Scraping by: Icy windshields return, tips offered
It’s the season of frosty windshields. Viewers have been e-mailing us photos of their frosted cars, raising familiar questions as to how to best get the snow and ice off their windshields without damaging their cars.
There are many rumored solutions floating around town and online, such as rubbing onions onto your windshield to prevent frost, but do these crazy remedies really work?
News Channel 21’s Jennifer Wade spoke with Wade Bryant, the owner of Wade Bryant’s Auto Repair, to get to the bottom of this winter mystery.
Bryant explained how he’s “heard of the onion and the vinegar, (but) generally in this area it’s not a good idea, even if it’s warm water. If it’s warm, it generally will freeze on there before you get it off. If it’s hot, you have a chance of damaging or cracking your windshield.”
He explained that like with the onion theory, most solutions you hear are merely old wives’ tales. However, there is one frost remedy that he recommends: “An ice scraper is the best way to get that (the frost) off of there. You can do some preventative measures by having the windshield washer fluid winter formula in your vehicle.”
Bryant also recommended getting any small cracks or rock chips in your windshield repaired before winter. If they are not fixed, they’re likely to continue cracking — and your windshield can end up shattering.
It is also a good idea to get in the habit of giving yourself plenty of time to tend to your frosted car in the morning. You will want to make sure that you have defrosted your windshield completely before driving.
“Well, we’ve all seen that person who’s driving with a little peephole, but it’s important that we defrost our windows fully — also our side windows and our mirrors, so we have that visibility. That’s important to our safety,” he said.
Another tip Bryant had to offer is to use antifreeze to help melt the ice on your car lock and car mirrors.
Perhaps these little tricks can save you some time and frustration during the chilly winter mornings ahead.
