It's not pointless.

Get in the car - turn it on and then go to scrape your windows. By the time you're done with the sides and back - your windscreen is clear.

I'm still most concerned by the fact that anyone would drive off with their windows still iced up.

It should however be said the Mk7s version is nowhere near as powerful as the Mk1 Ka I had it fitted on - that thing melted ice in seconds, I find the Mk7's takes a bit longer.

It is actually pointless ive found out..I have to piull from my driveway on a quick road so have to use teh de icer etc anyways, but no point as i cant see out teh side windows.

ALSO...even when it is used, you put the wipers on..and the blades are forzen anyways, so doesnt saftly or properly clean the windscreen.

Then of course we stil have the biggest danger which is freezing windwasher nozzels, and dirty roads.

Ah yes, but unless you have heated washer jets, then you are supposed to know as a driver to fill your washer bottle up with neat washer solution so it has the best freezing protection. I still got mine undiluted as it's still a bit frosty.

Best defence is undiluted washer fluid and turn the engine on to warm it up. Or buy another car with the heated washer jets.

It's not pointless.

Get in the car - turn it on and then go to scrape your windows. By the time you're done with the sides and back - your windscreen is clear.

I'm still most concerned by the fact that anyone would drive off with their windows still iced up.

It is pointless.....how slow are you clearing the side windows?

I have mine done in about 1 min maybe 2mins as i have ascraper...you aer still waiting for the windscreen to even look like its going to helt a deep frost, then as stated the wiper blades are in no condition from the freeeze to saftly clear the windreen anways,

And no actually you shouldnt use neat 100% washer, as I have talked to a few guys that work in teh Ford servicing, it can be highly corrosive, and damage the pumps in time, and loosen the small seals to teh tin jet tips.

Why does everyone seem 2 be so tetchy on these boards lately? Can't we all play nicely?! ;)

Sorry, not meaning to be that way, but some people seem to have the opinion of " I own it, therefore its the best" mentality, Im jsut not blind to spot obvious flaws in some things, or a practical means of driving the car etc.

Also, ya have to sit their jsut wasting petrol running the car to clear a windscreen, jsut seems like a long way to waste money.

About the most pratical was on teh Mito (about the only thing that was), it heated the actual wipers, so if you scraped the windscreen, the siwpers would take care of themselves very quickly and wouldnt build up ice.

Also to add, with certain memebers who jsut make comments to get a rise, getting away with posting what they like, same poeple, same kinda jibes, its no wonder this forum has been so slow, alot of good posters since the days I was lingering about when I had an older fiesta hav eleft and are posting on other boards.

And no actually you shouldnt use neat 100% washer, as I have talked to a few guys that work in teh Ford servicing, it can be highly corrosive, and damage the pumps in time, and loosen the small seals to teh tin jet tips.

Yes you should. Ask an RAC or AA mechanic and they will tell you in winter time it's very good advice. Otherwise you risk your water bottle cracking as the fluid freezes.

"Poverty Spec" = Genius!

I thought it was only me and my mates who referred to certain cars as poverty spec hahaha

I agree with you Nightowl. In my case, the heated windscreen is totally pointless as on a cold morning the INSIDES of my windows are totally frozen with ice due to the numerous water leaks my car has. What is the point in a fancy heated windscreen etc if Ford can't get the basics right!

I agree with you Nightowl. In my case, the heated windscreen is totally pointless as on a cold morning the INSIDES of my windows are totally frozen with ice due to the numerous water leaks my car has. What is the point in a fancy heated windscreen etc if Ford can't get the basics right!

You have indoor water features in your Fiesta

Why on earth would you select that option when purchasing a car.

My experience is that the heated screens, both front and rear defrost in about the same time it takes to scrape the side windows, the magic button in a Titty does it better than normal quick clear???. The wipers haven't stuck and have cleared the glass ready to set off. Much better than clearing the winscreen and having it refreeze again after you have set off and are on a main road!

Driving a car you can't see out off is not a good idea and not the fault of the car or its design.

Haha the fact that this type of thread is posted is a testament to the pointless 'moans and groans' that ruin this place. 

Dan - if you'd kindly take note, I have not resulted to personal or direct insults, in fact I have posted concise and well founded responses. The only 'playground' behaviour present here is the outbursts from mr nightowl who seems to love the sexily bum shaped fruit. 

Let's not forget, it was mr owl who likes to leave his keys in the ignition on petrol forecourts and advertise the fact on the Internet....

Sorry, not meaning to be that way, but some people seem to have the opinion of " I own it, therefore its the best" mentality, Im jsut not blind to spot obvious flaws in some things, or a practical means of driving the car etc.

Also, ya have to sit their jsut wasting petrol running the car to clear a windscreen, jsut seems like a long way to waste money.

About the most pratical was on teh Mito (about the only thing that was), it heated the actual wipers, so if you scraped the windscreen, the siwpers would take care of themselves very quickly and wouldnt build up ice.

Also to add, with certain memebers who jsut make comments to get a rise, getting away with posting what they like, same poeple, same kinda jibes, its no wonder this forum has been so slow, alot of good posters since the days I was lingering about when I had an older fiesta hav eleft and are posting on other boards.

You're not just running your engine to clear the screen though are you? You're warming the engine and getting the cabin temp up as well.

My heated screen takes 30 seconds at most to clear, and if it's not cleared by the time I get to it after doing the windows, then the filaments have at least made the scraping a hell of a lot easier.

Also, you seem to have completely missed the point about how effective the screen is to aid demisting.

On your last point - there are simple straightforward rules on this forum, and to the best ability of the mods (who at the end of the day are volunteers and cannot be on the board 24/7) ensure that those rules are enforced. As far as I'm concerned, nobody is 'getting away with posting' anything that breaks those rules. If there was no banter, this place would be extremely dull reading. Oh, and FOC is the biggest it's ever been in terms of members actually using the boards.

Haha the fact that this type of thread is posted is a testament to the pointless 'moans and groans' that ruin this place. 

Dan - if you'd kindly take note, I have not resulted to personal or direct insults, in fact I have posted concise and well founded responses. The only 'playground' behaviour present here is the outbursts from mr nightowl who seems to love the sexily bum shaped fruit. 

Let's not forget, it was mr owl who likes to leave his keys in the ignition on petrol forecourts and advertise the fact on the Internet....

Calling someone's thread pointless - even with a wink - is always going to get someone's back up Mikester - and then facetious name calling is exactly the kind of playground behaviour that I'm talking about.

I'd get in, start it, set windscreen defrosting, get scraper, get out, scrape drivers window, start on windscreen, easier at this point, keep catching auto wipers which would clear it, do front lights, other side of windscreen was then clear, do passenger window, check back lights, get in and go (all the time my keyless key was in my pocket!)

Ford’s heated windscreen is a great tool, I believe if it wasn’t for Ford owning the patent many more car manufacturers would also be fitting this useful technology to their models.

End of the day if you don’t find it works for you then don’t press the ‘on’ button – simple :)

You're not just running your engine to clear the screen though are you? You're warming the engine and getting the cabin temp up as well.

The car takes ALOT longer to sit and warm up running than driving it, yes theirs a marginal bit more heat by the couple of mins it take to set off, but nothing worth of note.

My heated screen takes 30 seconds at most to clear, and if it's not cleared by the time I get to it after doing the windows, then the filaments have at least made the scraping a hell of a lot easier.

You must have a different model to anyone I know with a MK7!, as I know two others (both zetecs), and as the same with mine it takes a good few mins before anything starts to happen

Also, you seem to have completely missed the point about how effective the screen is to aid demisting.

Never really had a problem with interior misting, you can knock the Aircon on for a min that would clear that up ALOT faster than the windscreen heater.

I have only just purchased my Zetec s and love the heated windscreen, yes it takes a couple of minutes to clear but it is one less job to do when its -6. The reason i think that it is good is not so much the clearing of the screen (can do that with a scrapper) but its ability to keep the screen clear. I had a BMW that on a very cold morning (I have to leave for work at 4:30am) would freeze back up after I scrapped it due to the freezing conditions, where as the Fez keeps it clear so i am not trying to find a gap in the screen to look out off. A feature such as this is not there to do it all, but more to aid the driver. I think its a good bit of kit.

It is actually pointless ive found out..I have to piull from my driveway on a quick road so have to use teh de icer etc anyways, but no point as i cant see out teh side windows.

ALSO...even when it is used, you put the wipers on..and the blades are forzen anyways, so doesnt saftly or properly clean the windscreen.

Then of course we stil have the biggest danger which is freezing windwasher nozzels, and dirty roads.

Pointless? :D

I am truly AMAZED at how critical people are of a feature like a heated windscreen. Absolutely crazy. Sure, we'd all love heated side windows too and it to work in 5 seconds but be realistic.

I take it all the people who bemoan it never use it, you scrape and use deicer over the windscreen instead?

When its been a really heavy frost no, as I have to de ice the siper blades anyways!, and teh trigger gel like deicer stuff works instantly, four good shots and yrou done, then a couple on the blades.

Of course I have used it, but sitting in teh car after teh side windows are done, ya just think..stuff it, I could have got this done in 20secs as I did the side windows!

I have never used de-icer on any car I've had even without heated windscreen. Don't really see the need to as I can scrape off the ice myself reasonably quickly. I would always have the engine running though with the blowers on full blast to aid the process.

A heated windscreen just makes this a little bit faster, with less chance of re-freezing as you drive along.

Yes, the wipers are also frozen, but in my experience they will still wipe the frost off the windscreen once de-frosted.

If you are in a rush to get to work etc. then you need to get up a little earlier.

Bottom line is I would definitely rather have a heated windscreen than not.