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I remember a few years ago reading something about putting methylated spirit in the windscreen washer bottle to prevent it icing up in winter. Anybody know how much to put in?
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In physical terms, you could add anything to your washer bottle to lower the freezing point, provided it dissolves in the water. Meths is OK, but the smell of the added pyridine makes it rather unpleasant. Better to use screenwash, which has additional properties, unless you can get hold of isopropanol on its own, which may be cheaper. Whatever you add, I doubt that a cupful would do much good - 10% might protect against 4 or 5 °C.
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I wonder how the Swedes manage in the winter with their Volvos washer systems icing up. I have a winter pack on mine (heated seats, wash/wipe on the headlamps, luxury mats??) BUT, there is no heated washer system, a big minus as far as I am concerned on such an expensive car which is made so near to the North Pole!!
VD5D.
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...on such an expensive car which is made so near to the North Pole!! ...
Actually, it was probably made in Belgium, and even Volvo's home (Torsland?) plant in Gothenburg is about as far from the North pole as it is from the middle of Italy! Sweden is a loooooooong country! ( ;-) )
I drove a Hyundai Matrix in Sweden a couple of weeks ago, with unheated washer jets in conditions a long way below zero, and the jets always worked. Judging by the sweetly pungent smell however, there was a LOT of something added, which may even have been completely undiluted.
/Steve
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Judging by the sweetly pungent smell however, there was a LOT of something added, which may even have been completely undiluted. /Steve
in all seriousness, I've heard of horse urine being used for de-icing runways.
They weren't leading any reindeer away from the car when you went to pick it up were they ?
I have to grow old - but I don't have to grow up
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Just a note.
It is well known is some circles that a very strong mix in your (recently used) washer bottle can corrupt a roadside breath test.
!!
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I would imagine that it is also fairly good as a paint stripping formula?
I'm sad though, I use Auto Glym everything... :)
Blue
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Pugugly,
Your not supposed to drink it!
VD5D.
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Glug Glug.
US/Canada filling stations sell large pre-mixed washer fluid (various concs for different conditions) rarely seen in the UK. Now that is a good idea.
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US/Canada filling stations sell large pre-mixed washer fluid (various concs for different conditions) rarely seen in the UK. Now that is a good idea.
Not really. You've already paid your water rates once. Why should you have to do so all over again? Buy it neat and dilute it yourself with the free tap water, by the air hoses.
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"Actually, it was probably made in Belgium"
No it wasn't it was made in Sweden as all "proper Volvos" are! Not like S40's and V40's which are made in Belgium.
, "and even Volvo's home (Torsland?) plant in Gothenburg is about as far from the North pole as it is from the middle of Italy! Sweden is a loooooooong country"
No bleeding sense of humour some people, I was JOKING. Besides Gothenburg is nearer the North Pole and a lot f***ing colder than the UK!
VD5D.
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I'd have thought heated washer resevoirs and nozzles would be the norm for such cars with cold packs.....
How strange
MG-Rover Questions? forums.mg-rover.org/
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Exactly the point I was making Dave. I think I will email VOLVO customer services with a complaint. I can understand the heated seats and the wash wipe on the headlights but what is the use including "luxury mats" in a Winter Pack?
VD5D.
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Yeah, luxury mats that'll absorb all that melted snow etc.....crazy!
MG-Rover Problems? forums.mg-rover.org/
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Proper screenwash has a mixture of alcohols and detergents, to prevent freezing and to give a good clean. I'm currently using Carplan All Season Screenwash (bought a bulk supply about 2 yr ago), which I keep at 10% normally. Since I'm going away over Xmas and overnight temps have just started to dip below zero I have increased concentration to 20%. Through Jan & Feb, when temps get to -10 or less overnight (-15 for several nights last year) I increase the concentration to 30%. I've never had the jets freeze up, though on the very coldest of days I have had the liquid freeze on the screen - so now I avoid using the screen washers until the heater has warmed the screen a little (about 3 - 4 miles is usually enough).
Jets freeze up even with alcohol in the water because the alcohol at the tip of the nozzle evaporates, as it does so it takes heat energy from the water reducing its temperature and increasing its propensity to freeze. Modern Volvos fire the liquid through a pair of rubber "lips" which close when water is not being sprayed preventing the alcohol from evaporating and so reducing the tendency for the jets to freeze.
Years ago a friends Cavalier Coupe had a small plastic heat exchanger in one of the water pipes. The screen wash passed through the other side and was warmed by the coolant water. I haven't seen anything like it since, but I replicated the effect by wrapping about 4 feet of wash tubing around a coolant pipe on a previous car - kept the screen clear on even the coldest winter rally in Yorkshire!
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Do they not route the washer fluid pipes so that they are in the heat of the engine or insulated to prevent freezing??
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Don't use cheap screen additive, something precipitates out of the mixture and blocks the jets and pick up filter in the washer bottle. Halfords screen wash additive is excellent and quite cheap if you buy it in 5 litre containers. Make sure that you wash the bottle out completely (stick a hosepipe in it) before using the additive. Otherwise left-over fairy liquid etc. will cause problems.
I know your car isn't a VW but owners of recent VW models with fan shaped washer nozzles MUST use a good quality additive otherwise the nozzles block up and can't be cleared with a pin. The only solution is a new nozzle and they are not cheap. VW specify their own additive but it is very expensive, again Halfords additive works well.
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My old man used to swear by a granular additive called Clearex or similar back in those days when I was a kid. Just one of those stupid things you don't forget from your childhood!
Seemed to work ok too!
MG-Rover Problems? Click on forums.mg-rover.org
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Halfords screen wash additive is excellent
Is that the stuff that's coloured green? Unless Halfords have changed the formula of their screen wash, I certainly won't use it again. Everytime I used the squirters the jollop from Halfords would stain the paint. IIRC, it used to stink quite heavily of amonia as well. Only polish and plenty of elbow grease would remove the stains.
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