Ice scrapers
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 6,940
Likes: 2
From: Eastern WA
Same deal where I'm at, the law only applies to vehicles on public property. Standard garage door widths are 8Wx7H on a single and 16Wx7H on a double; my last house had two of those single doors on a double garage and I never had any problems. The light from your garage door opener plus a bit of care will help you prevent any bumps and even at that, the power mirrors are spring loaded and pivot both forward and rearward so you won't tear one off even if you do bump the door frame.
*Let this serve as notice that on your next house, get a double garage with a 16X7 door (or wider), or two 10X7's (or similar, convenient size). I hated those skinny doors...........
*Let this serve as notice that on your next house, get a double garage with a 16X7 door (or wider), or two 10X7's (or similar, convenient size). I hated those skinny doors...........
The Pacifier
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,245
Likes: 7
From: Cloverdale, BC
Yeah, I've got the double car garage, and I don't have a problem parking 2 cars in it. My truck, and my wife's Tucson.
The only issue she has is she can't back in like I want her to, so sometimes she takes up the whole garage. And when we're both parked properly, I can't get in my beer fridge. There's enough room for her to park at an angle for me to access my beer, and walk around her car to get in my truck, as long as she BACKS in, which she is reluctant to do.
Anyway, it's nice not to have to scrape ice in the morning.
The only issue she has is she can't back in like I want her to, so sometimes she takes up the whole garage. And when we're both parked properly, I can't get in my beer fridge. There's enough room for her to park at an angle for me to access my beer, and walk around her car to get in my truck, as long as she BACKS in, which she is reluctant to do.
Anyway, it's nice not to have to scrape ice in the morning.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 6,473
Likes: 4
From: Lafayette, IN
Originally Posted by Old Rust Bucket
Have you seen those heated ice scrapers that plug into your cigarette lighter? I wonder if they're all they're cracked up to be..
If you absolutely need to use water, I just use cold tap water--less thermal shock, but still plenty warm to melt ice. Unless the door's frozen shut due to freezing rain, then I use hot water and avoid pouring it on the glass. Pour slow.
Jason
Postmaster
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,958
Likes: 0
From: Southern NH
For the last couple of years I've been buying the windshield washer fluid that is a deicer. I think Rain-X makes one too. It's either orange or pink in color. Works pretty good unless it's below zero outside.
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 1
From: The Star-Club, Hamburg
I bought a can of de-icer stuff last year. Start the truck up, turn on the defroster, then hit the windows with this stuff (I think it was made by HEET), and scrape. Worked pretty well as I remember.
I dread winter... it means I need to clean all the stuff off my dash, and then suffer through the dust the defroster will blow out and the stray kernals of corn rattling around in the vents.
I dread winter... it means I need to clean all the stuff off my dash, and then suffer through the dust the defroster will blow out and the stray kernals of corn rattling around in the vents.
Gone but not forgotten.
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 2
Winter has skipped us again here (Texas). It will be in the 80's today and my lawn needs mowing. Good thing because most here have no clue how to drive with snow/ice. I recall a winter I spent in Ohio, I had a problem figuring out which pile of snow my Triumph TR3 was buried under and when I found it I couldn't get the door open because the side curtains were frozen to the body. I love snow, it is very pretty, but if it remains on the ground after an hour, it becomes a problem. I will think of my northern brothers today as I sit in a rocker on my back porch sipping ice tea..... hang in there.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,475
Likes: 728
From: Calgary Canada
That hot water trick is pretty common in areas that don't get really cold winters (NZ comes to mind). Really the best thing to do is to pony up for the really good de-icer in your windshield washer fluid. The good stuff will take ice off ast even fourty below, and as a bonus, it'll help break up solid ice at more moderate temps.
Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 6,473
Likes: 4
From: Lafayette, IN
De-icer in your windshield fluid will eat your wiper blades. Why? Because as soon as you shoot some fluid, the wipers come on automatically. The ice then tears them up.
Perhaps you've never seen a heavy frost that is like sandpaper? Or a 1/4" of ice on your windshield?
What I hate is the freezing rain that looks like you've just got water drops on your windshield, so you turn on the wipers only to realize you just ruined a set of blades.
Jason
Perhaps you've never seen a heavy frost that is like sandpaper? Or a 1/4" of ice on your windshield?
What I hate is the freezing rain that looks like you've just got water drops on your windshield, so you turn on the wipers only to realize you just ruined a set of blades.
Jason
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Postmaster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,968
Likes: 3
From: So Cal
I have hgad good results with Prestone spray on Ice melter. I like the hand pump spray ones since they are cheap. The aerosol ones are also good.
You must first remove as much loose Ice and snow as you can, then spray the remaining ice and frost. It works good on ice maybe upto an eigth inch thick.
On really bad freezes, where the ice is thick, I will usually startup the car, run the heater on full blast and after about 5 minutes, give the spray a shot. very often the defroster will loosen the sheet of ice so you can "peel" it off in a great big slab, cool.
Be careful with the hard plastic scrapers. You can actually scratch the glass, permanently with those. Been there done that, was surprised.
I like to keep Rain X on my glass seems to help a bit with ice, but it does not make it ice proof.
I finally fixed my ice problem by moving back to SoCal.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
You must first remove as much loose Ice and snow as you can, then spray the remaining ice and frost. It works good on ice maybe upto an eigth inch thick.
On really bad freezes, where the ice is thick, I will usually startup the car, run the heater on full blast and after about 5 minutes, give the spray a shot. very often the defroster will loosen the sheet of ice so you can "peel" it off in a great big slab, cool.
Be careful with the hard plastic scrapers. You can actually scratch the glass, permanently with those. Been there done that, was surprised.
I like to keep Rain X on my glass seems to help a bit with ice, but it does not make it ice proof.
I finally fixed my ice problem by moving back to SoCal.
Good Luck,
Jim Henderson
Last edited by jim henderson; Nov 9, 2006 at 06:03 PM.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 286
Likes: 0
the covers you put inside the car for sunlight---turn the wipers on--and stop halfway--then--put this under them--freezes on the top of this--not on windshield-----------or a piece of carboard--only thing is--if it rains first--then freezes--the cardboard will be stuck also--