Opinions? Whom has a windshield or car cover that they use as protection against snow or ice in the mornings?
I was going to try this for the next storm tomorrow, cover the windshield atleast, bungee strap it down, and see how it goes, but wanted the opinion of GRM before I tried it.
Wind blows on tarp, tarp slaps paint, bad things happen to paint.
I agree with Kenny for once. 
Tarps and outdoors are generally a bad combination.
I considered a moving blanket over the windshield with rare earth magnets to hold it in place. Never tried it though.
In reply to bgkast:
Oooh. Classy. It's a Lexus.
I find that warm (not hot) water works best to get ice off of the windscreen
Lots of people cover the windshield but not the whole car. A plain tarp can possibly damage the painted areas.
Start the car 30 minutes early, heat on full blast. You'll be able to brush the snow off. Use a broom if you want, don't hit the paint though.
I put what was essentionally an oversized garbage bag over the windshield of the beater years ago. Now I just bust out the scraper. It only takes a minute or two to clear a windshield.
I do bust out warm water if a door is frozen shut.
I liv up north and for the past 20+ years my DD's have all been parked outdoors. In the past 10 years I have only had a problem twice with ice that was so thick on the car that I couldn't go to work. Of course on those days the roads were so bad that even if I could clean the car and start my commute I wouldn't have made it to work anyway. For thin coats of ice I fill a gallon milk jug with warm water, I repeat warm water. I pour in on the glass and then if the ice melts I quickly squeegee it off or it the ice only loosens I scrape it off with one of those plastic ice scrapers. I also keep my glass coated with Rain-X as I find that a fresh coat helps keep the ice from freezing as tightly to the glass as untreated glass.
I have noticed some locals lifting their windshield wipers off the glass when parked. Again if it's easy to do then I don't see a problem with doing that. I never did. I replace my wipers every 6 months or so anyway. usually in the spring and fall.
i will usually tarp the windshield of my truck if i know its going to get really icey that night, i dont do it for snow. i just wrap it under the wiper then close it in one door then pull it tight and close it over into the other door. its on my DD which so not real worried about the paint since the roof is the only painted surface it touches and its mostly resting on the cab lights and its never on there for more then 8 hours
i think ive only done it twice this winter
iceracer wrote: Lots of people cover the windshield but not the whole car. A plain tarp can possibly damage the painted areas.
Exactly what I was thinking, though I'm guessing that overlapping slightly will work best.
I'm not as concerned with the painted surfaces though, it's a DD, not some show car.
A plastic grocery bag over the wipers helps too.
A piece of cardboard held in place with the wipers can help limit the amount of scraping required.
When I lived in the North I used to put my wipers up off of the windshield and then just use a scraper for the rest. Once you get a corner down to glass you can use water to break up the ice. I used to use straight tap water, which was slightly below room temp.
Suck it up.
I usually don't, but with the roof rack on getting snow off is a PITA and I'm just lazy. Then again, I don't really give a E36 M3 about my paint either, it's already scratched and terrible from the abuse I give this car... The tarp is sitting up on the rack though, not on the roof itself. If the rack wasn't on the car, I wouldn't tarp it. Brushing it off is just easier in that case.
I did cram the Sequoia into the garage though, since getting snow off the 6' tall top of it is not fun either...and I despise people who leave snow on the roof of their trucks so it flies off at cars behind them.
Buy a good ice scraper, in particular one with a brass blade. It takes me less time to scrape my windows than it would to remove, fold, and put away a tarp.
Tried this once with a fitted car cover. The cover froze to the car under the front and rear bumpers. Last time I did that...
jimbbski wrote: I have noticed some locals lifting their windshield wipers off the glass when parked. Again if it's easy to do then I don't see a problem with doing that.
I do this.. makes it easier to clean the windscreen and makes it much less likely I will forget that the wipers are frozen to the glass when I hit the switch
oldopelguy wrote: Buy a good ice scraper, in particular one with a brass blade. Finally got scrapers with brass blades this year, they work much better than the plastic crap.
mad_machine wrote:jimbbski wrote: I have noticed some locals lifting their windshield wipers off the glass when parked. Again if it's easy to do then I don't see a problem with doing that.I do this.. makes it easier to clean the windscreen and makes it much less likely I will forget that the wipers are frozen to the glass when I hit the switch
Or buy a Subaru with the winter package....windshield wiper de-icing strips on the glass under them. They work great. I bet it's something you could retrofit to other cars?
Being a Canadian I find it pretty funny some of the replies.-30 this morning but no snow for a change(approx 14' of snow fall so far this yr).Just go out and start it,go back inside for a few minutes but no need for a half hour of planet killing.Simply brush/scrape as needed and drive as usual.
Adding water to melt the ice is pretty silly.
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