silly season again

[KugaWestie]

Damn, beaten to it, must try harder

[robo1968]

I had a BMW Mini with a heated front screen...

[Mark (smokey mow)]

Interesting to see though that manufacturers other than Ford have heated screens.

Obviously there's the Ford group, Jaguar, Landrover and Mazda but also some VW's and the new Mini have otions for a heated front screen,

[s2rrr]

Best extras I bought on my Passat are the electric heated front screen, heated washers and heated front seats.  Can be up and off in about 30 seconds from an iced up screen. Very impressed, but had a courtesy car for the last few mornings and how boring waiting for the Golf to defrost. I find it almost laughable that in this day and age you see people driving about with engines up to temperature but obviously no internal demisters working, all steamed up and driving obliviously to the fact they can't see properly. In addition to the above  heated mirrors are standard these days, I haven't wired up the heaters on my Westfield electric mirrors , well not yet that is, the wires are there.

 

Cold in the mornings

 

Bob

[KugaWestie]

I know there was a patent that Ford had at one time, it has obviously moved on!

[s2rrr]

Got a heated one in the Westy as well but hasn't been switched on since IVA, unlikely to be out in that type of cold, saying that I did a -4'c trip out to a track day in February. Didn't need it then either.

Bob

[Norman Verona]

I had a heated front screen on the Escort Cosworth. Also on the Caterham. Never used it on the Caterham but used all the time in the winter on the Escort.

 

Problem with patents is that you cannot patent an idea only a design. It's usually easy to get round design issues.

[SteveD]

Interesting to see though that manufacturers other than Ford have heated screens.

Obviously there's the Ford group, Jaguar, Landrover and Mazda but also some VW's and the new Mini have otions for a heated front screen,

they are licensed to ford from memory they patented the heated front screen so the other manufacturers have to pay ford or whatever to use the heated front screen ,seem to remember this from years ago

 

dohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh to late

[dombanks]

my old focus had one, great idea. the patent must be pretty old now so i wouldn't be surprised if a work around has been thought up or ford are just licensing it out.

 

can i add the muppets who think that fog light are mandatory or drive on side lights and fogs at this time of year.

[robo1968]

and to add to that another moan - modern car headlights - is it me or do they seem much brighter nowadays than in the past? Is it that manufacturers promote them on how bright and how far ahead they show the road but at the cost of half blinding oncoming traffic? I keep thinking folk have left their beams on so I'll give them a quick flash only to get flashed back!