Cost of Heated Windscreens

adk

adk

Steals Hotel Toilet Paper
As I scraped ice off of my car's windshield for the umpteenth time this year, I wondered why no car has a heated windscreen like in most jet aircraft. Is it cost? I know the Hummer H1 has electrically heated windshields, and the guy driving it claimed that they cost $1200 per panel (hummer needs two). $2400 is a lot, but not out of the realm of, say, an S class Mercedes. Is there perhaps a durability issue?
 
A non pressurized chieftain heated windscreen was 17000 3 or 4 years ago. The small deice panel for the caravan is $11000 for the assembly or 7000 for just the glass if you put it into the frame yourself.
 
My wife's Subaru Outback has heating elements under the windshield wipers. Haven't had it in any real snow, so I'm not sure how much it helps. I'm also not sure how much they cost, and I hope not to find out.
 
The last time the front windscreen was replaced in our Citation it was just a tick over 50k, The side heated window was 40k
 
adk said:
As I scraped ice off of my car's windshield for the umpteenth time this year, I wondered why no car has a heated windscreen like in most jet aircraft. Is it cost? I know the Hummer H1 has electrically heated windshields, and the guy driving it claimed that they cost $1200 per panel (hummer needs two). $2400 is a lot, but not out of the realm of, say, an S class Mercedes. Is there perhaps a durability issue?
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Uh... every car I've ever had had a defrost switch. It turned on the "windscreen heater". Well, except for a '76 VW Bug. That had some levers that pretended to actuate windshield defrost mode.
 
Crop Duster said:
Uh... every car I've ever had had a defrost switch. It turned on the "windscreen heater". Well, except for a '76 VW Bug. That had some levers that pretended to actuate windshield defrost mode.
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Park your car outside overnight in subzero temperatures and see how long it takes for the defrost air to clear your windshield. Compare that to the 30-60 seconds it takes the electric windscreen on a jet. You'll see why I dream of not scraping windshields anymore.
 
Cadillac had this in the 90's It was terminated fairly quickly form the lineup. The Windshields were over $1000 to replace compared to 400-500 for a traditional piece of glass...

The windows also had a copper tinted to them that didn't get good reviews for aesthetics

Came down to $$$ and low demand for the options.... The car also required a special alternator.
 
Car windshields get exposed to too much gravel. Also, an unfixed nick in the glass will probably cause alot of trouble with the heating element turned on.
 
I am guessing you dont have places to plug in at your parking spot. But what I did is put a space heater in the car and ran an extension cord in. I had it hooked up to a timer so an hour before I left it would turn on and thaw it out.
 
SteveC said:
Which model of Citation?
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650 Citation 7, Ive been told they are the same exact windscreens as the 560, 680, and 750, But I cannot confirm this.

And here is why they were replaced, oops

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8C1762C6-897F-444A-B337-909E8929E1D7_zpsopcwbey0.jpg


Edit: It was just the Outer Pane of glass, pressurisation was NOT compromised when this happened
 
Ford tried Instaclear(Quickclear) windshields some time in the late 80's early 90's. They were expensive to replace and caused problems with radar detectors, phones and GPS. Maybe it could come back as tech improves, but automakers tend not to go back to things that didn't work or were poorly received. Unless they have to (see cylinder deactivation and Cadillac V-8-6-4)

I was at the Detroit auto show and saw a heated washer fluid system. GM was going to make it optional on all models. But that was pre-bankruptcy and I think the system didn't work as well as planned. I too, dream of not having to scrape windshields, but it will remain that.
 
Our Subaru Outback has it. It only defrost the lower part where the wipers are. Really helps the defrost air on the subzero days.
 
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