[tom_]

The other advantage of idling is that when the windscreen is misted up, it doesn't matter that you can't see through it!

You can wipe condensation off, but I've always found it has a tendency to reappear quickly. Perhaps I'm wiping wrongly, but the only solution I ever found to work reliably is to leave the aircon and windscreen heater running until the inside of the windscreen has warmed enough to prevent immediate reoccurrence.

That's meant idling the engine in every car I've owned. Cabin heating never seems to run at full blast unless the engine is powering it...