OK we have all heard the warning not to dump hot water on a frost covered window, due to cracking it... anybody actually had this happen?
I have been using hot water to melt the frost for 25 years on hundreds of different vehicles and NEVER had a crack even form. even on windows with rock cracks already present.
when it is frosty outside, I fill up the pitchers with hot H20 and clear them all off while the car warms up. No problems, no fogging up windows, no visibility issues at all. and I have lived in SD -90F Washington state eastern side, and here in NC. never any issues at all.
maybe it's the way I do it... I slowly pour the water starting from one side and work my way accross the window. perhaps cracking is from someone using a hose and dumping the entire window with warm water?
lets hear from some who have broken their windows.
John

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
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My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 560SL convertible
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1987 300TD
2005 Dodge Sprinter 2500 158"WB
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i grew up in gastonia/charlotte/clover. YES i have cracked windshields this way.
just last year in asheville, an ice storm came through, and my fiance cracked her 2005 ford escape windshield from WARM water. not even hot.
i would suggest not doing it.

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1980 300D

Had a co worker that cracked the windshield on his POS Ford product called a Lincoln Navigator. Idiot took water he boiled on the stove and poured it on the middle of the driver side. It was after an overnight coating of freezing rain and sleet. He said he thought the cracking noises he heard was the ice. It was, along with the windshield. He did not even start the thing to warm it up, and it was about 20 degrees. Too much of a temp difference between boiling water and ice.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

99 W210 E300 Turbo Diesel, chipped, DPF/Converter Delete. Still needs EGR Delete, 232K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

Gone and still missed...1982 w123 300D, 1991 w124 300D

I've cracked a windshield in extremely cold conditions by using the defroster. My car (not a Mercedes) sat outside warming up in about -15F temperatures for about half an hour, and as soon as I got in the warmed up (very warmed up) car, I noticed a huge new crack which ran along the bottom of the windshield.

vs, that strategy is begging for trouble.

Two other options:

Get one of the windshield washer fluids that quickly melts ice.
or
You can get an aersol spray that you mist on the glass, it quickly deals with the frost.

Use your torch!

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80 280SL
85 300SD
87 300TD
92 300D 2.5 Turbo
92 300TE 4Matic

I recall doing exactly that when the van was covered with 1/8" of glare ice. No way any defroster or chemical was moving it.

Pulled out the propane torch and it turned that ice into water in about ten minutes.

Keep your arm moving quickly...........however...........and don't get out to the rubber gasket near the edge...........