How to Protect Your Windshield This Winter

Although walking in a Winter Wonderland makes for a great song, driving in one presents special problems for your windshield—ice, road salt, and grit, for example. Here are some tips from our team at Sheehy Nissan of Mechanicsville to protect your windshield this winter.

Remove ice safely. Though tempting, grabbing a random item like a spatula or a knife to remove ice from your windshield is not recommended. Not only is this dangerous, but it can also potentially damage or scratch the glass. A better option is to spend a couple dollars on a plastic ice scraper. Other options include spraying the windshield with de-icer to melt the ice. You may not even need the scraper and you definitely won't need the ice-scraping pitchfork your Uncle Glasschipper recommended.

Avoid sudden temperature changes. It looks like a decent option. It's about four degrees outside and you're running a little late, so you come up with this grand idea of boiling water as you get ready, with the intention of dumping it on the windshield for instant defrost. Sure, you'll get the instant defrost, but you might also get a cracked windshield, which means the instant defrost could be taking place on your dashboard or the passenger seat. A better option is to turn on the defroster and wait a few minutes.

Keep the windshield clean. Winter grime can lead to a greater need for windshield cleaning. But running the wipers or even using an ice scraper to remove stuck-on dirt and grime can lead to scratched windshields, so always be careful when attempting to clean yours. Make sure your window cleaner reservoir is full and think about installing new wiper blades as soon as cold weather approaches—dry, brittle blades can scratch the glass. If possible, opt for winter blades. They're constructed to better remove snow and ice.

Repair chips and cracks as soon as possible. You've probably seen a small window chip spread on a windshield. It starts out as a tiny nuisance in a seldom seen portion of the windshield and little by little, day by day it spreads until one day you notice a spider web of cracks, turning what was a simple, inexpensive repair into a windshield replacement. This crack multiplicative effect occurs faster once the temperatures drop. This little scenario, thankfully, can be avoided with early detection and treatment.

 
Our service department is happy to answer any questions you have about caring for you windshield in the colder months, so contact us or stop by soon