Heated Front Windscreen

[smurf79]

I've just bought an 07 plate 1.8tdci Focus Sport S. It appears to have a heated front windscreen (I can see the lines in the screen) yet has no button to turn it on/off. I'm guessing it means it currently won't work but I am wondering if it would take much work to get it up and running? Are the cables likely to already be there but not connected?

[hillmangimp]

I've just bought an 07 plate 1.8tdci Focus Sport S. It appears to have a heated front windscreen (I can see the lines in the screen) yet has no button to turn it on/off. I'm guessing it means it currently won't work but I am wondering if it would take much work to get it up and running? Are the cables likely to already be there but not connected?

Having the screen and not the button would suggest that either the screen has been replaced and the wrong one put in (i.e. non heated replaced with heated) or that the screen has stopped working and the previous owner has removed the button and replaced it with a blank. The button should be next to the one for the heated rear window. There was a thread on this forum (or was it the cmax forum?) about retro fitting heated front screens. It depends on whether your car had one to start off with. (It wasn't standard on the Sport but could be specified as an option).

[Vas]

I've got a 53 plate TDCi of a friend who replaced a cracked screen b4 selling it to me, and that was replaced with a heated one but like yours it doesn't have the buttons etc - spoke to my local garage about getting it connected but found it would be uneconomical to get it done (financially speaking).

He told me something about it apparently involving re-progamming of the ECU due to the amount of drain put on the system when using the heated screen, and that, unlike some wiring circuit, the wiring for the heated screen would only be there if it was meant to have a heated screen from new - think he said there was 2 or 3 "standard" looms and that the one with the heated screen system would only have been fitted if the heated screen was fitted from the factory (not sure I've remembered all the details correctly(!) but the general idea was that it would cost more than it was worth).

Don't know if it will be any different on your newer model - maybe worth contacting an auto-electrician just to get an idea of prices (but an ice scraper & can of de-icer will be alot cheaper!! )

Good luck

Andy