Yea good point about the local weather. Well... I live in northern VA / D.C. area. So for the most part its not really that cold. The winters do get nasty but not Minnesota/Michigan/upstate NY nasty by any means. There is usually relatively short ~3/4 months of "bad" wheather w/~1 month of total snow. Nastiness is for the most part related to generally high humidity in the area and sub freezing temps forming a 1 to 3 inch ice layer on things for a few days to a week every year. And then just overal sloshiness/cold&wet for the rest of the time. It does get down to say 10's for a few days but that's about it. Certainly nothing in comparison w/Toronto where I spent couple of years few years back.

As far as actual usefulness I could possibly see the washers when salt/dirt/roadspray get on the headlamps during the sloshy weeks/months beause I did find myslef cleaning off the headlamps repeatedly in the past.

The steering wheel thing I could see beeing addictive... actually its been unseasonably cold here last few days w/rain and just plain unpleasantness so when I got into the car yesterday I did feel the steering wheel colder than usual and I suppose I could have flipped on the heater ... had I had one... now that I was aware of the "problem" LOL..

Another issue that's been rolling arount through my head is that my wife doesn't generally like bells and whistles ... For example, she won't use heated seats no matter how cold it is. I've suggested numerous times when it was bone freezing out and darn cold in the car but she's never wanted to use them once. She tried once after I insisted and turned them off saying she doesn't like it!!! That one I completely do not get, but then again that's just a tiny insignifican little part of her lovely self I do not get so I've just relegated it to - oh well, I guess it's one of those "things" ... So I am really not sure what she'd do if I suggested turning on the steering wheel heater... OR ... for all I know... I sure as hell can't ask her now though LOL ...

spacey