[Philip Fisher]

Seeing as you have had enough of educating me for one day Clan, I will have a go at educating you.

The technology currently used is generally all based on the Ford system. This was patented and the patent finally expired in 2011. Ford was first to market in the UK in the mid 90s, then other manufacturers either got a licence from Ford (easier for Volvo as Ford was the parent company) or just copied them after the patent expiry.

To get a patent, you have to have a specific, identifiable difference to what is generally known or already available. So the Ford system must have been demonstrably different to the thing you remember from Triplex.

The above is a precis of multiple sources across the internet.

Now going back to this PTC heater you seem so keen on. Let's just assume for the sake of this discussion that it does exist and it has been on every volvo sold in the UK since 2004 as you have asserted. I have owned both a 2005 V50 and a 2013 XC70 and a 2016 XC90. None have heated screens. On start up with a heavily iced screen and no manual intervention (ie. scraping or deicer spray) it is a good 5 mins plus to clear the screen on tick over using just full demist blower. At the same time as owning these cars, my other half has had a cmax, focus and V60 all with heated screens. On a heavily iced morning these screens are completely clear in 60secs max.

So back to your point of many posts ago that a heated screen is not needed on a Volvo because of the fabled PTC heater. I would assert that, even if such a thing exists in the UK market, then it is considerably less effective than a heated screen. So for someone wanting a screen that clears of ice in 60 secs or so then a heated screen is so much more than just marketing guff.

I went for the HUD for my XC90 by the way as the petrol heater of the T8 does the preheat job for me and I love my HUD.........