OT: Snow Removal From Your Car Before Driving

[superjohn]

Not clearing the roof can lead to a lot of damage to the car behind you. Many times I’ve seen it fly off and I even saw it shatter the windshield of a car that was just in front of me.

I was driving across the country on the highway years ago and a slab of ice came flying off a semi and smashed into my windshield. I had no time to really react and there were cars next to me and we were traveling at a high rate of speed. Thank god all it did was put a huge crack in my windshield and not come through because it hit directly in front of me.

 

[HuskyHawk]

My mother swears by this. I've never understood why not just use a push broom. Works fine for me.

Can scratch the paint. This is also much lighter and if you're working the roof of an SUV that helps.

 

[Skiblets]

Where I live, Jessica’s law states you must remove all snow before driving. Snow still on the car becomes a projectile that can cause serious harm. I’ve seen sheets of ice fly off the back of pickups and almost total cars

I was wrecked by ice flying off a box truck in front of me on Route 3 between Glastonbury and Wethersfield. Scary shiite.

Pls remove all snow.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

God I do not miss any of this. It's 75 here today. The early morning chills and occasional 50 degree winter days give me all the cold I need.

 

[JMick]

Same. I find the snow Joe broom is the right tool for the roof. But I end up using it on my daughter's car which sits outside.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Snow-Joe-2-In-1-18-in-Foam-Head-Telescoping-Snow-Broom-Ice-Scraper-SJBLZD/203580290#overlay

Used a snowbrum for a decade. Won't scratch the paint. No excuses for anyone to not clean off the loose snow from their car.

When it deep freezes there MIGHT be less than a quarter inch of snow still attached to the paint. That's fine but anything else is pure laziness and selfishness.

 

[CL82]

Can scratch the paint. This is also much lighter and if you're working the roof of an SUV that helps.

What's the blue material? Is it like a light foam? Why wouldn't that scratch the paint?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I've always cleaned off anything that came come loose (beyond enough for full visibility) as I have seen too many instances where a lot of snow comes off the roof of a car, covering a car behind it on the road.

This is seldom an indoor me these days as my car's are normally in my garage, but I have heard Connecticut is now enforcing when cars aren't fully free of snow when they hit the road.

 

[JMick]

What's the blue material? Is it like a light foam? Why wouldn't that scratch the paint?

Brush bristles drag all the crap already on your car all over the place. The long foam snow tools just push everything with even amounts of pressure along the entire surface so you're not trapping things in the brush and then moving it all over your car.

 

[CL82]

Brush bristles drag all the crap already on your car all over the place. The long foam snow tools just push everything with even amounts of pressure along the entire surface so you're not trapping things in the brush and then moving it all over your car.

I feel like, especially in cold weather, rubbing that against the top of my car isn't a good thing. I also feel like they could push material over the roof too.

 

[Chin Diesel]

I use my leaf blower for everything but the heavy wet snow.

Use a spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol/water (2:1) to defrost windows.

I never really thought of a leaf blower mainly because my parents had a steady supply of leaf rakers, of which I was the youngest.
I've never even seen a leaf blower at my folks house.

But if I had one, it seems like an effic8ent option.

 

[JwittersPAC]

God I do not miss any of this. It's 75 here today. The early morning chills and occasional 50 degree winter days give me all the cold I need.

I spend my time either in Miami or the Caribbean. If it drops below 60 degrees I get out my winter coat….

 

[StllH8L8ner]

I got pulled over on the Merritt in Stamford for having too much snow on my roof one time years ago. Believe it’s a CT law, or at least it was. Now I get as much off as I can to be safe.

 

[JMick]

I feel like, especially in cold weather, rubbing that against the top of my car isn't a good thing. I also feel like they could push material over the roof too.

I've been using one for a decade and have no scratches. Towels to dry off your car are more likely to scratch your paint

 

[Edward Sargent]

I always cleaned (I live in Florida now) the roof. I've often seen sheets of icy mix coming off roofs of cars on the highway and always thought it dangerous. Of course I also rode with our Rescue Squad for 30 years and did the barely visible thing to get to the station. Yes we did not garage our car!!

 

[B1GEast]

Always remove as much snow as you can. Someone's life may depend on it

 

[Khal Drogo]

Used to clean hood windows front and back alomd with all lights
Simce I got pulled over last year I shovel the roof off also

Did you get a ticket

 

[temery]

I never really thought of a leaf blower mainly because my parents had a steady supply of leaf rakers, of which I was the youngest.
I've never even seen a leaf blower at my folks house.

But if I had one, it seems like an effic8ent option.

I wouldn't use a rake. But I have a friend whose sister used a ball-peen hammer to break the ice on her windows.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Not clearing the roof can lead to a lot of damage to the car behind you. Many times I’ve seen it fly off and I even saw it shatter the windshield of a car that was just in front of me.

3 inches is not very much snow. A driver should also be far enough behind the car in front of them that the front car's rear bumper can fall off and the rear driver won't hit it. 3 seconds is the rule of thumb for the distance between you and the car in front of you, and if the roads are even a little tricky, 4 seconds is more appropriate. If they are going to enforce a couple of inches of snow on the roof of the car, they should use AI to track tailgating. If every car on the Merritt one morning gets a ticket, then that is the way it goes.

I looked up the NH law, and that involved a situation with a truck, which is a bit different.

 

[JMick]

3 inches is not very much snow. A driver should also be far enough behind the car in front of them that the front car's rear bumper can fall off and the rear driver won't hit it. 3 seconds is the rule of thumb for the distance between you and the car in front of you, and if the roads are even a little tricky, 4 seconds is more appropriate. If they are going to enforce a couple of inches of snow on the roof of the car, they should use AI to track tailgating. If every car on the Merritt one morning gets a ticket, then that is the way it goes.

I looked up the NH law, and that involved a situation with a truck, which is a bit different.

Stop being lazy and clean your car off

 

[temery]

3 inches is not very much snow. A driver should also be far enough behind the car in front of them that the front car's rear bumper can fall off and the rear driver won't hit it. 3 seconds is the rule of thumb for the distance between you and the car in front of you, and if the roads are even a little tricky, 4 seconds is more appropriate. If they are going to enforce a couple of inches of snow on the roof of the car, they should use AI to track tailgating. If every car on the Merritt one morning gets a ticket, then that is the way it goes.

I looked up the NH law, and that involved a situation with a truck, which is a bit different.

The problem is the heat from the car melts the snow just a little bit. If you stop at a store or park at work, and it's cold enough outside, that's gonna freeze and it all come off in one giant sheet.

 

[Zanzman]

Did you get a ticket

no ticket trooper gave me choice his shovel or a ticket so I chose the shovel

 

[temery]

Same. I find the snow Joe broom is the right tool for the roof. But I end up using it on my daughter's car which sits outside.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Snow-Joe-2-In-1-18-in-Foam-Head-Telescoping-Snow-Broom-Ice-Scraper-SJBLZD/203580290#overlay

If you use one of those make sure to clean it off well and store inside the garage. I had one that I didn't clean off and I left it on my porch. Some of the snow melted, then turned to ice. I tried to clean the roof off and I scratched the hell out of the paint.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The problem is the heat from the car melts the snow just a little bit. If you stop at a store or park at work, and it's cold enough outside, that's gonna freeze and it all come off in one giant sheet.

I am not going to scratch my car, but I will bring the snow very low. Under an inch.

I don't expect the same enforcement on tailgating anytime soon.

Edit: I park my car in a garage when it snows 95% of the time anyway.

 

[uconnfan68]

I never really thought of a leaf blower mainly because my parents had a steady supply of leaf rakers, of which I was the youngest.
I've never even seen a leaf blower at my folks house.

But if I had one, it seems like an effic8ent option.

Only really works for the very driest fluffy snow. Usually causes ice to form where that snow melts. Spoken from experience.

 

[superjohn]

We'll be fine where I live and Connecticut will be fine, just bitterly cold but this storm is probably going to be really bad and deadly for many Southern states.