Prevent Your Windshield From Damage
Spring is a good time to consider the following tips to help prevent damage to your windshield and keep you and your passengers traveling safely.
Consider the following tips to help prevent damage to your windshield and keep you and your passengers traveling safely.
1. Repair windshield chips and small cracks immediately.
Temperature changes from direct sun cause glass to expand and contract, which can make your windshield more fragile and cause stress cracks. Chips and small cracks left unrepaired in the hot summer heat can easily turn into large cracks that will require a more costly windshield replacement.
2. Park in the shade.
During summer months it's almost impossible to avoid direct, hot sunlight. If you have to park in the sun, cracking the windows can keep heat from building up inside the vehicle. The metal on your vehicle also heats. When the metal edges of your windshield heat up faster than the middle of the glass, the stress on the glass leads to cracking. These cracks often show up starting at the edges of your windshield.
3. Don't use reflective sun shades.
Did you know those shiny shade covers will intensify the heat on your windshield and can take a chip and spread it? The heat generated inside the vehicle can also take a perfectly fine windshield and exploit an unseen flaw in the glass causing cracking. If you choose a shade protector, choose a light colored, non-reflective screen.
4. Let your car cool off before washing.
Having survived driving through another north eastern winter, you are probably wanting to shine up your car with a wash. Take the time to wash your windshield with warmer water. Don't wash the windshield with cold water - the sudden temperature change can cause the glass to crack!
5. Maintain Your Windshield Wipers
Harsh winter weather can cause the rubber on your wipers to become brittle and worn. This wear and tear can increase the risk of damage caused by blades contacting glass surfaces. Replacing your blades often can also ensure clear visibility during rain storms to lower the chance of an accident during inclement weather. Minor scratches and chips turning into major repairs can be prevented by regularly maintaining your windshield wipers.
6. Ask the windshield experts
Unsure if a chip can be repaired? In case you have a cracked windshield, it surely needs replacement.
