Front Windshiled Defroster Lines

[Beowulf]

A while back I was reading the UK site for Defender 90s. One of the options they mentioned was a front Windshield Defroster, which I guess was like the lines on the rear window. I had imagined this was just a single line around the last few inches of the windshield.

This made me to wonder if there are any kits that would allow me to install defroster lines along the parameter of my windshield a few inches in from the edge. In my Jeep the windshield will build up a nasty patch of snow/ice along the outside vertical edges and just under the wipers where the snow is push down.

Any thoughts or ideas will be appreciated.

 

[Yorker]

The wires go through the whole windscreen, there are some pics of the ones for Series Land Rovers here:
http://p200.ezboard.com/fgunsandroversfrm1.showMessage?topicID=7737.topic

 

[Beowulf]

WOW!!! I would have never guessed that it went through the whole windshield. That would however do the trick. Too bad Jeep never made something like that.

 

[Robthebrit]

My little 421 Unimog has a heated windshield, its very similar to whats shown in the pictures above. The wires are tiny and you can't see them most of the time, if you catch a street light at just the right angle you get a halo and thats about the only time you notice them.

Heated windsheilds are a very common extra in the UK across all makes and models of cars. They work awesome but are much more expensive to replace. I don't why they aren't more common in the US.

Rob

 

[Beowulf]

I actually contacted them about getting one created for a Wrangler and they told me that they did not make one. I think they missunderstood that I was offering to pay a premium to help them create a new product. Oh well.

 

[Martyn]

Most snow cats have heated front windshields. From what I remember from my days managing at ski resorts they cost thousands of $ to replace.

 

[xjames]

There is a way to do this yourself. I use to have an old mazda truck in which the defroster didn't work. It would blow heat everywhere except def. vents. I purchased a rear window defroster kit from JCW. It was a clear plastic tape with the heating element already applied and all necessary wiring. I just used it on the windshield. It had lines across the windshield but they never caused any visual impedence. My windshield was usually free of all moisture long before the engine warmed up enough to push any heat out the vents. Only drawback was it did not have any timer or thermostat. If you forgot to turn it off you would have a dead battery. I imagine given enough time the heat generated could possibly hurt the lamination on the windshield, but I never needed to use mine for more than 10-15 min. at a time.

 

[Robthebrit]

If you search the web you can find heated windshields starting around 200GBP ($400). If you do a search remember to search for windscreen and not windshield, people in the UK have no idea what a windshield is.

Rob

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

That Series glass is exactly what my Defender windshield looks like.

KAA

 

[overlander]

Here's an installation right up with part #'s for a defender heated windscreen install. you could use the electrical timers/relays for non land rover parts.

http://www.lrm.co.uk/archive/technical/screenheater.html

 

[Beowulf]

This would be so easy to do on the Flat Rubicon windshield if someone would make it. I will start poking around and see if someone can make a custom one.

 

[Carlyle]

Thats sound like a very expensive proposition for a windshield. In Colorado, I have had to replace a windshield on my Ford truck and past Eurovans every year for many years. I use a device called a Hotshot that heats and shoots 150 F water on my windshield that works great for clearing ice/snow in the winter and bugs/mus in the summer. $200 well spent and it is going strong for 4 years now.