding in AZ but traveling/ working at times in the sub freezing temps of winter. Years ago experiencing this fluid freeze at the nozzles was a WTF brilliant placement for them.
Thanks for the opportunity to show off my Truck in winter pictures :-)
When you rent a condo for the season at a ski resort, you're guaranteed to be there on the powder days. What they don't tell you, is they have to dig out the lifts, avalanche control, etc., so nothing is open pretty much until the roads are, so you still don't get first whack at it without giving it great effort.
Didn't have anywhere to plug in the block heater, and it did just fine. I could remote start it and let it run about 10-15 minutes at least, and wasn't going far, if at all. It was 800 steps to the lifts, so why bother. But had to make the occasional run down the mountain for beer and groceries.
There are multiple versions of Rain-x winter fluid. Up here it's possible to buy a "booster" that I assume is pure alcohol.
In high winds or on the highway, there's not a lot you can do honestly. All versions of alcohol will evaporate so fast in the wind that they don't really do anything. If it's freezing at slow speeds around town, then it's a fluid problem for sure however.
Luckily here (Alberta Canada) when it's really cold, it's not sloppy so the windows stay clear on the highway.
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Other than there's nobody else on the road... 
Good for you that you did the drive without mishap... 
