Keep Your Windshield Safe In Winter By Preparing Ahead Of Time

The conditions of winter can wreak havoc on your windshield and potentially cause costly chips and cracks. Thankfully, there are things that you can do before winter comes in order to protect your auto glass. 

Get Chips Repaired Before Winter

Before winter even hits, you can start preparing for the bad weather by getting any small windshield issues repaired early. When your windshield crack starts out as a small rock chip, it's easy enough to repair with a good auto glass repair specialist. But if you leave the chip in place through the winter, temperature changes and stress on the glass can cause the chip to splinter even further and potentially start to widen out. A replacement may be needed, such as from Cambridge Collision & Auto Center, at these later stages of windshield damage. 

Keep it Clean

Keeping the windshield clean throughout the season is another big one for preventing auto glass damage. If your window isn't clean, you won't be able to detect the little bits of sand and rock that the snow and slush drags onto your window. These can potentially scratch the windshield surface as they are dragged across the window by your windshield wiper. 

Before winter comes, make sure that you're prepared for good windshield care. Check the washer fluid reservoir to ensure that it's full. And definitely replace those old wiper blades; over time, the rubber part of the blade can wear away, which means that the metal part of the wiper can become exposed and scratch your windshield. 

Have a Temperature Control Plan

Avoiding rapid temperature changes is another key to good windshield health during the winter months. Temperature issues can happen when your windshield heats up too quickly after it has been in frigid temperatures. For instance, turning the heater on at full blast after the car has been sitting out overnight can cause the material to heat unevenly, leading to pressure discrepancies and, potentially, cracks. 

You can prevent these rapid temperature changes, for one, by protecting your windshield from the overnight cold. If you don't have a garage, you can still get a windshield cover that helps insulate the window and also prevent ice from forming on it. 

Your defrosting plan can also help to curb windshield temperature problems. Some people may get frustrated and try to use hot water to defrost a windshield quickly when they're late for work. Instead, buy a defroster spray ahead of time. The chemicals in the defroster will help to dissolve the frost or ice without putting your windshield at stake.