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Why do people on the continent park their cars in freezing conditions with the wipers pointing up?

If your car is to be parked outdoors in freezing conditions, before switching off the engine put the wipers on and switch the engine off when the wipers are vertical. This makes it easier to clean the windscreen and will not overload the wiper motor.

Asked on 2 February 2013 by MU, York

Answered by Honest John
I was in Austria in December in temperatures between -14.5C and -25C and noticed that many owners had parked their cars with their wipers vertical, off the screen. The obvious reason is to prevent them tearing when frozen to the screen.
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