As the nights start to draw in and the days get colder, you may find that when you get to your car in the morning, it’s iced over.
Normally, you might get in the car and blast your heaters to melt the ice which takes time, using your car battery and fuel.
You might attack the windscreen yourself with an ice scraper but find that certain areas are difficult to get the ice off and if you’re not careful you might do damage to your windscreen.
We’d also advise against pouring boiling or even warm water on your windscreen as this may cause damage too.
So what do you do?
Car essentials for winter
First things first, you need to stock up on some winter essentials for your car.
There are many other winter essentials you will need to keep in your car in case of an emergency where you may find yourself trapped in your car. But in this article, we’ve outlined the main products you will need to tackle the snow and ice on your car.
The main items to store in your car for the winter are:
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A snow brush
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A bottle of de-icer
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An ice scraper
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Window frost cover
How to use de-icer
When you arrive at your car in the morning, you’ll see that it’s completely iced over and you have a big task at hand… even before you’ve gotten to work!
First, use the snow brush to clear off any snow that is on your car, it may be that it’s just a lot of snow that’s covering your car and there is no ice underneath.
Of course, you won’t know if your windscreen is iced over until you clear the snow.
Next, we would recommend getting in your car and turning it on. Making sure the heat is being aimed at your windscreen, this will help you clear the ice.
Take your bottle of de-icer, and spray the mixture generously and evenly across all the windows and windscreen. Wait 30 seconds and start removing the ice with your ice-scraper. The heat + the de-icer + the ice scraper should help defrost the car in no time.
The ice should start to come off the window and slide down as you work your way across all your windows.
As a bonus – if you have a squeegee then you can use that to move any excess water away from your windscreen.
How to use an ice scraper correctly
A lot of the time, people don’t know how to use an ice scraper correctly. They will attack their windscreen straight away without any form of solution to help melt the ice and in turn start chipping at the ice, hoping it will come off.
This is very dangerous for many reasons.
Not only could you damage your windscreen and need to pay for repairs, but a piece of ice could also chip out and hit you in the eye which may prove fatal and instead of being ready to go to work, end up waiting in accident and emergency to be treated.
Therefore, we would recommend investing in de-icer or a form of solution to help and clear away the melted ice away from your windows.
Windscreen frost cover
To help prevent frost on a car windshield, buying a windscreen frost cover can help both with time and money.
They aren’t very expensive, but they deliver fantastic results. The reason for this is because you’re protecting your car from snow and ice build-up, so if you’re in a hurry to get to work in a morning, simply lift the cover off, do a quick general inspection of your car and then start driving.
You wouldn’t have to worry about leaving your car running for 5-10 minutes, waiting for the ice to melt (using your battery and fuel as you heat the windows) nor would you risk any damage to your windscreen because it would be covered.
Investing in a windscreen frost cover is something that could save you money in the long run and is quite low maintenance.
What about home remedies?
Some people like to use vinegar or salt on their windscreens to help melt the ice, whereas others like to pour boiling water on their windows.
Whilst we don’t want our customers to drive around smelling like a mobile fish and chip shop, we also don’t want you to risk damaging your windscreens or paintwork by pouring boiling hot water on your car.
Instead, we’d much rather you stick to these tried and tested and safer options we’ve outlined in this article.
Book in for a winter service today
We know the importance of making sure your car is ready and fully prepared for the cold winter months ahead.
Why risk your car – especially if you travel long journeys – when you can book in with Lindleys to have a quick check to be sure that your car is ready for winter.
We offer a 10-point winter service check where we look at:
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Cooling System
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Starter Motor and Charging System
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Ancillary Drive Belts
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Lights
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Wiper Blades
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Windscreen Wash and Antifreeze Levels
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Oil Level
And we will provide you with a free winter essentials kit which includes a de-icer, an ice scraper, and a bottle of screenwash.
So book a winter car service online with Lindleys Autocentres today or give us a call to book your winter service check online.