Your windscreen is one of the most important safety parts of your car, in the earliest cars, it was a thin piece of flat glass, but things have developed since then, and windscreen technology continues to evolve but how do we take care of windscreens so it keeping taking care of us?
De-ice your windscreen carefully
In wintry weather, your windscreen will usually every morning as you are in a rush to work get iced up, and if there is snow sitting on top of the ice, this can present a challenge. It is important to de-ice your windscreen thoroughly before attempting to drive, but the way you remove the ice can have a big impact on the condition of your windscreen.
Never pour boiling hot water onto a frozen windscreen in a rush, the temperature shock can crack the screen and at best can be harmful to the seals around the glass. Use a proprietary de-icer spray, ideally one of the trigger spray rather than an aerosol. Trigger sprays tend to spray a jet of liquid that is easier to aim and control, whereas aerosol cans tend to spray a wider stream which can be wasteful.
Read the instructions prior to spraying, and put on gloves to protect your hands from contact with the spray and keep them from getting too cold. Following the spray, remove the ice with a windscreen scraper made for this purpose. Don’t use anything that has sharp edges to scrape the screen, or you could cause permanent damage and scratches.
Keep your windscreen clean and clear
It is an offence to drive with your windscreen obscured or obstructed (inside or outside), whether by steam, ice and snow, dirt, or if the screen is damaged within the field of view. Ignoring this rule puts the car occupants as well as other motorists or pedestrians at risk of injury.
The exterior of the screen can be kept clear by the use of the windscreen washer system, which should always be kept topped up with water and the correct strength of a good quality screen wash additive (make the solution stronger in wintry weather).
The interior of the screen needs to be regularly wiped to prevent a build-up of dirt and condensation, so keep a pack of screen wipes inside the vehicle.
windscreen wipers
Your windscreen wipers have pliable and flexible blades which used to be made of rubber, but nowadays are made from silicon which is more resilient and hard-wearing. However, wiper blades are there primarily to remove water from your windscreen. Wiper blades only have an average life of 6 months, so you may find it necessary to replace your wiper blades twice per year. If there is hard debris on your windscreen, remove it manually, rather then using the wiper blades.
In typical wet and cold British weather as we move into snow, it is advisable to raise the wiper arms away from the windscreen when parking the car. Keeping the blades away from the windscreen can help to avoid a cracked windscreen caused by the difference in the rate of expansion of the flexible blade material and the glass of the windscreen.
In the summer months try to avoid direct sunlight when you park your car park in the shade as much as possible under trees or shade of buildings. The sun’s UV radiation is detrimental to the materials that make up a windscreen, and strong UV light can reduce its lifespan or even affect the structural integrity of your screen.
Vibration is a threat to your windscreen driving over a pothole, or even slamming your car door too hard can make the screen vibrate, and micro cracks (invisible to the naked eye) can occur. These cracks can develop into visible damage with repeated vibrations, leaving you in need of a windscreen replacement.
Contact An Expert
The condition of your windscreen is vital to the safety of all within the vehicle, and all other road users as well. A damaged or dirty windscreen is not only illegal but also dangerous and it’s really not worth taking the risk when it comes to safe driving.