Winter Auto Care Tips: The Best Ways to Remove Ice & Snow from your Windshield

With the amount of snow and ice that we’ve seen this winter so far, it’s not far-fetched to think at one point or another you’ve woken up late to your alarm, run out the door and come face to face with a thick sheet of ice across your windshield -- making your commute to work that much longer. It’s reason enough to say that you’ve also most likely done a Google search or two trying to find ways that you can quickly and efficiently clear the ice or prevent an excess of future buildup. Therefore we’d like to set the record straight on safe and efficient ways that you can both manage, as well as clear ice and snow from your vehicle windshield.

Avoid Urban Myths: What Not To Do!

• Don’t Use Internet Vinegar Spray Recipes!

We know how frustrating chipping away at ice can be when you’re in a rush, and there are many sites out there promoting a vinegar recipe you can use to “pretreat” your windshield or use to easily clear your windshield of ice and snow. The reality is though that putting the solution onto an already-frozen windshield won't help, based on research found in the Farmers' Almanac.

Vinegar is a corrosive agent and can cause the following problems including:

1. Damage your vehicle's chrome

2. Damage your vehicles paint

3. Micro pitting of the windshield glass

USA Today found similar findings from fact-checking site Snopes.com, which says the vinegar ice removal tip annually arises online each winter.

• Avoid Hot Water/Salt Mixes

Popular Science warns that putting hot water on your windshield can potentially cause the glass to crack, because it produces such a quick change in temperature. And if it’s really cold outside, that hot water could even turn into yet more ice.

Although salt is good for de-icing your driveway, similar to vinegar it will erode the car paint and metal, and damage the vehicle.

Popular mechanics say deicing solutions such as Prestone Windshield Deicer is a safer alternative. Unlike many sprays’s packaging, this bottle has a built-in scraper for thicker bits of ice that need to be coaxed off the glass. Prestone says to pre-break tougher bits of ice before spraying the solution on your windshield, let it sit, and then clear the remaining detritus with your wiper blades. With this spray’s active ingredients like methyl alcohol and ethylene glycol, it’s imperative to avoid contact with skin and breathing in the fumes.

Other Items You Should NOT use on your windshield to clear ice & snow include:

• Keys

• A Hammer

• Propane Blow Torch

• Spatula

• Screwdriver

Even when using the appropriate ice scraper it's always best to give your vehicle ample time to warm up. DO NOT tap on the glass with your scraper to break up the ice. This can lead to chips in the glass.

It's important to get immediate professional windshield chip repair once any chips appear. Regardless if the damage is due to improper snow and ice removal or has been caused by a rock chip. Glass expands in the heat and contracts in the cold, if left un-repaired, the damage will expand! It just a question of when. Be sure to avoid the chip expanding and leading to safety issues by having a certified technician repair it.

How To Safely Manage/Remove Snow & Ice

• Use plastic ice scrapers: Always use a plastic scraper, the windshield wipers, a rubber snow broom or a soft bristle brush to remove ice. Avoid using a metal scraper, which can scratch the glass and damage wiper blades.

• The New York Times Wirecutter’s choice for the best ice scraper and snow brush is the Hopkins SubZero 80037. See their full list of recommended ice scrapers and snow brushes here.

• Turn on your vehicle’s defroster: Plan ahead and start your vehicle 10-15 minutes before you leave and blast the defrost. Many new cars include an automatic car starter, so if you set your vehicle's heat to defrost and keep the vents on full blast the night before you can easily use your vehicle’s remote starter from the warmth of your home.

• Get a windshield cover: Eliminates the need to scrape ice from your windshield, instead you simply place the cover on your windshield before snowfall and then remove it for a clean and untarnished windshield.

• Replace wiper fluid: Using a winter deicing wiper fluid will help reduce ice build-up when your vehicle is on the go.

• Replace your wiper blades: wipers are made from rubber, which is degradable, and becomes less effective over time. Updating your wiper blades every 6-12 month makes it easier to clear snow and ice while on the move.

• Leave your blades down: Tip Hero says that angling the wipers can contribute to undue wear and tear on the pivot mechanism in the blades. Those parts are made of plastic and tiny springs and if weakened, the wipers won’t function smoothly. Thus making it harder to keep your windshield clear during undue weather.

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Industry/Media Sources:

• aaa.com/autorepair/articles/how-to-deice-your-cars-windshield

• https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/10/how-to-get-ice-off-windshield/8814312002/

• https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ice-screen/

• https://www.popsci.com/clear-ice-snow-from-car/#:~:text=Avoid%20hot%20water%20and%20salt&text=You%20should%20avoid%20both.,He%20also%20opposes%20salt.

• https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/car-technology/g2957/best-spray-deicers-car/

Why It's Important To Calibrate Your Vehicle's ADAS Camera After Replacing Your Windshield.

The wonderful thing about newer vehicles as they hit the marketplace is the amount of new-age technology built into their design to create a safer driving experience. What many don't realize is that a percentage of that technology is built into your vehicle's auto-glass. That means that when an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) is in place, replacing your vehicle's auto-glass can become that much more complicated if not done right.

Advanced driving assistance systems can include sensors, such as those utilized for lane departure, collision avoidance, parking assist, adaptive cruise control and more. These systems rely upon lasers, radar and cameras, that are typically mounted to your vehicles windshield. Anytime a windshield needs to be replaced the camera, that is an integral part of your vehicle's safety system, needs to be calibrated to OEM (or factory) settings. If not done correctly, it can lead to a miscalculation in your vehicle's ADAS system.

That miscalculation of even a millimeter could lead to an improperly aligned camera, affecting the functionality of your vehicle's ADAS system, leading to one or more potentially dangerous driving situations. That could include, not sensing the correct distance between vehicles when switching lanes on the highway, or your parking assist being off and colliding with another parked car. Precision calibration is detrimental to your vehicle's ADAS safe operation, and to ensuring that you continue to have a safe driving experience.

If your vehicle has an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) is important that its camera be calibrated after every windshield replacement, as well as anytime your vehicle is in an accident (however minor), anytime you see an error code, or anytime the camera gets disconnected. At Ace AutoGlass we take your safety seriously. That is why as vehicle's have evolved so has our business model. We now offer our customers with ADAS systems the ability to have their windshield camera calibrated quickly and efficiently.

Do You Have To Use The Auto Glass Repair Shop Your Insurance Recommends?

When your automobiles glass has been damaged beyond repair, or is in need of a simple rock chip repair, more often than not if you phone it into your insurance company they will most likely recommend a repair shop. The question most folks we work with ask, is do you have to use their preferred auto glass repair shop?

The simple answer is no! You don't have to use the auto glass repair shop the insurance company recommends. Most insurance companies have contracts with repair shops near you, and choosing one off your insurance companies list benefits them exclusively. When you choose your insurance companies repair shop, as a part of that contract they have usually negotiated lower rates on labor, parts and materials. Saving them money in the long run. When it comes to the safety of your vehicle do you really want to compromise it with discount parts and materials? You're also not guaranteed quality service.

The problem is that insurers in the past have used false statements to pressure policyholders into use preferred auto glass and automotive repair shops in general. In Massachusetts, and Rhodes Island laws have been put into place to prevent insurance adjusters from pushing customers to preferred repair shops. It is actually illegal for them to dissuade you from using your choice of repair shops, or require you to use one of their preferred shops instead.

Commonweath of MA Regulation 212 2.0.4

States that no staff or independent appraiser, insurer, representative of insurer, or employer of an independent appraiser shall refer the claimant to or away from any specific repair shop or require that repairs be made by a specific repair shop or individual.

R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-29-4(15). (2) R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-29-4(15)

Defines one unfair method of competition and unfair or deceptive act or practice in the business of insurance as: requiring that repairs be made to an automobile at a specified auto body repair shop or interfering with the insured's or claimant's free choice of repair facility. The insured or claimant shall be promptly informed by the insurer of his or her free choice in the selection of an auto body repair shop. Once the insured or claimant has advised the insurer that an auto body repair shop has been selected, the insurer may not recommend that a different auto body repair shop be selected to repair the automobile.

If you are looking for a reputable auto glass repair shop Ace AutoGlass has you covered. We not only offer a lifetime warranty on our work, but we are committed to the safety of our customers. Taking care of your auto glass concerns with experienced, and prompt service anywhere you are via our Mobile Auto Glass Repair Service. Our staff will also take care of all the details required to file the claim with your insurance company. Making your experience hassle free.