Just wondering if anyone out there has any creative solutions for defrosting the back window in the mornings. I don't live in a cold, cold climate (Washington DC), but the back window does frost over.

Spray warm water? anything? I know the Prestone Defroster stuff is out of the question (although it works great on glass).

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

Aim the middle vent onto the rear plastic and turn the heat up.

 

Hi Richard.

A couple of things about frost:

1. Unless you've fogged the inside of the vehicle (more on this later), the only way to get frost is to leave the vehicle exposed to a (clear) night sky. They effective temperature of outer space is -150F from the ground, so everything that can "see" the sky radiates heat to it. So lesson 1 is to put something between your window and the sky (clouds are good, a garage is better ). If protection is not available, try parking your vehicle with the back window facing a building. The less sky the rear window sees, the less frost you'll get.

2. To avoid / get rid of fog inside the car, you need to keep the humidity down inside the vehicle. Put your fan on defrost when you first get in the car; that will prevent humidity (your breath) from building up to the point where fog forms on the windows. Better still is to turn on the air conditioner; even when it's cold, the A/C must remove moisture from the air before it can cool it. Thus the air coming out of the A/C always has less moisture in it than the air going in. This is especially useful when it's raining, and the air outside the car is at 100% humidity. No rocket science here; cars with automatic climate control turn on the A/C automagically when you set the ventilation system to defog/defrost.

Hope this helps.

Howard

 

Get a car cover if you keep the car outside, as I do. On the coldest nights there's no frost on the car and no problem with the rear window.

 

move to a warmer climate where you can avoid frost completely. :-) Ah, I love San Diego.

David

 

You'll notice that when you put the climate control in full defrost mode that the AC compressor comes on to aid in dehumidifying the interior. This usually only takes a minute or so at most. As far as the outside goes, I suggest a garage (I know, you weren't looking for a smart-ass answer.).

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by almilli
[B]move to a warmer climate where you can avoid frost completely.

 

Here's what I used to do when my Prelude sat outside in the cold Milwaukee, WI nights. The defrost lines don't extend to the top and bottom of the rear window. Also, the dfroster worked too slowly, and I didn't want to risk leaving the car running in the 'hoods of Milwaukee with me unattending the car, or me in the car (think carjacked).

Here's my tip, keep a towel handy in your kitchen or by the front of the door. Before going outside, wet the towel (not to complete saturation but wet nonetheless), and throw it in the microwave for about a minute! When it's done in the nuker, just make sure you are ready to go outside, with your gloves on. Lay it flat across your back, plastic window. In about 5 secs, you'll have a clear rear view.

 

i think this owner had a good solution:



i don't know what it's called or how to get it though.

 

Looks like that even has a little tube for the window to roll into! NICE!