Frozen washer jets

[Dandock]

Agree with happy days, not good enough for a 56 k car.

Nothing to do with the cost of the car. It's about poor preparation and not following the manufacturer's recommendations.

So having recently filled the bottle with a mixture suitable for the conditions at the time am I meant to empty it and start again when: if so, is there a quick way of doing so?

[Nuclear Nick]

I know, not easy if the wrong strength is in the bottle. I tend to use a year-round mix that is suitable down to -20C.
You could siphon it out, or use an aqua vac with a small tube attached, or use the washers to empty the bottle down to half full then top up with a full strength mix.

[Dandock]

‘Tis academic now as OPC should have done just that when servicing yesterday.

[Bazza06]

2hrs+ driving and not once did the jets work.

Pretty poor for a car that cost £67K and yet I understand they get tested in near Arctic conditions - clearly without using the jets!

[Nuclear Nick]

2hrs+ driving and not once did the jets work.

Pretty poor for a car that cost £67K and yet I understand they get tested in near Arctic conditions - clearly without using the jets!

Yet another blaming the car when it is the operator at fault!

[Bazza06]

2hrs+ driving and not once did the jets work.

Pretty poor for a car that cost £67K and yet I understand they get tested in near Arctic conditions - clearly without using the jets!

Yet another blaming the car when it is the operator at fault!

How’s that? If I have screen wash with anti-freeze I’d expect them not to be defeated at -3 temperature. Plus I cleared the front jets before driving. The rears worked after a time but not the fronts.

[Nuclear Nick]

It's quite simple. If the fluid is the correct strength it will not freeze. It's a bit like our national transport systems coming to a grinding halt when we have a little bit of slightly cold weather, cold by our definition. You don't hear of drivers in countries where it's properly cold complaining about their washers not working, regardless of the price of their cars.

I suspect that a lot of UK drivers top up their washer systems with plain water when they run out, because they are unprepared and can't be bothered to get the correct mix. Or worse still, add some washing up liquid then wonder why the system gets clogged with slimy bacterial growth a few weeks later. Small wonder then that the washers don't work when the temperature drops a fraction below zero. But highly amusing for our friends in Scandinavia and most of Europe.

[Guy]

Of course if you just throw in some winter concentrate based on a sub-zero (or extreme) forecast, it wont actually enter the pipes until you operate all the washers a little. Could be a factor for some, depending on usage.

It's interesting to see how cheap the concentrated stuff is versus 'ready-mix' in this country. It seems that people can't be bother to 'mix their own' any more, which is possibly why they are not reading the label and making an educated choice about mixing strength versus level of protection.

[Col Lamb]

I use Sonax clearview.

So far no problems, I have calibrated an old one litre milk bottle so I get the mix ratio is correct, add the Sonax up to the mark and top up with the water out of the filter.

BTW if you syphon the fluid out please do not do the sucking on tube method. Fill up the tube with plain water and keep finger over the end of the tube you are not inserting into the washer bottle and as you feed in the open tube keep the tube end that has your finger over it at the same level, then when ready lower the fingered end and release the finger.

[Wing Commander]

I tend to use a year-round mix that is suitable down to -20C.

This sounds like the ideal solution (no pun intended!) and I think Paul does similar. So no mucking around with having to alter the mixture during the year?

What fluid do you use, Nick?