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CarPlan Blue Star Trigger De-Icer
by Holland1
During the coldest spell this winter, my husband and I tried to make sure we always had de-icer available to make those early morning scraping sessions a little easier. To be honest, if the ice isn't too thick, I prefer to use my scraper because it does a better job without causing my windscreen to mist up, but there are times the ice ... is too thick for my teeny muscles to cope with, and at times like these I'm grateful for products such as this.
This particular de-icer comes in a can and is an aerosol type dispenser, as opposed to a bottle with a trigger spray. Although this does allow a large area of the window to be covered, it also means the can is VERY cold to hold, even with gloves on. It's also quite bulky and awkward to hold with one hand, as it's wider than most aerosol cans, for example deodorants. The nozzle is also tiny, and quite high in relation to where your hand naturally rests, so it's usually a two handed job to hold the can and dispense the de-icer. Of course, the other issue with the packaging is that you can only tell when you're running low by the weight, and when the aerosol starts to release air rather than de-icer, which means there is the potential of getting caught short.
In terms of effectiveness, however, this de-icer is one of my favourites, as it does seem to clear the windscreen and side windows with minimal effort. The ice melts really quickly and once it's started melting I use my wipers to help it along a bit. The only issue I have is that my windscreen tends to mist up after using this, which means I have to wait for it to clear before I can drive off. This is a bit annoying because the reason for using this over scraping is that it's supposed to save time. I'm not sure if it's a problem with my windscreen, however, because I find it does get quite a bit of condensation in cold weather.
I can't remember how much I paid for this particular de-icer, but as it is a large 600ml can it does last a bit longer than some I have tried. It currently retails at £2.89 in Homebase, although you can pick it up for around £2 from supermarkets and discount stores. It's well worth having for those days you'r e in a hurry, or the ice is really thick.
(Review may also appear on Ciao under the username Gingerkitty)
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Castrol Edge 5W-40
by topsyturvy
Now, I have to be honest when it comes to oil for my car I usually don't take much notice. Until I got my new car, I used to just buy the cheapest oil available and didn't really care about spending more. However, since buying my new car I have sworn to myself that I will look after it completely and spend on it so it runs well. I ... decided to finally fork out the money for Castrol oil as in my handbook it recommends this oil, I went on the official Castrol website to find out which oil was right for my car and it came up with the Castrol EDGE 5W-40 which says that it is the strongest oil for maximum performance but my car isn't sporty.
PACKAGING
You can either buy this oil in a 4litre or 1 litre bottle, I went for the 1 litre as that suits my needs for now. It is distinct, it comes in a tall, slanted top gold metallic bottle with a bright red lid and the label on the front has the Castrol logo and EDGE in gold lettering, it states that it is FST Fluid Strength Technology and that it is fully synthetic. The reverse of the bottle has more information on the oil itself and the cars that it is suitable for, it also has some health warnings and brand information. Castrol oils come in different coloured bottles which makes them easy to identify and the 5W-40 is bold on the front so that you pick up the right oil.
CASTROL EDGE 5W-40 OIL
So, where to begin when talking about car oil? Well, firstly it has safety warnings, it states that oils are hazardous and to avoid prolonged or repeated skin contact with engine oils. This oil has been developed for engines that needs GM dexos2 engine oil performance. Now, I have a Peugeot 207 but this states the brands that this oil is for which are: VW, Audi, SEAT, Skoda, BMW, MINI, FIAT, Vauxhall, Mercedez-Benz, Smart, Renault and Porsche, all quite high performance cars. This oil has been created as an advanced strength oil for adaptive strength and ready to perform with driver demands, so basically I assume that means quite sporty cars.
The plus side of using an oil like 5W-40 is that it helps performance a lot more, even when your car is under pressure, it maximises short and long term engine performance. It also gives protection across a lot of levels of driving conditions and temperatures and helps maximise engine response. This oil also seems to give confidence with a car that has higher revving, that work under increased pressures. I am not a car expert nor will I make on that I am but I am purely giving my opinion based on what I know and as a general consumer. I topped the oil up in my car when it was a bit lower on the dip stick and had a mechanic assist me.
I found that with this oil, I didn't need to put too much in and the oil was at the right level, I do a lot of city driving and less motorway driving at the minute but find my oil has been great. I never have any problems and my car runs very well, I cannot lie and say that I know the oil has helped me out but I do think it helps with performance and my car sounds great to run. I top it up only when I check my dip stick but it seems to last well which is good and the garage never bring up any problems with my oil so it must be ok. I find it easy to top up my oil and the bottle is a good size to help pour it in as it can be held with a good grip.
If you have the 4 litre sized bottle it has a handle on the side to also make it easier to pour the oil in. What's good is down the side there is a frosted clear strip and measurements where it has marked 750ml/500ml/250ml and you can see the level of oil in this strip to know how much you have left. Basically when I topped up my oil i used just over 250ml and it did the trick and it is great to see this. The lid screws on very tightly and the oil smells strong of course and is a kind of golden brown colour, it is easy to see when topping up and I will definitely purchase Castrol again as using a well known, reputable brand puts my mind at ease when it comes to my car.
COST
To buy this oil you can buy it at all car places like Halfords and supermarkets too. I bought my 1 litre bottle in Asda where it was £12 and they sell the 4 litre for £37 which goes up quite a bit more, BP sell it but for double the price so Asda probably have the best price. This oil will sometimes be on offer but it is handy to have a bottle in the boot of your car for safety.
The official Castrol website is http://castroledge.com/uk/ where you can find out which oil your car needs.
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CarPlan Blue Star Trigger De-Icer
by DirtyDonkey
Since I passed my driving test 3 years ago, driving in the snow and ice has been my worst nightmare!! I work very early in the morning and since I love my bed too much, I'm usually running late, so I like to have a de-icer which works quickly and effectively. I bought this particular de-icer from ASDA as it was on offer at 2 cans for £2 ... (or £1.49 each). Living in Scotland, it didn't take me long until I needed to use it and I have to say I was sorely disappointed. It comes in the form of a spray-can, like they sprays which spray deodorant, but all I got was a thin line of liquid spraying out while I froze my fingers off holding on to the freezing metal tin. I continued to use it, since I had bought it and didn't want to waste it, and since it does work, but all in all it would be so much better if the spray system actually worked and would spray an even coat over the windscreen.
Once I had finished that can, I discovered that the other tin was disappointingly exactly the same. There are not many other options for sale in ASDA, but I have seen an option in Tesco which looks like it would overcome all of the design flaws of the Car Plan de-icer - it is in a plastic bottle which avoids the frozen finger problem, and it has a trigger gun spray system which looks like a more effective method of delivery... I think I will be buying that when this tin runs out!
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