General Winter and your 500

[cjc156]

That is what I tend to do - a jug or two of water, probably less than tepid to be fair - straight over the windows, poured from the top.

Never caused me any issues and defrosts the car immediately

I would never use boiling water though!

Every winter morning, when frost covers the windows of the car, I pour warm water over from the kettle. Instant defrost, never had a single problem.......

 

[306maxi]

It's not recommended though...... for good reason. Plus in cold weather that water you poor will just freeze on the ground. not good.

 

[ahmett]

How about building an igloo for your car? It would avoid a lot of hassle in the morning!

 

[arorat]

It's not recommended though...... for good reason. Plus in cold weather that water you poor will just freeze on the ground. not good.

Great starting post maxi, good point re anti-freeze, we have not been using enough over the years, time to increase the dose.

Guys, don't use water when below zero it will create an icesheet on the floor, which is not fun !! I use Rainx (yellow bottle) the product fills imperfections in glass with silicone or whatever and allows water to bubble away and snow to be (almost) wiped away. The downside is hazy windows but that is due to not wiping / polishing the product away properly after application, apply it once a week if poss to maintain, summer once a month or when you wash the car. No I don't have shares !!

edit : http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_274597_langId_-1_categoryId_255225

happy winter

 

[arorat]

Serves you right for buying an MGB GT.

funny MGB is chinese now !!

 

[arorat]

How about building an igloo for your car? It would avoid a lot of hassle in the morning!

Last year it was possible in London do you have a pm yet ?

 

[RobinPJ]

I got it! Perhaps you should have said Lancia Beta?

Yes, that would have been more obvious (and might have avoided Frupi disliking my post) but I thought that as we are driving italian cars I would keep it non-discriminatory of Italians.

I also had two MGB's back in the day and they both rusted faster than I could repair them.

 

[306maxi]

I also had two MGB's back in the day and they both rusted faster than I could repair them.

I have to say I absolutely despise British cars. Even the most loved British cars like Mini's are still fairly poor as cars in terms of their build quality.

 

[frupi]

I have to say I absolutely despise British cars.

A little harsh me thinks, but as always, each to their own opinion and I respect it.

Each time I visit South Africa, I always see some excellent examples of vintage British motors, Jags, MGB's, Moggy Minors and the like, but obviously, they can last a bit longer down there if not near the sea. Last year, I went to the railway museum in Oudtshoorn in SA and they had a fantastic vintage car collection there too, loads of Brit motors from the sixties and seventies (as well as much older ones) in brilliant condition. It was like watching an early episode of the Sweeney, except they weren't in a scrapyard!

 

[ahmett]

I have to say I absolutely despise British cars. Even the most loved British cars like Mini's are still fairly poor as cars in terms of their build quality.

What do you call British car? I would say a Rolls Royce is a British car? Its just managed and paid for by the Germans, in which case I know some really nice british cars, the new mini included. I think Made In England is good enough for me, and Rolls Royce, Bentley and MINI are all made in the UK.

 

[Geddes]

Even the most loved British cars like Mini's are still fairly poor as cars in terms of their build quality.

Depends on when they were built. Generally, the later the worse.

These days British workers can quite happily build good quality Hondas. It's just the British management that was only ever good at managing a pension fund.

 

[306maxi]

What do you call British car? I would say a Rolls Royce is a British car? Its just managed and paid for by the Germans, in which case I know some really nice british cars, the new mini included. I think Made In England is good enough for me, and Rolls Royce, Bentley and MINI are all made in the UK.

I mean old british cars. During the 70's and 80's the Germans, French and to a lesser extent the Italians were moving away from cars which by modern standards were pretty dire in terms of reliability and towards cars which by modern terms were probably as well built if not better than what we get today. Needless to say the Japanese were going even further......

Meanwhile the British cars were just not improving at the same rate as foreign cars and got left behind.

 

[frupi]

Whatever our thoughts on what constitutes whether a car by whatever marque built in the UK is British or not (Let's face it, the 500 is built in Poland, technically, doesn't that make it Polish? built by the Polish to Italian standards and if I'm not mistaken, with Ford help?) If any of that is wrong, I apologise unreservedly!

We should all be grateful our cars are a helluva lot safer than they were 20 or 40 years and beyond ago. I've attended RTC's involving much older cars and seen some poor sod with a steering wheel embedded where their rib cage should have been and it ain't pleasant. Admittedly, air bags aren't 100 percent fail safe, but I know I'd rather be driving a 500 than a 1976 Morris Marina, despite the fact that I still like the look of the Morris!

 

[306maxi]

Whatever our thoughts on what constitutes whether a car by whatever marque built in the UK is British or not (Let's face it, the 500 is built in Poland, technically, doesn't that make it Polish? built by the Polish to Italian standards and if I'm not mistaken, with Ford help?) If any of that is wrong, I apologise unreservedly!

We should all be grateful our cars are a helluva lot safer than they were 20 or 40 years and beyond ago. I've attended RTC's involving much older cars and seen some poor sod with a steering wheel embedded where their rib cage should have been and it ain't pleasant. Admittedly, air bags aren't 100 percent fail safe, but I know I'd rather be driving a 500 than a 1976 Morris Marina, despite the fact that I still like the look of the Morris!

When I say British cars I mean British designed, owned and built

Like your MG Rover's and so on. There are plenty of good quality cars built in Britain nowadays, but the ones from the 70's, 80's and 90's which were British owned, built and designed were generally always of lesser quality than those built elsewhere.

The British manufacturers made the mistake of thinking people would buy British because it was British, some people still did, but once people realised other stuff was better and as cheap then they bought other stuff.

 

[frupi]

I still can't help with the feeling, that if I were an Italian driving around Rome, or Naples or Turin in one of the coolest little cars on the planet, that I would somehow feel slightly conned that my chic Italian motor hadn't actually been built in an Italian car factory. Though if I cared about it that much, I probably wouldn't buy it in the first place. That of course depends whether or not the Fiat plant in Poland has diplomatic immunity and is therefore classed as sovereign Italian soil, then I think I could live with that!

Still, at least the 500 might survive the winters better in Italy, but sadly, not the inevitable and seemingly required multiple bangs to just about every body panel!

 

[306maxi]

I still can't help with the feeling, that if I were an Italian driving around Rome, or Naples or Turin in one of the coolest little cars on the planet, that I would somehow feel slightly conned that my chic Italian motor hadn't actually been built in an Italian car factory. Though if I cared about it that much, I probably wouldn't buy it in the first place. That of course depends whether or not the Fiat plant in Poland has diplomatic immunity and is therefore classed as sovereign Italian soil, then I think I could live with that!

Still, at least the 500 might survive the winters better in Italy, but sadly, not the inevitable and seemingly required multiple bangs to just about every body panel!

Perhaps if you're in Italy you just want the best built Italian designed car that you can get.

 

[RobW]

Perhaps if you're in Italy you just want the best built Italian designed car that you can get.

to be honest out of all the Fiats and Alfas i have owned the Polish built ones are the most fun (126, Cinq, New 500) but the Italian built ones are the better made cars (Bravo, Brava, Alfa 156, new Bravo)

 

[jnoiles]

I can't help thinking FIAT could do more for those of us in northern climates - for example, oil & coolant preheaters, thermostatic front grille flaps, & more aggressive low temperature mapping (which might need better quality ignition components). IMO these sort of things would improve real world economy far more than. for example, fitting S/S.

And drive the cost up. Substantially.

When I say British cars I mean British designed, owned and built

I'd still have an old Lotus Esprit

 

[frupi]

I'd still have an old Lotus Esprit

One that swims like in the Bond film? I suppose you could just leave the windows open and it will have the same effect.

 

[Geddes]

One that swims like in the Bond film? I suppose you could just leave the windows open and it will have the same effect.

Or leave the windows closed for that matter....

Back to the topic.
If you decide not to use your car while it's snowing be sure to clear the snow from the rear window every now and again.
Missus's Punto sat through the snow a couple of years ago and come the thaw we discovered the weight of the snow had snapped the rear wiper clean off.