De-Icers

[adamj]

How can a plastic scraper cause damage to glass?!

It can't

It can actually, especially if you have dirt on your windows. My Mum allways manages it on her cars - you can see the scratches when the sun is on the window

[RW1]

Grrr these frameless doors are getting on my wick

Didn't notice the ice on the side of the car this morning. From the angle I approach at the rear was fine so i unlocked the car as I walked up to it but the window couldn't drop as it was frozen up. It then seems to get its knickers in a twist about where the window is. Got some warm water and managed to free it up but when I shut the door again the window was sitting an inch too low. Fifteen minutes and an awful lot of locking and unlocking and button pressing I finally managed to get it to close up properly.

Need to try and work out what the process is to 'reset' the window position.

The freezing and making the windows drop may have activated part of the "Roll Back Feature" which protects against trapping someone's fingers etc.. It's in the handbook 3.1. Try the door window switches by holding "ON" until past closed. It may need the key putting in the door and holding up to close for more than 2 seconds to reset it.

C.

[wigit]

Grrr these frameless doors are getting on my wick

Didn't notice the ice on the side of the car this morning. From the angle I approach at the rear was fine so i unlocked the car as I walked up to it but the window couldn't drop as it was frozen up. It then seems to get its knickers in a twist about where the window is. Got some warm water and managed to free it up but when I shut the door again the window was sitting an inch too low. Fifteen minutes and an awful lot of locking and unlocking and button pressing I finally managed to get it to close up properly.

Need to try and work out what the process is to 'reset' the window position.

had the same issue today kev when trying to lock it at the gym

[PAJ]

Adamj is right, you can scratch your screen as I found out on Friday
Due to a knee injury I have not been able to drive the Scirocco since August - it has just been sat there taunting me. Last week I was given the all clear to drive again but only because the DSG means I don't have to use my left leg. So I limped out to the car, scraped the ice off and went for a drive and then noticed a 4" scratch on the windscreen right in my eye line I can only think that because the car has not been cleaned since August the screen was dirty and a piece of grit must have been trapped between the scraper and the glass. Just to make matters worse I then managed to kerb one of the alloys on the way home. Not my best drive although good to be back behind the wheel again. Years ago you were able to get light scratches polished out of windscreens so I will check if they still do that these days.

[Jacktherat]

I'll be keeping a spare de-icer and scraper in the house from now on as this morning I found the tailgate to be frozen solid and I mean solid!

Fortunately I had treated both doors with silicone so I was able to get in after spraying with room temperature water around the top and bottom seals.

Last night's snow must have melted on a warm car when parked up and turned to thick ice overnight.

Got to agree with Kev, beginning to hate these frameless doors. Today is the shortest day so roll on the summer.

[JohnC]

I'll probably open myself up for ridicule.. but after a long day at work, my frozen car 'appeared' to have two issues. After careful consideration, both were down to 'user error'.

1. Once I'd freed off all of the windows/mirrors I got in the car, but I couldn't get the door to close properly. It just bounced against the frame. This turned out to be the outside handle. A small amount of ice meant that the outside handle wasn't flush against the door, so the closure mechanism didn't trigger, allowing the door to bounce open again.

2. I couldn't open the boot. The keys were in the ignition so the engine could warm up. I pulled the door mounted boot release but couldn't then open then boot. The boot seemed to move only a few mm, enough to trigger the 'boot open' light but nothing more. Again my fault, in cold weather the struts can't provide their normal slight push to clear the lock mechanism past the 'safety close' point. To open the boot all that was needed was to physically try and open it whilst pressing the unlock button..... doh!


PS heated seats are great!

[maadmaxxer]

I had the problem where my windows wouldn't seal again, both dropped upon unlocking but then wouldn't seal when the door was closed / locked due to the ice.

After some messing about i found this method worked to reset the windows to their sealed position:

Lock the car
Unlock the car with the Fob but keep the button depressed so both the windows drop to the fully open position
Lock car
Unlock and get into the vehicle
Key in the ignition and switch on the ignition, wind both windows up with the switch on the door
Remove key from ignition (windows will drop) wind up passenger window on the switch then get out
Close door and lock, drivers window should then seal.


Run away and don't look back


this worked for me, hopefully it will for you too

[Kev]

I've found that after a couple of minutes (once the window is clear and moving smoothly) put the window all the way down and then it should come all the way up again with the door shut.

[Kev]

The VW handbook even says you should only scrape in one direction in case you get grit caught under the scraper as it can scratch the screen.

[rocccosiffredi]

Warm water is quick and very cheap.

I've used it ever since i could drive and it has never ever resulted in a cracked windscreen.....ever.

[ZephyR]

The VW handbook even says you should only scrape in one direction in case you get grit caught under the scraper as it can scratch the screen.

That's right. Its grit trapped under your scraper that under pressure can scratch the screen - not the plastic scraper itself.
Re the windows - I find driving around with heater on sorts it out. I guess the warm air defrosts the seals exposed by the partly open window. Unfortunately if you then close the window the rubbers will freeze up again quite quickly. So if you later wind your window down you are back to square one where it won't fully close. AAAAAhhhhhhh !!
Incidentally I treated my rubbers with silicone just a week earlier.

[RW1]

Unfortunately if you then close the window the rubbers will freeze up again quite quickly. So if you later wind your window down you are back to square one where it won't fully close. AAAAAhhhhhhh !!
Incidentally I treated my rubbers with silicone just a week earlier.

Kytox Zeph, Kyrtox. Works down to -17'C at Woodford.

C.

[lsuhe]

Halfords silicone spray.
As reccomended by someone on here I bought a tin of silicone spray for about £4 or so from halfords and sprayed up and into the tops of the widow framse, wiping away excess, the main rubber seal on B pillar and along and in bottom of window and small vertical channel by side mirror. Since then its been fine, althoguh widows seem greasy and water doesn't bead on them like used to and a very fiine droplets on.
Still used warm water as before, but no more stuck windows.