So, last night it was down to -7c around ours. Filled up with neat washer fluid which is supposedly liquid down to -15c however had no luck at all on the drive to work this morning and simply smeared my windscreen which wasn’t very helpful. 

 

Any suggestions on how I can get the washers to work in the cold? How do they cope in Scandinavian countries?!

Vodka in it.

Lidl proper winter wash when they have it. 

 

But that just keeps the Windscreen wash liquid, yours was liquid was it not until it came out the pipe / nozzle and hit the screen.

 

You need to have heated bottles, pipes, nozzles and still it might freeze on the screen.

 

Use Pre-Deicer / Night Before deicer, then try not to spray windscreen wash on a a still frozen screen until the interior is heated and the screen might be.

Or buy a vehicle with a heated screen.

Edited 12 December, 20178 yr by AwaoffSki

It’s not a problem clearing frost as I do have a heated windscreen. It’s whilst driving and trying to clear the road spray from the screen.

You have to find one that does not freeze then.

I have -10*oC to -23*oC Screen Wash it still freezes hitting a windscreen if it is -6*oC.  

 

I carry a flask of warm windscreen wash and if needs must stop and it or used-icer.

Edited 12 December, 20178 yr by AwaoffSki

It's a bit cold but at leased you can see.

 

 

 

 

34 minutes ago, wg100 said:

So, last night it was down to -7c around ours. Filled up with neat washer fluid which is supposedly liquid down to -15c however had no luck at all on the drive to work this morning and simply smeared my windscreen which wasn’t very helpful. 

 

Any suggestions on how I can get the washers to work in the cold? How do they cope in Scandinavian countries?!

If your washer bottle was half full, your -15 is only -7.5  : you need to purge the system to get a result ?

The official VW stuff goes down to -70°C when neat. Can’t imagine why you’d need that, id be surprised if the car started. It’s quite pricy though. 

What I found is that the heated windscreen has a timer and turns off after some time, hence while on the move I constantly check the button to eventually turn it back on. It may just be down to physics though: when moving you must take into consideration the extra heat loss from convection that accentuates the freezing effect. At motorway speeds all my cars have had this problem during cold streaks. Also, the stuff they use to prevent icing is rather gooey and sticky. I do not know how they cope in Scandinavia but maybe they drive slowly and I was under the impression that they just level the roads but let them iced up and only use gravel but no chemicals. Happy to be corrected though.

In Norway we use washer fluid that holds at least -15 C, also in the summer. When it is colder the roads are iced up.

We also have heated windscreen washer nozzles as standard on Octavia (and most cars).

An old trick is to take the windscreen washer hose some turns around one of the warm engine hoses, like the heater hose.

Warm washer fluid do the trick!

I live in Norway and i never use the washers while driving when temperature is under -2 -3 deegres celsius it will usally freeze on the windscren and get smeared around.

you also got to remember -7 degrees with 10ms wind is -16,5 degrees effective temp.

Edited 12 December, 20178 yr by bytterga

@AwaoffSki I bought some of that Demon Ice and used it last night on both the wife's car and mine. The wife's car doesn't have frames around the door windows and they automatically drop an inch when opening and closing  but due to ice had been sticking. No problems after using this. Frost and ice still forms on the windows but it is really soft and easy to scrap off. Front just needed the wipers and rear a quick once over with the rubber edge of the ice scraper. Neighbour also doing her car at the same time was virtually chiselling the ice off her windows so it does work, no smears either. 

I have a right hand glove, rubber to use to wipe the frost off. 

& for any floggings.

 

Some complain of the greasy stuff on the screen, but that lubes the wipers stops them tearing IMO, 

and easy to give the screen and glass a clean over during the day / night driving and then spray again to park.

Good on door seals as well.

Edited 12 December, 20178 yr by AwaoffSki

I thought you had an extensive collection of rubber clothing or this just your special glove.

Special ones.  

Hi/Viz Orange & Lime,   i find them on the ground at Transport Cafes / stops and dogging places.  I give away any left ones i find.

@wg100 I use Prestone Extreme Performance in my cars. I'm still not on the winter mix yet and it is still working well on 1/3 windscreen wash to water ratio. 

I had loads of 5 litre containers i bought cheap a few years back in Tesco of Prestone and i complained on here it was crap and i gave it away to worst enemies.

Then i though better look and it was Pre -Mix ready to use -6*oC stuff and i had used it 50/50 

 

I bought the -10 to -23*oC stuff and that was what i had used years ago and OK.

 

Still not as good as the Lidl -25*oC if i can get some, not been able to yet though.

I only get the Prestone because it's cheap at Costco. I have about half a dozen 5 ltr containers already mixed

 

Just as an aside, i remember now having taken a containers of Ready to use that was mixed with tap water and sitting in my shed, 

and opening the bonnet of a brand new car and topping up the washer fluid, and not paying much attention and then seeing the scum on the netting on the filler pipe.

Still there clogging it a year later, makes it slow topping it up,

tried boiling water poured over it and also detergent, so no probs someone else can worry in 2 years time.

Edited 12 December, 20178 yr by AwaoffSki

When we did exercises in Canada we used windscreen wash that wouldn't freeze in much colder conditions than here. I'm sure it was alcohol based, probably Isopropanol Alcohol added to the windscreen wash would do the same.

I'm still on some Lidl stuff I bought last year; good for -40oC but mixed at 1:2 with water so good for -20oC. Even on the move it doesn't freeze.
Smells a bit rank though IMO but at least it's certified good for fan jets.

I have 2x5litres of lidl stuff still from a couple of years ago.

Ive never needed to go neat, but idk, if your not fairly accurate with the 2:1, 1:1 ratios i find it leaves a "post wipe fog".

Esp at lower concentrations.

Be pretty accurate with the ratios they indicate and its much better??

Either way, the note higher up about wind chill is a consideration that noone factors in when mixing.. probably should! 

Also, the vw stuff to -70 neat, at least you know when fairly diluted it will still work at -5...

I have a deice method that works quite well..

Boil 1/2litre of water, fill up with normal tap temp water. Overall temp is then about 35*. Pour slowly (coffee machine slowly..) from the top edge of screen, working down with car running and heater full temp,air flow on 3, not full whack, air heats up more and is more efficient.  Melts the ice and warms the screen a tad helps prevent refreeze. Also make sure to get the washer nozzles then give them a run to get water flowing, wiper swish clears the water too. Takes a lot less effort than ruddy ice scrapers!!!

Edited 12 December, 20178 yr by mac11irl

Sounds good as long as not too much below freezing, remember grass / ground temp and air temp are not the same, 2 or 3 degrees different quite often.

 

Cars & solid materials do not feel Wind Chill.   So must be blast freezing...

They might get blasted with cold air,  but human or animal flesh feels the air colder than it is when hitting them. Wind Chill.

 

Warm water (H2o) freezes harder than cooler water when it does freeze again, and water does at the freezing point.

Windscreen wash obviously has a lower freezing point.

(Like Antifreeze / Summer Coolant, lower freezing point, higher boiling points.  Not rocket science just science.)

Edited 12 December, 20178 yr by AwaoffSki

I drove 100km today in -18 C. But didnt have to use the windscreen washer :-)

Scandinavians don't salt roads though do they?

 

salt is my big issue mixed with spray when it hits the screen it smears really bad especially with street lighting its hard to see. I've found on occasion the jets froze solid no matter what i use in the bottle, makes for a dangerous drive.

18 hours ago, punyXpress said:

If your washer bottle was half full, your -15 is only -7.5  : you need to purge the system to get a result ?

Errr that depends on what concentration the half already in is!