Heated windshield?

[Guest DTerry]

Curious. Why are rear windows heated, but not windshields? Driving 60 miles home yesterday in my rusty old Caravan (AWD) in minor blizzard conditions, I had to stop and clear the ice off the windshield and wipers - and saw several other folks doing the same thing. The rear window stayed clear. Must be a reason, but I sure can't think of one.

[Guest F14CRAZY]

Been wondering that too. The lines would get in the way?

Seemed like I read that Lexus' have heated windshield or something

New Lucerne has heated washer fluid which makes sense

[tc11003]

ford tried it, the windows had a slight red tint to them. i think they stopped using it for some reason?

[2seater]

I had a Taurus that had a heated windshield. My wife loved it. It did work incredibly well, but was a large current draw. The entire glass area had a metal film between the glass layers, no lines of wires. The alternator and some other wiring was special. It would only run for four minutes at a time, and the output to the windshield was something like 60 volts a/c. I believe cost was the big reason they stopped using them. My insurance guy mentioned something about it when we we talking. He said you had better take care of it as no replacements were available and that was over five years ago. That sorta gold/red color they had did tend to cut down on light transmission, particularly at night. If the other windows were tinted, like mine were, you couldn't see through the windshield from the outside, during the day. I think that intimidated some people. They would slow down for no apparent reason and make me pass them.

[Reatta45]

You just need a ?newer? Caravan? My 99 Sport Caravan has a heated windshield, all along the bottom where the wipers park? Keeps ice & snow build up melted. It and the heated side mirrors are good options . KennyV

[Guest DTerry]

Actually that's what I told my wife. She said okay, as soon as I give up the Reatta and the Capri so I can get it in the garage.

Uhh...no...maybe next year?

Seriously, though, does it keep the wipers themselves ice free while they're operating? Mine turn into ice globs hammering back and forth.

[padgett]

Because the defroster gets heat from the engine ? Think the first heated backlights were about 1970 so has only been 35 years, what do you want ?

Of course living in Florida I really have not kept up with it. However when have had rentals in icy areas, the windshield seems to clear before the backlight so maybe usuing engine heat is faster. I also run the heater on MAX under such conditions (have been known to get the inside rather warm on a long drive) so maybe electrics are better for those who prefer a cool interior.

[Guest EDBS0]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Mine turn into ice globs hammering back and forth. </div></div> Winter blades are covered with a thin covering of rubber that flexes as the blades work. Because it flexes snow and ice break off and do not build up. Try winter blades.

[Howard]

I once had a 1957 Rolls Royce that had a rear window defroster. The wires were embedded in the glass, not painted on it as they are today. The wires were very small, you had to look hard just to see them. Oddly, the switch was below the rear window, not the dash. You were supposed to turn the switch on in the winter, and leave it till spring. I never drove the car in anything but good weather, so I don't know if the feature worked. Rear defrosters are nothing new. Older vehicles had fans that blow on the rear window to keep them clear. At car shows, I've seen Packards and Ponitacs that had rear window wipers, not unlike what we see today on vans, wagons, and SUV's. The Ford Windsheild was called Quick Defrost. As I recall the system was several hundred dollars extra. The tip off if the car was so equipped, the windshield had sort of a gold tint to it. There was an extra output Alt., plus beefed up wiring. The option was first offered on Lincolns, then the following year, a few other Ford models had it. The replacement windshield was about has much as we have to pay for our Reatta windshields.

[Reatta45]

Dave?

I know what you mean about ice build-up. The heated glass dose seem to solve the problem, I have been in serious winter storms with no troubles, and my past experience told me I should have been having big problems at the time? So Caravan got another thing right. I try NOT to be in my Reatta in any of those conditions so I don?t know how bad wiper icing could be ? I do however use rain-x on all my glass. That helps in anti icing. KennyV.

[Guest DTerry]

Guess I shouldn't be so impatient, huh? But I don't think I can wait another 35 years.

I tried the winter blades a few years ago. Don't remember the results, but I'll get another pair and try them again, since I broke one trying to remove the ice.

Didn't even think about Rain-X. I use it during the summer, but in winter in Indiana the windshield is rarely clean enough - or warm enough - to apply it. I'll try that, too.

I keep the defroster on with max heat, and it blows hot. A/C is not on, as is usual with defrosters, unless I want it on. I wired in a switch (on the Caravan) to turn the compressor on and off independently. Must be a design defect.

Biggest question is: Why did I ever move north of the Red River?

Ps: I'll bet there are people out there who don't know the driver's mirror (Reatta) is heated. Comes on when you turn on the rear window defrost. I didn't know it for at least a year.

[89REATTAJIM]

WINTER??? WINTER BLADES??? Glad we don't have such things here.

[Guest F14CRAZY]

We always thought the winter blades were dumb

Being able to switch the compressor off would be nice, since in the winter we need more heat on the windshield than dehumidifying

[Guest imported_barra]

Airplanes have the heated windows with wires. The windshields are expensive but they also have to withstand much higher velocities and pressurization so that might be a factor in the price.

[Guest DTerry]

Actually not wires, but a conductive layer laminated between glass panes; some exotic plastic impregnated with magic and costs more than my car.

[Guest imported_barra]

Thank you for the correction. A Cessna 421 at the local airport had to have its windshield replaced and it looked like "wires"from a distance and it was expensive-which is all that they would tell me.

[Shelby]

I have a heated windshield that has very small wires in it.

It is for a 1980s vintage Lear Jet Cost $15,800 in 1988

Very cool but might be a little hard to adapt to the Reatta.