In addition to the issue with the remote start not defrosting this windshield, this morning I was "pleasantly" surprised to find myself suddenly driving with zero visibility when I tried to wash the salt from my windshield. I had to pull off the road - unable to see where I was going - to bang off my wipers.
I pre-heated the car for 10 minutes using remote start, but still had to clear the 1/2 inch of snow from the windshield before driving (because the remote start doesn't take care of the windshield). I banged all the snow & ice off the windshield wipers and turned them on & off to make sure they were wiping well. They were, so I pulled out and started heading to work. I kept the HVAC set to blow on the windsheild, with the temp set to "Hi" and the blower speed set to four bars. Note this - it was blasting the windshield pretty good with the maximum temperature setting.
After about 10 minutes at about 40 mph on a two-lane, it was time to wash the salt of the windshield. The sprayers covered the glass with juice and the wipers wiped, only they didn't remove anything! The wiper blades were frozen solid. I couldn't believe it. I had to pull over, unable to see where I was going, so that I could get out and bang the wiper blades.
It turns out that the wiper blades sit a few inches below the windsheild and do not benefit at all from the defroster. They are left in the cold, literally, and as such they freeze up when you're driving in these kinds of conditions. As a result, when you do need them, they do nothing.
I have a strong hunch that Chrysler engineers & marketing folks read this forum. I hope they do. If you're listening - this is going to get somebody killed. My guess is the wipers were tucked down low behind the trailing edge of the hood to help reduce drag and improve fuel economy. Well, fat lot of good fuel economy does when you can't see where you're going and you run head-on into a Brinks truck.
I pre-heated the car for 10 minutes using remote start, but still had to clear the 1/2 inch of snow from the windshield before driving (because the remote start doesn't take care of the windshield). I banged all the snow & ice off the windshield wipers and turned them on & off to make sure they were wiping well. They were, so I pulled out and started heading to work. I kept the HVAC set to blow on the windsheild, with the temp set to "Hi" and the blower speed set to four bars. Note this - it was blasting the windshield pretty good with the maximum temperature setting.
After about 10 minutes at about 40 mph on a two-lane, it was time to wash the salt of the windshield. The sprayers covered the glass with juice and the wipers wiped, only they didn't remove anything! The wiper blades were frozen solid. I couldn't believe it. I had to pull over, unable to see where I was going, so that I could get out and bang the wiper blades.
It turns out that the wiper blades sit a few inches below the windsheild and do not benefit at all from the defroster. They are left in the cold, literally, and as such they freeze up when you're driving in these kinds of conditions. As a result, when you do need them, they do nothing.
I have a strong hunch that Chrysler engineers & marketing folks read this forum. I hope they do. If you're listening - this is going to get somebody killed. My guess is the wipers were tucked down low behind the trailing edge of the hood to help reduce drag and improve fuel economy. Well, fat lot of good fuel economy does when you can't see where you're going and you run head-on into a Brinks truck.