Gavin, I'm with you! I'm afraid to use more than a feather duster on it. So far I haven't had the problems others have had with their windshields, but am extra careful. Trying to find a scraper that does the job without damaging the heated windhsield. :-)

 

 

The crack in mine grows by the day. Turned the defogger on yesterday after getting back to the car. Everything including us glazed in a thin layer of ice. Using it to get us some visibility before heading off. As soon as the heat was applied I watched the crack grow as the heater was on. Turned that off sharpish as I need to nurse this windshield till Jan 14th.

I don't know if these cracks are thermal shocks but that's my crappy hypothesis. A manual tool is probably as safe (possibly safer) than anything else for deicing.

I love driving the Defender in the snow. With a set of winter tires (Blizzaks) and all the electronic wizardry in this beast you get traction for days. Seeing big trucks on their meaty AT spinning and sliding today and yesterday here is always interesting.