Easiest DIY Maintenance of All - 2016 Toyota Mirai Long-Term Road Test

Comments

• daryleason Member Posts: 501

  June 2016

  Considering that this car produces (basically) distilled water as a by-product of it's combustion process, you'd think they could have given you an option of using it to clean the windshield. I don't imagine it'd come out as greasy nasty water, but I could be wrong. And I am aware that the windshield fluid has cleaning chemicals in it that the water by-product wouldn't have, but it'd be an interesting option. That's like you could also have it as an emergency coolant source as well, even though it doesn't have any anti-freeze/engine coolant to change the boiling point of the water. It just seems a shame they just dump it. How much water does the purge tank have, anyways?

  1
• ebeaudoin Member Posts: 509

  June 2016

  daryleason said:

  Considering that this car produces (basically) distilled water as a by-product of it's combustion process, you'd think they could have given you an option of using it to clean the windshield. I don't imagine it'd come out as greasy nasty water, but I could be wrong. And I am aware that the windshield fluid has cleaning chemicals in it that the water by-product wouldn't have, but it'd be an interesting option. That's like you could also have it as an emergency coolant source as well, even though it doesn't have any anti-freeze/engine coolant to change the boiling point of the water. It just seems a shame they just dump it. How much water does the purge tank have, anyways?

  The issue with that idea is freezing temps. Since it is just pure H2O that's produced, wouldn't it freeze?

  0
• daryleason Member Posts: 501

  June 2016

  @ebeaudoin : I actually mentioned that in my post. I've seen wiper fluid freeze here in Texas. And I specifically mentioned that the purge tank wouldn't have engine coolant/anti-freeze in it. However, how many times have you been going down the road and the wiper's tank was empty when you needed it? It'd be nice if it could be routed as a back up.

  0
• schen72 Member Posts: 433

  June 2016

  daryleason said:

  @ebeaudoin : I actually mentioned that in my post. I've seen wiper fluid freeze here in Texas. And I specifically mentioned that the purge tank wouldn't have engine coolant/anti-freeze in it. However, how many times have you been going down the road and the wiper's tank was empty when you needed it? It'd be nice if it could be routed as a back up.

  Actually, I've never been out of washer fluid. I always keep that tank filled. I'm also not personally worried about the freeze issue as I live in a temperate climate and almost never drive to the high elevations.

  0
• craigo7 Member Posts: 51

  June 2016

  This commentary on freezing is interesting, how would the car handle purging while being in sub-freezing temps for long periods of time? Is the purge tank heated enough to prevent it from freezing and/or plugging its dump tube?

  0
• daryleason Member Posts: 501

  June 2016

  @schen72 : Apparently, you don't have flying insects like they do out here in Central Texas. We don't have smog, but we do have bugs. Big bugs, little bugs, juicy bugs, bugs that sound like rocks when they hit. And that's not counting the greasy smear you'll get from nailing a bird (particularly a buzzard) going down the road. Couple that with the sheer size of the State of Texas, and it's not uncommon for someone to drive a 100 mile round trip on a regular day.

  0