pillboy Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 I think the Spec B has little lasers to melt the ice off the wipers. I agree with Seb, I believe these are designed to melt the wipers loose from the windshield and not to prevent ice build-up while driving. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvic Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 I checked mine after my 7 minute ride home from the train station. Once I parked the car, I touched the wiper heat element with my hand...it was quite warm. So, no problem here. But I would never have thought to test it before reading this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sooberoo Posted December 18, 2007 Share Posted December 18, 2007 I had those frameless flex blades that contour to your windshield and they were freezing up real bad so I went with winter wiper blades I got from Walmart. Problem solved. Dunno who might sell this product in the US to our winter bound American cousins but it appears to be the definitive answer to iced up wipers. http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=1408474396672419&bmUID=1198016957090&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524443285107&assortment=primary&fromSearch=true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carter Posted December 19, 2007 Author Share Posted December 19, 2007 some of you dont seem to understand. I know manufacuturers like to advertise that covering the metal parts with rubber will prevent ice build up. I do not have a problem with the metal parts, they are always free of ice buildup. The build up I get is on the acutal rubber blade that comes in contact with the window. Winter blades would not cure this problem because all winter blades are, are regular blades with rubbet covering the springs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 some of you dont seem to understand. I know manufacuturers like to advertise that covering the metal parts with rubber will prevent ice build up. I do not have a problem with the metal parts, they are always free of ice buildup. The build up I get is on the acutal rubber blade that comes in contact with the window. Winter blades would not cure this problem because all winter blades are, are regular blades with rubbet covering the springs. well think of it as your driving a normal car, This is the first car I have seen with a windshield wiper deicer. all my other cars didnt have it and it was fine. Its a nifty accessory but not a necessity. also if you know your expecting snow or ice, when you park lift your wipers up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Take note everyone, the de-icer on the SpecB is more powerful than the one on the regular GT. I think they are more for when you have parked and the wipers freeze to the windshield, you can melt the ice while you warm up the car to avoid damaging the wiper motors and/or wiper blades when you try to use them if they are frozen to the windshield. That is most likely why they have a timer on them, you use them once when you are getting everything warmed up. The element may or may not be more powerful on the Spec. () but what I've noticed is that after the timer turns the element off, streaks of water will begin to appear across the windshield. Turn the element back on and the blades become pliable again giving a nice clean swipe. Probably helps somewhat to have the wipers on intermittent so that they rest on the heated area longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigT Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 My wiper defroster sucks too. It is completely useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Heck, I've seen mist/steam coming off of them while in stop-and-go traffic after skiing. I'd say that's effective. Maybe it's the spec.B lasers... But I also think you may be missing the point of these guys, Carter. They aren't designed to keep the body of the wiper itself warm and free of ice, they are to keep them from getting stuck to the windshield while you are parked. That way, you don't have to leave your wipers sticking out away from your windshield when you go skiing like the rest of the non-Subaru dorks... Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sp468732 Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Do us 2.5i owners have wiper heating elements? I haven't noticed one, but then again, I've never looked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigT Posted December 20, 2007 Share Posted December 20, 2007 Do us 2.5i owners have wiper heating elements? I haven't noticed one, but then again, I've never looked. look at where the wipers rest on your winshield. Do you see rust colored lines like the rear defroster lines? If you do, then yes you have them, if you don't, then no you don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reason22 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Um...dumb question. I should probably RTFM, but what the hey. How exactly are the wiper defrosters turned on? Is it built in with the rear defrost, or is there a special switch? Just call me "lazy guy who doesn't want to go get the manual" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeTrout Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 There's a button to the left and below the steering wheel. It's the leftmost button in a cluster of three, though not all are always used. On the OBXT, there's just the wiper heating element switch, on the spec.B there is also the ON/OFF for VDC. There's one button space that isn't used, between them. I guess that's reserved for the VTEC, yo! Ich bin echt viel netter, wenn ich nuechtern bin. Echt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reason22 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Haha...I was wondering what that blank button was for. Reserved for the super-secret "Spec B VTEC Edition" I dream of debadging my car and putting VTEC and Type R stickers all over it...maybe make up a nice Hondacurayota sticker to confuse people. And Northstar for good measure. Past my bedtime, apologies for the inane paragraphs above. edit: And thanks for the info, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbc84 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 are there any other car makers that have taht element under the front windshield wipers? I did a google search, all threads came back to Subaru. Is this a Subaru only thing like the parking light switch on the steering colum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight705 Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 i think so. since i think they are smart enough to know that ppl who tend to buy awd vehicles will go where it is cold and snows. other manufacturers i've seen only went with a steam option on the wipers. to melt the ice on the windshield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carter Posted January 27, 2008 Author Share Posted January 27, 2008 well GM vehicles have heated washer fluid, I dont know about elements though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeslk Posted January 27, 2008 Share Posted January 27, 2008 Just to comment on the front windshield de-icer element, seems to work great for me so far. I leave it on until at least the the heater is blowing warm air and warms up the glass from the inside. It gets pretty warm in about 2 or 3 minutes.... that's up here in Canada! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 There's one button space that isn't used, between them. I guess that's reserved for the VTEC, yo! I believe I read on this site that the middle button is for folding the mirrors on JDM cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I find the wiper heaters work some of the time, it's very dependent on the temp, type of snow and volume of snow. Just an informal survey driving around for 2.5 winters, they work better than nothing but are short of a perfect solution. I've never had to to clean off the wipers as I have had to occasionally in other carss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 ^ The heating elements melt snow that has been swept from the windshield. Putting your wipers on an intermittent setting lets them sit longer on the element warming them thereby keeping the rubber pliable. As you wrote, I have not had to get out of the car to free the blades of ice as always have had to in other cars without the heated windshield. A clever gadget, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikvcl Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Do us 2.5i owners have wiper heating elements? I haven't noticed one, but then again, I've never looked. The "winter package" that was standard with 2.5i Ltds includes the heated wiper rest area and heated side mirrors. Mine has it. I don't know if it was an "option" with the 2.5i SE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikvcl Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 are there any other car makers that have taht element under the front windshield wipers? I did a google search, all threads came back to Subaru. Is this a Subaru only thing like the parking light switch on the steering colum? Yes. Many Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyagers have the heated wiper rest area just like the Subarus. It must have been available with some kind of "winter package". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbcracken Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I have Valeo ULTIMATE Wiper Blades and according to them I can expect: •All-weather/winter design offers resistance to cold weather conditions, no icing (metal parts perform better over the plastic parts used in other wiper blade designs) +1 for Valeo blades. This past weekend, I drove up 3 to snoq pass (now closed for avalanche work) in pretty good storms that left ice on my wiper arms but not on the blade itself. Blades worked great with and without the blade heater on. My scientific opinion (formed while sitting in the car for hours while people learned how to drive in snow) is that since the blades are really flexible, it helps break up any ice that starts to form. yes, I sat in the car for a long time this weekend. Cheers, Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
f1anatic Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I tell you what - my windshield wipers frozen 5 times over the 10 mile journey home. I should rephrase: I stopped 5 times to remove the ice from them. The heater element is nearly useless...or maybe...we should say this...it may keep the rubber blade itself ice free BUT the ice freezes the arm of the wiper blade so it can not move and touch the windshield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 ^ I drove home in the same conditions. Older blades will perform poorly in cold weather. I noticed that after the timer turned the element off that cleaning my windshield became a much messier affair. Turn it back on and it was considerably better. IDOT was pouring tons of some sort of calcium pavement dryer all over the place tonight because the temps were low enough that salt was losing its effectiveness. That stuff is nasty to get off windshields because it dries water on that relatively warm surface almost immediately and the warmer the windshield is the worse the problem gets. I have also noticed over the years that it destroys wiper refills pretty quickly. BTW, I drove 40 miles home. Wouldn't have wanted to be driving N-S in open country tonight. The snow blowing from the west really made for some bad visibility in the couple of open short stretches I drove in that direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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