Winter brings several challenges, not the least of which involves the care of your car or truck. It is no surprise that good advice is found online about winter care of your windshield glass. Unfortunately, some of what you’ll read isn’t correct and can lead to needing replacement windshield glass. Here are a few topics you should have accurate information about so you don’t make a costly mistake:
Myth #1: You can pour hot water on your windshield glass to clear it of ice and snow.
Rapid temperature changes can damage your windshield glass, so this is terrible advice! Pouring hot water on the windshield can do more than crack your windshield. It can also damage painted surfaces by melting off the clear coat. The best way to thaw your windshield is to start up your vehicle and let the windshield glass warm gradually.
Myth #2: Put the wiper blades up before a storm so they don’t stick to the windshield glass.
While it is true that your wiper blades won’t freeze to the windshield glass if you’ve left them sticking up, this is a good way to damage the blades. Besides, if a strong wind blows them back down, they could shatter or crack the windshield glass. While we are at it, please don’t use your wipers to clear heavy snow, or you risk damaging them. It is better to brush the snow off using a snow brush before turning the wipers on.
Myth #3: You don’t have to clear off your entire car, just enough to see where you are going.
The snow and ice you leave on your vehicle can become problematic once you are traveling down the road. One potential outcome is that ice off your car’s roof could slide off and slam into the car behind you, resulting in damage and a claim on your insurance policy.
Don’t run the risk of damaged windshield glass or someone else’s. It is far better to set your alarm a few minutes early so you can adequately prepare your vehicle before heading off to work. That is a far better scenario than be late because you need to wait for windshield glass repair or replacement
