Car Windshield Maintenance Tips
Everyone knows the adage that prevention is better than cure. This rings even truer when it comes to car care. Even simple maintenance now and then can work wonders to avoid major issues in the near future. When it comes to your car windshield, here are some best practices to ensure that your vehicle is always in great shape.
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Find a Safe Parking Spot
There are times when you can’t be choosy about where to park. However, if you can, see to it that you don’t park in direct sunlight and under trees.
Now, you might be wondering why you shouldn’t park your car under the trees in the first place. Apart from the most obvious reason for bird poop, tree branches may result in serious damage if they fall on your windshield.
You might not believe it but there are already a lot of car owners who discovered a break or crack on their windshields after they parked under a tree, even more so after a storm hit their area.
If possible, especially if there is approaching bad weather, it is recommended to park your car a safe distance away from trees. ‘
Parking in direct sunlight is not recommended either. The sun’s UV rays can cause windshield damage over time as it wears down the tint and affects the windshield’s structural integrity. Aside from this, exposing your vehicle to extreme changes in temperature, such as parking the car under direct sunlight after you run the AC can lead to the formation of stress cracks in the car windshield. Temperature changes may also cause the spread of small cracks or chips across the windshield.
Now, you might be asking where you should park instead because you can’t park in direct sunlight and under trees. If possible, try parking your car in an indoor garage. However, if this is out of the question, you can park your vehicle in the shaded during fine weather. It is not that likely for a tree branch to fall on a sunny day. The shade will be so much better than direct sunlight that will end up damaging the windshield after some time.
Stay on Top of Repair Works
Leave a small chip long enough and it will soon ruin your windshield completely. This is because even the tiniest chips can turn into big and irreparable cracks, thanks to the help of direct sunlight and potholes.
It would be way cheaper, faster, and easier to fix a small crack or chip than a large one. If you ever discover this form of damage on your vehicle’s windshield, don’t waste time and call the experts right away. They can do the necessary repairs right away so that minor issues don’t turn into major and expensive problems.
No to Door Slams
You might already guess why it is never a good idea to slam those car doors, whether unintentionally or not. If you have the habit of slamming your car doors frequently, you will soon end up causing excessive vibrations, and these may affect your windshield and car mirrors in ways you might not have even imagined. While those odd accidental door slams won’t cause any serious detriment to your vehicle, see to it that it doesn’t turn into a habit.
Observe Regular Replacement of Car Windshield Wipers
Those windshield wipers can impact your windshield more than you probably think. High-quality windshield wipers will let you see clearly when you are out driving on a rainy day. On the other hand, poor-quality bad windshield wipers will not only reduce your visibility but can also damage the windshield itself.
Two major parts make up the windshield wiper blades. The first one is the wiper’s metal blade, which is the park connected to the vehicle. The second part is the rubber that covers the blade itself. Once the rubber edge is no longer there, the windshield will lack protection from the metal blade.
It means that whenever you turn on the windshield wipers, the metal will scrape against the windshield. The repetitive motion can create deep scratches in the windshield. Now, you wouldn’t want that to happen, would you?
The rubber on your windshield wipers will go through degradation over time from moisture, debris, wear and tear, as well as sunlight. While you can always extend the lifespan of your wiper blades by cleaning them, it will just be a futile attempt of delaying the inevitable.
The best thing you can do instead is to get a windshield wiper replacement at least once a year. This replacement should be made before you even notice that you can no longer see things amid a downpour. You can easily tell if it is already time to get new ones because your windshield will start to skip, drag, streak, squeak, or smear instead of wiping the water away.
Choose Suitable Cleaning Products
Go online and you will surely see all those DIY articles telling you to clean your car with common household products and items like sponges and gas cleaners.
However, it is never a good idea at all. Ordinary glass cleaner often contains ammonia that can leave behind streaks on the car windshield, which is not a good thing because you need to see through it.
Aside from this, over time, ammonia can also cause the peeling of any tint on the window. Sponges, which depend on the specific type you use, can also cause very small scratches on the windshield.
Rather than gas cleaners and sponges, your best options would be microfiber cloths that won’t scratch and are extremely soft, as well as cleaners designed for auto glass.
It is easy to take your car’s windshield for granted. After all, it is always there and it is sturdy enough, right? However, just like other parts of your car, your windshield needs and deserves all the TLC it can get. Make sure you follow the maintenance and care tips above to ensure that your windshield will always be in great shape and condition.
