Q: The rules restricting cold-weather windshield washer fluid that Dylan Rogers complained about are the kind of thing that gives environmentalists a bad name. As he pointed out, this kind of rule can kill people.
Mark Lawrence, Palo Alto
A: Dylan’s windshield washer fluid froze on Interstate 80 as he and his family drove to Lake Tahoe from Rocklin on a stormy Friday night. To improve air quality, the fluid sold in most of California can’t handle temperatures below freezing. You need to buy washer fluid in mountain regions or in Nevada.
Q: However, this problem is easily solved: just add methanol to your washer fluid. A pint of methanol added to a gallon of (mostly water) windshield washer fluid will lower the freezing point to about 22 degrees, probably good enough for a trip to Tahoe. For seriously bad weather, one quart per gallon should get you down to about 7 degrees. You can get methanol at hardware or paint stores.
Mark Lawrence
A: Anyone else?
Q: Add a cup of alcohol to a gallon of fluid (make your own with just water and vinegar). You can get denatured alcohol at the hardware store, or use vodka.
Frank Gurnee, Fremont
A: Vodka? Really.
Q: It is only the premix windshield washers fluid that is affected. You should be able to buy the concentrate at auto supply stores and mix it yourself. The alternative is to buy it somewhere else. When I was visiting family in Utah, I would just buy a few bottles of winter mix and bring it back
to the Bay Area.
Roy Engehausen, Prescott, Arizona
A: And a few tricks that can help.
Q: Most of the time it’s just the nozzles that are frozen. Dip a little radiator anti-freeze in a napkin and soak the nozzles and it will free up right away. Another trick is using the windshield washing fluid at gas stations in mountain areas. All have anti-freeze in them. Just use the squeegee to drip some of that anti-freeze onto your nozzles.
David D.
A: Or …
Q: Add 70 percent isopropyl alcohol to your washer fluid to prevent ice on your windshield. You can also prevent snow or ice sticking to your windshield by using a spray bottle with a mix of three parts vinegar to one part water. This would be used at night to prevent ice the next morning.
Sheri Woodhouse
A: And …
Q: In an emergency, transfer some of the radiator coolant from the overflow reservoir into the window washer reservoir. The coolant has anti-freeze that would keep your windshield from icing over.
John Kelly
A: And one last winter driving tip.
Q: Order some windshield washer additive and keep it in your car along with jumper cables, flares, flashlight, tools and an extra coat. Just $9 at Amazon.
Reed M.
A: Make that a heavy coat.
Join Gary Richards for an hourlong chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews.com/live-chats. Look for Gary at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.
