Send your comments or questions for Tom and Ray to: Car Talk Plaza, P.O. Box 3500 Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA 02238. Listen to them Saturdays at 10 a.m. on 91.3 FM or 88.5 FM. Visit them on the Internet at www.cartalk.com.
Dear Tom and Ray:
We had a big snowstorm this week. Not wanting to scrape the ice off my windshield, the night before the storm I looked around for something to put under my wipers to keep the ice off.
Unable to come up with anything, I contemplated alternatives. Then it came to me: Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil! I smeared some Filippo Berio on the windshield and waited for the snow.
The next morning, the snow slid off the windshield like a greasy zeppole. Great, I thought. When the snow stopped, I noticed a haze on the windshield. I figured it would wash off. Well, I was wrong — the stuff has adhered to the glass as if it were baked on. I’m still scraping off the hardened oil. Help! — Tom
RAY: Tom, it’s people like you who make great discoveries. You’re the kind of person who is unafraid to experiment. And once in a while, you’ll hit upon something that will benefit all mankind. This was not one of those times.
TOM: No. Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil has many excellent uses — my brother uses it as a hair tonic — but windshield cleaner is not one of them.
RAY: You’ve probably cooked with olive oil. When you’re done, you put the frying pan in the sink. And if you then let it sit and cool off for a while, you’ll find a hardened, whitish layer of congealed grease stuck to it. That’s what’s on your windshield.
TOM: If you had done this during one of those midsummer snowstorms, Tom, it might have worked. But the cold temperature is what congealed the oil and did you in.
RAY: So, how do you get it off? Well, with a frying pan, you can use steel wool — not a good option for your windshield. You also can use hot water and soap, and try to “un-congeal” it. This would be best done in a heated garage.
TOM: If he had a heated garage, he wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place!
RAY: Good point. How ‘bout we suggest he just drive in reverse until late June?
TOM: Here’s what I’d do, Tom: Run the defroster with the heat on high for a good 20 minutes before attempting to remove the grease. The warmer you can get the congealed oil, the easier it will be to remove.
RAY: If soap and water are not up to the task, try a 50-50 mixture of water and methanol. It’s a mild solvent that’s safe for glass, and it’s pretty good at cutting grease.
TOM: And if all else fails, there’s always the glass-cleaning tool of last resort: the hammer. Good luck, Tom.
Tom and Ray can’t get onboard with this dangerous idea
Dear Tom and Ray:
My problem is my 1995 Chevy High-Top Conversion Van model G20. I am a fanatical sports fan. I never miss a football or baseball game. I also do a lot of RV-ing, so I spend a lot of time on the road. My RV van has a TV screen for the second and third row of passengers.
In order to indulge both my sports and RV hobbies at the same time, I have set up a large mirror on the seat back of the second row so that it reflects the image on the TV. Then I adjust my rearview mirror so that I can see the TV image reflected on the large mirror behind me. This way, I never miss a touchdown play or game-winning home run while I am driving. My problem is that since the conversion from analog to digital TV, I can no longer enjoy the games. I have been unable to find a 12-volt digital converter for the TV. — Art
RAY: I have a better idea, Art. Why don’t you mount a TV right where the hood ornament belongs? Then you can watch the game and the road at the same time.
TOM: I wouldn’t go any wider than 60 inches, though. Any bigger, and you’ll really eat into your gas mileage.
RAY: We can’t help you with this, Art. I mean, we can, but we won’t.
TOM: The reason we won’t is to keep you from killing yourself or some other innocent people on the road.
RAY: Unless that’s part of the plan, Art. In which case, while you’re doing time for vehicular homicide, you can watch all the games you want in the prison common room.
This is a bad idea, Art. When you’re watching TV, you’re not watching the road. And at 70 mph, you’re traveling 100 feet per second! What happens when there’s a 95-yard touchdown interception? You could run over six or eight Smart Cars.
TOM: Get yourself a Sirius XM satellite radio receiver for the van instead. They’ve got packages that provide live radio feeds for every baseball and football game. Listening while you drive is a lot safer than watching — as long as you don’t spike your Mountain Dew Slurpee into the windshield when your team scores.
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