All motorists are familiar with the situation: in the winter morning the windshield is covered with hoarfrost, ice crust or a layer of snow. Precious time is spent to cleanse it and bring it into a divine state. Part of the problem is solved by using a heater. But heating the windshield in this way is a rather lengthy process, and not entirely safe: in the presence of even minimal chips, a sharp temperature difference causes a crack to form.
To increase the comfort of using the car in winter, windshields with electric heating have been developed. They first appeared in 2000 on new Ford models; since 2009, the production of glasses with an integrated heating system of Russian production was launched. Heated windshield with electricity can be of two types: only in the lower part (where wipers are usually located) or completely throughout the area. The presence of partial heating reduces the defrosting time by five minutes, which is a significant factor for some motorists, while others prefer not to overpay for such a slight improvement.
Heated windshield over the entire area greatly improves the comfort of control in the winter. In addition to rapid thawing (5-10 minutes), the problem of fogging is solved: the maintained temperature instantly evaporates the condensate without overheating the air in the cabin, which is typical for autumn or springtime: high humidity and windows often “sweat”, and turning on the stove doesn’t matter visit the sauna - high humidity and temperature give just such an effect.
For these purposes, use a polyvinyl film and very thin antichromic filaments, which are not visible during operation, do not irritate the eyes and do not give glare (data confirmed experimentally). But such qualities are inherent in quite expensive branded options, economy-class glass in the light of headlights of oncoming cars give multiple sparks, which interferes with driving and distracts. Therefore, think that it is better to save money or drive a car in comfortable conditions.
The windshield heating in the Russian version differs from imported counterparts using a dual circuit.
When the option is turned on, first, within 5 minutes, the driver’s side defrosts, after which the circuit on the passenger side automatically switches on. If you find that the glass in your area is clean and the time has not run out yet, you can switch the windshield heating to the passenger side by pressing the appropriate button. And everything would be fine, but there is a negative point: the fragility of the system. The wires used for heating are very thin, there is a high probability of their damage if even minor chips occur. And heating can only be restored to operation by replacing the glass completely.
Not only car enthusiasts, but also leading Russian automakers took care of the arrangement of cars: since 2011, VAZ has been producing most luxury models with electric heating (about 60%). You just need to indicate when ordering a complete set that you want to have a heated windshield of Priora or Kalina. This, of course, will slightly increase the price, but will greatly increase driving comfort in the autumn-winter period.