Cold Weather Can Destroy Your Car’s Windshield

Regardless of where you live, your car’s windshield may encounter cold weather from time to time. Whether you are driving your vehicle through a blizzard or parking it outside during a cold snap, you should be aware of the negative effects cold weather can have on your car’s glass.

Ice Forms Quickly on Glass

Cold weather can wreak havoc on your car’s windshield without leaving any permanent damage. Because glass is thin, it cools faster than other parts of your vehicle. When temperatures fall, ice may quickly form on glass surfaces. Prior to driving your vehicle, you must remove ice to create a clear field of vision. When scraping ice, be sure to use a high-quality, flat scraper to avoid damaging your windshield or other windows. Also, never use hot water to melt built-up ice, as doing so could cause your vehicle’s glass to crack.

Cold Causes Cracks

If there are small imperfections in your vehicle’s windshield, cold temperatures are your enemy. When the mercury falls, chips and spiders can turn into cracks that cover your entire windshield. The same thing can happen on hot days. As such, if you notice a chip, be sure you schedule a repair before your car experiences extreme temperatures.

Heat Encourages Cracks

If you don’t park your car in the garage, you probably want to do everything you can to warm it up on cold mornings. When you turn on your vehicle’s defroster, you must be careful not to point the vent directly at cold glass. Since heat often encourages small blemishes to turn into huge cracks, you must be certain you heat the inside of your car’s windshield slowly. Usually, the best way to accomplish this is to direct airflow into the vehicle, leaving defrosting to ambient air.

Damaged Wipers Scratch Glass

During inclement weather, you probably use your vehicle’s windshield wipers quite a bit. Not only do worn or damaged blades do a terrible job at clearing away precipitation, they can easily scratch the outside of your vehicle’s window. Therefore, if you want to take good care of your windshield, keeping your wipers in tip-top shape is essential. Generally, you should replace your wiper blades every six months or so.

Even if your car is usually in a warm climate, you must take notice of the damage cold weather can do to your vehicle’s windshield. Instead of leaving the quality of your car’s glass to chance, talk to an experienced windshield repair technician about repairing spiders, chips and cracks before temperatures drop.