Frozen snow / ice blocked my headlights last night

[rlhamil]

Some advice from Tesla might be warranted. I'd be tempted by a windshield de-icing spray, except that's meant for glass, not plastic, and might harm the plastic, since they often use cheap methanol rather than ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, which still help melt ice, but probably don't risk damaging plastic as much as methanol might. So I probably wouldn't use that, but might keep a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol (NOT any rubbing alcohol that contains anything other than isopropyl alcohol and water) handy. And test it on small areas, to be sure it didn't make them cloudy or hazy.

I'd expect that warming the vehicle remotely might help a little, but would take longer to have any effect on the very front.

Once you can get the doors open (the warming would handle that), a 110VAC blow dryer and extension cord (even plugged into one of the CT's AC outlets), set on LOW heat (not air, but not high either, so as not to do damage), would probably be a useable solution. Along those lines, I just ordered a cheap but reasonably powerful small 110VAC hand held vacuum (Dirt Devil Scorpion+) for my CB. Should work just fine to clean up the floors and seats, and the cord is a non-issue with the AC outlet in the truck.

You have some options that not all vehicles offer. Think about how to use them to your advantage, whatever the problem may be.

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[Jon Snow]

Headlight icing is an issue for all cars, especially those with LED lights.

 

[CyberGus]

Headlight icing is an issue for all cars, especially those with LED lights.

On this subject, you can trust a guy named “Jon Snow”

 

[Cybertruck Dude]

Heavy blowing snow and slush froze over my headlight bar last night. It was very difficult for me to see while driving. Turning on the brights had no effect.

I turned on my hazards and followed the road's tire tracks *very slowly* to get home.

Anyone else experience this? What's the solution?

I think a cyber truck snowplow with lights might solve this problem! And even if it doesn’t, it would look cool!??

 

[cardad]

I am very concerned about this. Here in CT we haven’t had any snow since the trucks have been out. But it sure seems like a problem. I may look I to the aftermarket top light bar just for winter applications. I know it’s not legal to use on the road. But for emergency times in a storm when the headlights become useless, I’d rather take my chances with this light than no light.

Your light bar is catching the snow too you know. Any forward facing surface is basically getting coated.

 

[cardad]

I find it incredibly hard to believe that Wes and the rest of the team didn’t run into this issue in all of their winter testing

Can one of you guys post this on X and tag Wes?

This problem is common to many vehicles not just the CT. My Rivian, FJ, Wrangler, etc have all had this problem. This is not new. What you do is carry around a bottle of deicing fluid, spray it on before you drive, and if needed mid drive, stop and spray on some more to keep the snow from building up. Or you can also drive over some bumps like the kind you find on the edge of a highway and that will vibrate the snow/ice off.

 

[cardad]

I live in the snowiest city in America and never had a vehicle that requires me to get out and brush off my lights repeatedly while driving. Most vehicles are shaped in a way that snow will blow around the lights, not accumulate on them.

When not moving and parked snow gets on the lights of any vehicle and needs to be brushed off, that's expected. What isn't expected is snow accumulating on the lights of a moving vehicle. Unless I have just lucked out and bought 10 consecutive unicorns that didn't have a moving snow vehicle accumulation issue, including things like my first car (junker Plymouth Sundance).

??‍snowiest city in America?

Buffalo averaged 89” annually between 1991 to 2020. Park City, UT averages 287”. Even Syracuse averages 128” according to my inquiry.

I’m afraid you may not know what “snowiest” actually looks like. We’ve had about 35” in northern NM this past week … and the average there is only about 150” annually so this would be like 1/3 of Buffalo’s snow totals in less than a week.

So I dare say that you might have no idea what some other people encounter on their local roads in fierce snow conditions.

Having driven hundreds of thousands of miles in heavy snow I can assure you that modern cars get their headlights iced up and even some older ones too. You just have to carry around deicing fluid and a scraper to poke it off.

 

[cardad]

I have driven in a couple blizzards already with Cybertruck. We have like 4 or 5 false springs only to get dumped on. As a reference when it is below 0F those heated incidescents don't do much. I still get glaze on my Suburban that makes it look like a snow globe glowing.

Just many people that don't do things like drive in snow storms at night on a regular basis don't have a reference point. So they often repeat what a youtuber says so it makes it seem like the world is ending.

Really no matter the design if one drives in snowstorms at night you will have an issue like this with many cars/trucks. Whether it is every 30 min or 5 might depend on the way the wind is blowing, and are you up some guys ass spraying snow as it freezes on your truck.

I think Tesla should throw out the design and start over. Like the whole truck. So foolish.

I agree with the first part of what you said but it’s not clear what you’re talking about with the design. Are you saying the design is bad because it catches snow or are you just randomly ranting about the design off topic?

If you’ve been in a storm with the CT you’ll know the frunk design is especially bad with snow because you have to clear your entire windshield 100% or else it will all slide into your frunk when you open it. I’ve been in a spring storm in the CT as well and this was my only major complaint. CT 1.0 will obviously iterate with eventual improvements.

 

[cardad]

Some advice from Tesla might be warranted. I'd be tempted by a windshield de-icing spray, except that's meant for glass, not plastic, and might harm the plastic, since they often use cheap methanol rather than ethanol or isopropyl alcohol, which still help melt ice, but probably don't risk damaging plastic as much as methanol might. So I probably wouldn't use that, but might keep a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol (NOT any rubbing alcohol that contains anything other than isopropyl alcohol and water) handy. And test it on small areas, to be sure it didn't make them cloudy or hazy.

I'd expect that warming the vehicle remotely might help a little, but would take longer to have any effect on the very front.

Once you can get the doors open (the warming would handle that), a 110VAC blow dryer and extension cord (even plugged into one of the CT's AC outlets), set on LOW heat (not air, but not high either, so as not to do damage), would probably be a useable solution. Along those lines, I just ordered a cheap but reasonably powerful small 110VAC hand held vacuum (Dirt Devil Scorpion+) for my CB. Should work just fine to clean up the floors and seats, and the cord is a non-issue with the AC outlet in the truck.

You have some options that not all vehicles offer. Think about how to use them to your advantage, whatever the problem may be.

From what I have seen most of the plastics are fairly resistant to methanol and the limited exposure in a wet environment shouldn’t be damaging. If you’ve used deicing spray you’ll know it takes very little to loosen it enough to knock off the majority of it. Probably not. great to use on hot headlights but cold LEDs are probably ok. If you’re really paranoid you could make your own propylene glycol spray (what they spray on airplanes) by mixing 1:1 the pink RV winterizing stuff with water.

 

[Stinky10r]

Different vehicles will have different clearing requirements, like I said in a post a few minutes ago. Deal with it! Maybe Tesla will even come out with some 48V headlight ice melters to mount on the bumpers for $250-$350. They wouldn't be worth it for most people. Even a skier like myself would probably just keep doing it how I've always done it, get out and clean them as needed.

Your clown tendencies are beginning to show and I'm just here for amusement. While I lived in South Dakota, I once drove at speed my 99 Toyota Celica (350z and G35 were garaged), in a blizzard from Denver to Rapid City on a set of Bridgestone Blizzak tires and never had to stop to wipe the headlights. I've been in quite a few blizzards not even just in that car and have never had to stop to wipe the headlights. Your argument is absurd.

 

[BeleeEV]

Your light bar is catching the snow too you know. Any forward facing surface is basically getting coated.

it’s not the forward facing issue that is the concern. That’s normal. It’s the recession that is unique and looks like it would pose a problem. And people are saying it does just that. It looks like it will fill with snow pack and not just coat with ice like a normal front facing light. Once cleared I’ve never had an issue getting coated by snow on a front facing light while driving, inky in freezing rain/ice storms. But with the CT if slush and snow kicking up in front of you packs in that open cavity in front of the led’s, that’s the problem and 100% isn’t going to happen to a light bar.

 

[Stupid_metal_triangle]

??‍snowiest city in America?

Buffalo averaged 89” annually between 1991 to 2020. Park City, UT averages 287”. Even Syracuse averages 128” according to my inquiry.

I’m afraid you may not know what “snowiest” actually looks like. We’ve had about 35” in northern NM this past week … and the average there is only about 150” annually so this would be like 1/3 of Buffalo’s snow totals in less than a week.

So I dare say that you might have no idea what some other people encounter on their local roads in fierce snow conditions.

Having driven hundreds of thousands of miles in heavy snow I can assure you that modern cars get their headlights iced up and even some older ones too. You just have to carry around deicing fluid and a scraper to poke it off.

I had a similar eye roll. I live in the Colorado mountains and we get 160” on average and we are not even known for our snow fall.

What you forgot is that NY is the epicenter of the world and no other state matters. That’s why they have the snowiest cities. When you dismiss every other city, suddenly you have the most whatever city.

My in-laws live in Syracuse, they were visiting in May and we got a foot or so of snow and they kept complaining about it. It snowed here on the 4th of July a few years back.

My solution is to add SAE legal fog lights. I haven’t done it yet but I think just more lighting options will be helpful.

 

[CyberGus]

Or you can also drive over some bumps like the kind you find on the edge of a highway and that will vibrate the snow/ice off.

Don’t worry, the snow will be knocked off the headlights when you hit the tree

 

[Outdoors]

I agree with the first part of what you said but it’s not clear what you’re talking about with the design. Are you saying the design is bad because it catches snow or are you just randomly ranting about the design off topic?

If you’ve been in a storm with the CT you’ll know the frunk design is especially bad with snow because you have to clear your entire windshield 100% or else it will all slide into your frunk when you open it. I’ve been in a spring storm in the CT as well and this was my only major complaint. CT 1.0 will obviously iterate with eventual improvements.

Look up sarcasm and what it means. That might help.

 

[Guylouis]

This problem is common to many vehicles not just the CT. My Rivian, FJ, Wrangler, etc have all had this problem. This is not new. What you do is carry around a bottle of deicing fluid, spray it on before you drive, and if needed mid drive, stop and spray on some more to keep the snow from building up. Or you can also drive over some bumps like the kind you find on the edge of a highway and that will vibrate the snow/ice off.

I fully acknowledge that this is a common problem in the automotive industry but my cyber beast is a “technology bandwagon”

my wagon shouldn’t be taken out of commission because of some snow

I’m surprised Tesla didn’t debut their laser debris removal patent on this car but I suspect they will debut it on roadster next year

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