Cold weather question from the left coast

[daepp]

How do you handle defog/defrost without a working A/C?

My daughter is in her third year of college in Maryland. She does not have a car there and so she often borrows her boyfriend's 2000 Chevy 1/2 ton beater. She mentioned that the heater didn't work, so I offered to have it fixed for them over Christmas. However I just found out that it blows hot and that it's the a/c that won't work/won't defrost.

As a kid my mother gave me a Pep Boys "wipe" that kept the windshield clear for a week or so. I cannot find one now - were those just rubbing alcohol? Has anyone ever tried that, and if so how long will it last?

Any info would be appreciated - my offer to "fix" the heater did not in my mind extend to $1-2K!

[matt f]

IIRC Rain X makes an interior glass solution/wipe.

[rwest]

I've owned lots of cars without AC and didn't have a problem unless humidity was crazy, even then once the heat is warm enough you should be okay.

One thing to check is that the fresh air is on and not operating in recycling cabin air mode.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It helps to have dry hot air but it's not absolutely necessary. Regular hot air will do the job, it just might take more of it.

When the weather gets really crappy and everything is wet / damp / sloppy it helps a lot to have the defroster work quickly and effectively.

I'm hoping to move somewhere I won't need to worry about defrosters in the next couple of years...

[daepp]

Thier campus is right on the water, and of course it rains there all the time too. Combine that with lots of short trips and... you get the picture.

Though not on the web site, I'm gonna run to my flaps and see if they actually have something!

I wonder also if someone makes an industrial sized version of thatr dumb little packet that comes in beef jerky??

[maxnine11]

As rwest mentions. make sure the re-circulate button isn't pushed.
The flapper door in the HVAC system that diverts the air to either the windshield or the mid/lower vents is probably stuck or inoperable for some reason.

[daepp]

I guess it's a mixed bag - and you need to use just a mist-ful!

The Amazon reviews are hilarious:

"Fry up a pan of delicious bacon, then soak a rag in the bacon grease. Use the bacon fat soaked rag to wipe the interior of your windshield. You'll get the same result and visibility with the added benefit of a bacon scented car."

"When the instructions say "Apply small amount" they really mean it. And it is supposed to prevent windows from fogging, but once they do fog up it becomes a total nightmare. It becomes a coating of wax on the windows, and wiping it off is very difficult especially if you are driving. And no amount of defrosting will help once it turns into this wax coating.

I'm going to experiment with very small amounts of this product, and probably not ever again on the inside of the windshield. Rain-X is an incredible product, but this stuff is the spawn of the devil and should be recalled before many people die."

Hmmm

[Rick V]

My old Dodge truck doesn't have ac. it never did and it works okay. When it is very humid like during a thunderstorm you have to set the temp to OH DAMN THATS HOT, and I still have the little vent windows and I crack them open and you are clear. I also keep a clean micro fiber towel in the truck with me