Hot Shot Washer Fluid Heater

[yat74]

Has anyone purchased this product from Microheat or other manufacturer? Does it work and are you pleased with the performance and quality? It is on ebay for $120. I had some issues with the wipers on the H3 last winter and changed them out as they were freezing up during a drive up to Vermont. I switched the stock blades out (which suck) with some silicone tripledge wipers, but I have a feeling that this alone will not solve the freezing problem as the H3 windshield is literally a vertical mount.

[PARAGON]

HotShot Makes Ice Scrapers Obsolete

See Also: Hot Shot Demonstration - Video

Farmington Hills, MI, November 22, 2006 ? More than 500,000 drivers throughout the world will not scrape snow, ice and freezing rain from their windshields this winter thanks to a revolutionary de-icing technology that makes ice scrapers obsolete. HotShot? is the patented cycling, hot-fluid, de-icing system designed and manufactured by Microheat, Inc., a Tier-One supplier to the automotive industry. It represents the greatest breakthrough in windshield wiper technology in over 70 years.

HotShot is currently featured on a variety of General Motors vehicles including the Cadillac DTS and Escalade, the Buick Lucerne, and SUVs and full size trucks including the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, the GMS Yukon, Hummer H2, Sierra, and Silverado. In addition, more than 20 OEMS throughout the world are in various stages of testing the product. Microheat has shipped product to Daihatsu for vehicles in Japan, has a purchase order from Toyota, and has a sourcing agreement with Ford.

First available on vehicles in 2004, the convenience and safety of HotShot has catapulted the product to a highly desired feature by most drivers, according to research from J.D. Power and Associates. According to the research, 69 percent of drivers surveyed expressed interest in having a system like HotShot on their next vehicle. They ranked it higher than features currently in series production such as Satellite Radio, Navigation, and Rear Seat Entertainment systems.

?Half a million motorists now enjoy the convenience, comfort and safety of HotShot in every season and under all driving conditions,? said Microheat President and CEO Gary Pilibosian. ?The system automatically removes snow, ice, bugs and road grime from windshields in under 90 seconds with the push of a button.?

Introduced commercially in 2002, HotShot features a patented cycling technology that intelligently heats fluid to an exact temperature and sprays the fluid at a precise time interval to quickly and efficiently remove snow, ice, bugs and road grime from vehicles. The all-season, all-weather system can be activated at vehicle start-up and maintains hot fluid for use by drivers on demand during normal driving conditions.

The acclaimed HotShot has been the recipient of numerous awards including: Finalist in 2006 PACE Awards, celebrating product and process innovations; Frost & Sullivan?s 2005 Excellence in Emerging Technologies Best Practices Award; Popular Mechanics deemed it the ?Outstanding Achievement in New Product Design and Innovation;? RoadStar Magazine and Newport Publications awarded Microheat in 2004. Microheat?s CEO Gary Pilibosian was named Automation Alley?s 2006 Emerging Leader.

Microheat, Inc. is a Farmington Hills, Michigan-based, privately-held company fully focused on the design, manufacture, production and sale of its advanced fluid heating system products and related components for integration into washer/wiper system modules of cars and trucks. To date, Microheat has received four U.S. patents and 27 patent applications globally. The company is TS16949 certified. For more information please visit www.microheat.com.

[yat74]

Thank you very much.

[f5fstop]

Good luck in getting one. I ordered one a month ago, and after two weeks, the company refunded my money. They had been told they would be available sometime in Oct, then Nov, then Dec; I decided I would prefer to wait with my money in my hands. I also called Micro Heat (Farmington, MI), and they stated they had no delivery time for the aftermarket. GM is using this unit on many new Caddys, Buicks, etc., and they are having a hard time supplying them.

As for wipers, try the new Valeo Ultimate wipers that are good in winter, and will not lift off the windshield at speeds as a snow blade will. Talking with people who used these last winter they love 'em. GM started using them last year. Last I looked, TireRack offered them at a 2 for one sale until December 31. Snap on easily. No arms to pack with snow. I have used them now for about two weeks, and they do NOT streak, but have not tried them in snow (good thing).

[Sunday Money]

Nine available on Ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=250054119832

[f5fstop]

Thanks. Just wrote him to see if shipping is immediate. Makes you wonder why a large company like Ramps Plus or Truck Toys4Less can't get 'em, but some guy on ebay does?

The only thing I see wrong with the installation of the unit is, it is always connected to B+, and the system will stay on at all times. It does have an internal safety function that will shut it off if B+ drops below 12.4 volts.

From their installation/owner's manual:
AUTO MODE:
Depressing the control switch
for approximately 3 seconds,
until the light starts blinking
slowly, will activate the
Automatic mode. The LED on
the Control Switch will blink
slowly (twice per second).
HotShot heats the fluid for 30-45 seconds and then
automatically provides 6-8 applications of heated fluid,
with 6-12 seconds between each application. The HotShot
device will shut down automatically after 2.5 minutes,
or if the driver pushes the Control Switch button during
the cycle.

Standby mode:
Depress control switch button for one second or less
until the LED light comes on steady. This will activate
the Standby mode.
HotShot will then heat the fluid to a predetermined
temperature and hold it until the driver activates the
spray mechanism. The fluid will then be heated again,
which takes approximately 10-18 seconds (depending
on ambient temperature and duration of spray).
Recommended duration of spray is 3 seconds.
In Standby mode, the wipers and washer pump should
be operated manually by the driver.
Standby mode is recommended for removal of snow,
grime and mud, as well as ice build-up on wiper blades,
during driving.

The only problem I see is that if you have it in stand by mode, and you exit the vehicle, if you don't press the switch, it remains on and keeps the fluid heated. It is a safety function to shut down all operation if battery drops below 12.4 volts, which I assume could happen quickly with the amps this sucker draws (it has a 60 amp inline fuse).
I see no reason, the main power feed could not be connected through a 60 amp relay, controlled by the ignition switch.

[Wisha Haddan H3]

Originally Posted by f5fstop

As for wipers, try the new Valeo Ultimate wipers that are good in winter, and will not lift off the windshield at speeds as a snow blade will. Talking with people who used these last winter they love 'em. GM started using them last year. Last I looked, TireRack offered them at a 2 for one sale until December 31. Snap on easily. No arms to pack with snow. I have used them now for about two weeks, and they do NOT streak, but have not tried them in snow (good thing).

Are you using 17" Valeos on each side or 17" and 16"? Tire Rack is recommending 17" for both sides.

[f5fstop]

Originally Posted by Wisha Haddan H3

Are you using 17" Valeos on each side or 17" and 16"? Tire Rack is recommending 17" for both sides.

17 both sides, and the fit is ok.