Just wondered whether any Backroomers have had experience with the above device (for preheating and squirting windscreen wash water in dirty-screen conditions):
www.webasto-hotshot.com/index_en.php
Oz (as was)
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No experience, but looks interesting. Pity it's so expensive in the UK - seems to be around £170.
JC Whitney (www.jcwhitney.com) in the US do it for $169 - might be worth importing if the spec is the same, given current exchange rates.
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The 'Hotwash' sounds like a great idea.
What a pity that manufacturers selling cars in Europe don't include something like this as standard. Freezing conditions can be expected at least some of the time throughout most of Europe, and in a functioning screenwash is an essential in winter: I once had postpone a long trip when mine froze up, and set off the next day when the heater had done its magic in the garage.
But it seems that buyers prefer shiny wheels to something which would help them see where they are going :(
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In response to NoWheels, electrically heated washer nozzles are part of the options packs on quite a few cars these days. The Hotwash was a simple and cheap way of heating the tube in the hope that would thaw out the nozzle, bearing in mind that winter screenwash already includes anti-freeze. HJ
Surely the hotwash does more than this? Isn't the point of the hotwash that it actually heats the water, so that the water will melt any ice on the screen. That sounds a lot more useful than simply unfreezing the nozzles.
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>>Surely the hotwash does more than this? Isn't the point of the hotwash that it actually heats the water, so that the water will melt any ice on the screen. That sounds a lot more useful than simply unfreezing the nozzles.
Problem lies in that air temp is lower.Cooling screen faster than warm water is able to heat.which usualy amounts to iced up screen again.Depending on air temp that is..Other point is glass heated up too fast from frozen will break.I for one will stay with interior heater method. Anti freeze in washer is usefull to help clear a screen during driving.even that depends on how cold it is?
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Steve
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Had a SAAB 900 and 9000 and on both occassions I bought a genuine SAAB hot washer kit for about £25 from SAAB Manchester in the SAAB GB club magazine. It was simply a 4" copper pipe with a heavy plastic cover into which the washer bottle inlet pipe connected. It then went around the core and out again onto the screen in the normal way. The unit fitted into the top radiator hose after 3"2 was cut out and attatched by jubelee clips. All very neat and used no egergy except the heat in the top hose. A simple heat exchanger really that worked quite well, except it took about 5 miles before it got hot enough. Useful in summer to shift flies, but on balance perhaps not really needed.
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Isn't the whole point of antifreeze in screenwash avoiding this problem? Also, squirting warm water on an icy windscreen isn't going to prolong the life of the glass.
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The anti freeze is ok for stopping the washer bottle freezing, but the problem is moisture from the air icing on the nozzle of the jets. This is where the heat is most needed.
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Ford have been fitting electrically heated washer jets to their cars for years - my old W reg Focus had them, as does my 02 Mondeo.
They're not always a great deal of use in winter because as soon as the hot water hits the screen it tends to freeze again if its really cold. In warmer condition hot washer fluid shifts the dirt far better though.
The heating elements are in the jets themselves and they just have a + and - feed to them. ISTR the jets themselves aren't that dear and I don't imagine it would be a massive task to fit them to another make if you were so inclined.
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Thanks to all above respondents, and Happy 2005.
Replies tend to acho the questions already in my own mind, i.e. whether this device is any advance over what is already available in one form or another.
No actual users of 'HotShot', therefore questions remain as to its to efficacy (does it really give a clear screen in sub-zero conditions or just obliterate the screen with more freezing water?), or is its usefulness limited to above zero conditions?, or is safety in question (heat shock of hot water hitting a sub-zero screen).
Jury's out perhaps.
Oz (as was)
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