Automotive: 5 Tips for Protecting and Maintaining Your Windshield
A windshield is a vital car part that protects you from dirt, rocks, and dust flying from the road and prevents them from entering the vehicle. A well-installed windshield safeguards you and your passengers from an accident’s initial impact and offers support to your car’s roof to ensure it doesn’t collapse in an accident. They prevent sun glare, helping you see clearly while driving. Proper windshield care is essential to ensure its health, longevity, clear visibility, and protection in case of a collision. Discussed below are five tips for protecting and maintaining your windshield.
1. Ensure professional windshield repairs and replacements
If your windshield has any chips or cracks, it’s vital to get it repaired immediately. Ignoring these cracks may result in bubble formation, and they could eventually impact your visibility, increasing accident risks. If not treated, tiny cracks and chips escalate and worsen over time, leading to costly repairs and replacements. Consider collaborating with professional, skilled, and reliable experts like Van Isle Glass to get your windshield repaired or replaced, ensuring maximum safety.
2. Beware of sudden weather conditions
If you leave your car exposed to the summer heat, its interior heats up, and the windshield absorbs heat. While windshields are meant to expand in hot weather and cool when the weather is cooler, sudden temperature changes accelerate this process, leading to cracks. Extreme temperature changes may also cause existing holes and cracks to expand rapidly.
Turning your AC to full blast causes a rapid temperature change inside your vehicle, shocking your windshield’s safety layer. Conversely, your auto glass contracts in winter and expands when warming your car’s interior. To prevent summer windshield damage, consider parking your vehicle in a shaded structure, avoid slamming car doors, repair rock chips immediately and avoid abrupt temperature changes.
Large hail can also crack a windshield. Get your vehicle under a bridge structure or in a garage if possible.
3. Ensure proper windshield wipers maintenance
Windshield wipers ensure clear road visibility in the rain, dust storms, or fog. While their usage varies based on weather conditions, the general rule of thumb is that they should be replaced every six to 12 months to ensure optimal function for clear visibility. Damaged windshield wipers can cause scuffs or scratches on your windshield, damaging it. Humidity, ranging temperatures, and frequent usage leaves damaged traces on the wipers. Regular wiper inspections and replacements ensure they’re working properly, giving you the safety you require.
4. Avoid harsh chemicals and clean with care
When not cleaned regularly, dirt and grime accumulate on your windshield, clouding your visibility. Using harsh chemicals causes discoloration and strips away the protective coating on your windshield. The coating keeps the glass strong while taking on natural obstacles. Consider using windshield-friendly cleaning products when cleaning your vehicle’s windshield. Using environmentally friendly cleaners, such as a microfiber cloth, to safely clean the windshield guaranteed a sparkling clean end product.
5. Maintain a safe driving distance
Large trucks and other vehicles usually throw stones or rocks up and about when going at certain speeds, increasing the risk of your windshield cracking or chipping, especially when driving closely. Vehicles carrying cargo that isn’t safely secured threaten your windshield’s health. Consider maintaining a safe following distance from these automobiles to protect your windshield glass.
Endnote
A proper windshield care routine ensures clear road visibility at all times. Use these tips to protect and maintain your windshield.