Project "Melt Snow" - Snow / Ice Buildup on Headlights & Bumper Solution (DIY Writeup)

[Deleted member 17810]

Heated seats use less power than cabin heating, even with the heat pump. There's going to be mornings you want heat, even in Florida.

Literally two days.

There needs to be new regs for LED lights, and it's not just a tesla problem.

Again, I figured they'd be ahead of it.

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[Crissa]

Literally two days.

There needs to be new regs for LED lights, and it's not just a tesla problem.

Again, I figured they'd be ahead of it.

Literally what?

And no, NHTSA has no published plans I can find on this subject.

You want to drive in the snow, you prepare for it. Snow tires, deicer in the right fluids, maybe even chains and in this case, defrosters on the headlights.

Solution. Not whine.

-Crissa

 

[rlhamil]

Nobody in hot climates needs heated seats.

It's a straight comparison.

Keep up.


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The fact is that tesla is doing bare minimum for alot of things, and I'm honestly surprised that they didn't think about this from a safety stand point.

I use heated seats even with cooling on sometimes, to relieve assorted muscle or joint discomfort. I can't be the only one. Whereas snow or ice issues are only applicable where there is snow or ice.

ICE vehicles may have cold weather kits, including a plug-in engine heater. No reason a CT couldn't have a cold weather kit including heated headlights. Not that every vehicle gets it, but that it's alternate or additional parts to be offered (at a price) on request.

 

[Crissa]

I use heated seats even with cooling on sometimes, to relieve assorted muscle or joint discomfort. I can't be the only one.

That's my favorite use! After a good hike or cycle, before muscle stiffness sets in on the way back, or...

ICE vehicles may have cold weather kits, including a plug-in engine heater. No reason a CT couldn't have a cold weather kit including heated headlights. Not that every vehicle gets it, but that it's alternate or additional parts to be offered (at a price) on request.

Right? Clearly this is something that'll need to be in that kit.

A bunch of the other EVs have air dams that are put in for winter - because they don't need to gulp cold air to manage their motors and batteries in the winter. Something even ICE vehicles have in really really cold places.

-Crissa

 

[rlhamil]

Literally what?

And no, NHTSA has no published plans I can find on this subject.

You want to drive in the snow, you prepare for it. Snow tires, deicer in the right fluids, maybe even chains and in this case, defrosters on the headlights.

Solution. Not whine.

-Crissa

Some official guidance as to what deicing compounds could be used on what surfaces (including headlights) without damage, would certainly be helpful. Not a zero-effort thing insofar as some tests would have to be done, but not a huge effort either.

 

[Crissa]

Some official guidance as to what deicing compounds could be used on what surfaces (including headlights) without damage, would certainly be helpful. Not a zero-effort thing insofar as some tests would have to be done, but not a huge effort either.

I suppose, but lenses are usually styrene plastic so most any will work unless they're pretty esoteric.

They're probably not going to give you a very comprehensive list.

You might start a thread about it so other owners can post pictures of what they've tried and the results.

-Crissa

 

[HaulingAss]

i agree totally sucks to have to do this . Just to be able to drive in winter snowy conditions .

I can assure you this is not required to be able to drive in snowy conditions. Under some conditions it will reduce the need to manually clear snow from reducing headlight output at night but it won't necessarily work in ALL conditions.

 

[HaulingAss]

I wil most likely need to do that type of installation … what about just headlight sprayers like most cars have ?

Most cars don't have headlight sprayers.

Where did you get that idea?

In any case, headlight sprayers, and even wipers, are of limited use in the best winter storms. Manual removal is still the most reliable method.

 

[HaulingAss]

I don’t live in the cold so I have no idea of the issues you guys encounter, but why not have a cover for the area.

Firstly a simple cover like what people would put over their windshield when it snows. Some even use cardboard boxes.
Magnets can hold it in place.

I've seen people use various covers to make snow removal easier but, in the end, in most conditions, it's easier to just manually clear it before you drive. And even in special conditions when they would actually be useful, you still have to remember to put them on as needed. And temperatures/weather is unpredictable so it's impossible to tell in advance when it would be useful.

Secondly, what about a clear cover where you can use clear polycarbonate that attaches to the frunk with magnets. You can leave them on in winter. Sloped in a way that the snow slides off. But if it freezes to the covers the covers can just be removed.

Even clear sloping covers would experience icing and accumulation under the right conditions. And the plastic cover reduces light output more than they look like they would. If the goal is to see well at night during heavy storms, this is just a bad idea, manual removal is the ticket.

 

[HaulingAss]

Hopefully regulations on LED headlights catch up and make mfgs include defrosters for ice and snow build up.

Domestic manufactures have successfully fought against this type of regulation for years. One of their reasons is that it unnecessarily adds to the cost of a new vehicle and is largely unnecessary for most motorists. Cost/benefit ratio is not good.

 

[HaulingAss]

If you are looking for testers let me know, I live where it snows. We get an average of 13 feet a year.

The ski area I worked at for 9 years got 1,140 inches (95 feet) in 1998-1999. The average seasonal snowfall there is ~55 feet. Google "World Record Snowfall". It's measured at an elevation of about 4,200 feet. The snowfall is considerably higher above the measuring station.

Because we always drove at night, I know a thing or two about driving at night in winter storms. None of our personal or company vehicles had any kind of snow removal features on the headlights. If the headlight glow got too dim, we knew how to fix that. No big deal. I still drive the highway in the dark, because the days are short.

Here's a summertime photo from 5,100 foot elevation (900 feet higher than the measuring station) after most of the snow has melted in early August:

 

[HaulingAss]

Isn't the CT air suspension/compressor a sealed system using Nitrogen?

Of course not.

 

[dalton108]

I use heated seats even with cooling on sometimes, to relieve assorted muscle or joint discomfort. I can't be the only one. Whereas snow or ice issues are only applicable where there is snow or ice.

ICE vehicles may have cold weather kits, including a plug-in engine heater. No reason a CT couldn't have a cold weather kit including heated headlights. Not that every vehicle gets it, but that it's alternate or additional parts to be offered (at a price) on request.

This.

 

[dalton108]

The ski area I worked at for 9 years got 1,140 inches (95 feet) in 1998-1999. The average seasonal snowfall there is ~55 feet. Google "World Record Snowfall". It's measured at an elevation of about 4,200 feet. The snowfall is considerably higher above the measuring station.

Because we always drove at night, I know a thing or two about driving at night in winter storms. None of our personal or company vehicles had any kind of snow removal features on the headlights. If the headlight glow got too dim, we knew how to fix that. No big deal. I still drive the highway in the dark, because the days are short.

Here's a summertime photo from 5,100 foot elevation (900 feet higher than the measuring station) after most of the snow has melted in early August:

Where did you work?! Hoth?

 

[MyOtherTruck]

Is this a solution in search of a problem? Headlights icing over does happen .. but it is so infrequent that just getting out and manually removing the ice is the simplest solution IMHO.

If it was simple I wouldn't have come here looking for help. The ice freezes and becomes very hard - like bullet proof. If it simply wiped away that'd be awesome. But it doesn't. It accumulates and freezes over the lights. A hammer or pick isnt gonna help without smashing the truck up, and scrapper doesnt do sht. Id love it if I could just push the snow away and magic - no issue. But there is ice building up in this area. and it is hard to remove. Come up to Vermont and I will show you.

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