Have you ever used heated windshield wipers?

[Eric J in MN]

If so, do you recommend them?

[hlthe2b]

1. My last Subaru had them (COLORADO)... They helped a lot with freezing rain--maybe unnecessary

but still useful with snow.

[Eric J in MN]

2. Do you know what brand the windshield wipers were?

Did you press a button for them to get heated, or was it automatic?

[hlthe2b]

4. I had heated side mirrors too... As I recall there were toggle switches for both.

I don't know the brand--just that they were Subaru factory equipment with the top of the line Outbacks that included leather, heated seats and all the electronic gizmos.


The one part of all those niceties I really do miss is the heated seats, oh well.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

6. My old late '80s Jettas had auto heated side mirrors ...

... factory-installed, worked wonderfully. Have missed them in the cars I have had since then.

[DetlefK]

3. Never heard of them and they don't sound scientifically sound.

If you want them to melt the ice that glued your wipers to the windshield overnight, they would be okay. (I prefer a splash of strategically applied anti-frosting agent.)

But if you want them to heat the windshield, to prevent it from getting an icy layer, forget it: The windshield is a (compared to the wiper) a huge object with a huge thermal capacity. If the windshield itself is freezing cold it will take a lot of heat to to fill that thermal capacity and increase the temperature of the windshield. Additionally, the heated windshield wipers only have a tiny contact area with the windshield and they have a maximum-temperature before the rubber gets destroyed.

Summary: I don't believe that heated windshield wipers can deliver enough heat to the windshield to defrost it or keep it from freezing over. And even if they could, it would cost a lot of energy as a lot of that heat would be pumped into the air as well.

[hlthe2b]

5. That is what defrosters are for. No of course they don't replace defrosters.

The heated wipers just keeps falling freezing rain/sleet from accumulating on the wipers as they function... They work in tandom with defrosters.... When the windshield is frozen solid over night, turning both the heat on the frozen wipers "glued" to the windshield, along with the defroster on max heat for a little while is extremely helpful and give you a big "one up" to the window scraping work..

Of course windshield covers would render much of this unnecessary, but who among us thinks to do that every time or hadn't been caught unaware of the weather change while at work.

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Cadillac used to have heated windshields - a separate alternator was required.

.
.
.

Ford has heated windshields available also.

There is also a "heated wash" system, - your w/washer fluid is heated.

Oh - wanna try them heated wipers?

$140 and they are yours! >>>> http://www.everblades.com/

CC

[Randomthought]

8. have them on my Subaru

I only use them in the spring when we have wet snows that ice up the wiper blades