Breaking the ice

There’s one thing we all dread at this time of year is that early morning de-icing of the car.

It’s a typical scene for drivers up and down the country – stepping out in the morning and coming face to face with an ice covered stranger.

You dig out the scraper and de-icer and get to work. It’s not backbreaking but it’s cold. And you have to do it before you get on your way to work. And it’s cold.

Annoying as it is, ensuring you have unrestricted vision is a legal requirement as well as being essential when driving in winter conditions. If you’re caught by the police with your windows and mirrors still frozen then you’re looking at a fine of £1000 for driving with restricted vision – and nobody needs that at this time of year. Always keep a scraper and a can of de-icer in your car as you never know when it’ll be required.

If you run out of de-icer you can use a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar as a cheap alternative –but never pour boiling water onto the mirrors or the windscreen. This can shatter the glass and destroy your Christmas budget.

Additionally, before you get to work scraping the windows – don’t use bank cards or anything else as a makeshift scraper, it’ll damage your windscreen – switch on the engine and turn the defrost dial to the highest setting.

And if you’re REALLY organised you can purchase a windscreen cover which will shield your car from Jack Frost and save you A LOT of hassle in the morning.

So there you have it, a few simple methods from our decades of experience.

Being involved in airport meet and greet parking since 1984 and having seen my fair share of frosty mornings I have cleared enough icy windscreens for a hundred lifetimes. As we deliver the car back to the customer at the airport, we defrost all the windows, get the heater working and the engine warmed up for them. And they are so grateful when it is sub-zero temperatures!

By Sarah Anglim at 19 Dec 2012