As the weather starts to get cooler outside, it’s important to understand how the cold affect your windshield. Can you get a crack in your windshield from driving to work on a cold, frosty morning? What happens if you get into a car accident on a hot summer day? We have all of the answers for you in this article. It affects more than your car’s visibility!
What Does Your Windshield Actually Do?
Your windshield is a very important safety feature. If your windshield is cracked or has a chip in it, you won’t be able to see clearly while driving. This can put you and your passengers at serious risk of getting into an auto accident. Your car’s window also plays the role of protecting the car itself from hazardous environmental conditions.
What Affects Your Windshield?
Three main things can affect your windshield: Temperature, chemicals, and the environment. In this article, we’ll be focusing mainly on the impact extreme temperatures have on your windshield. However, to learn more about how other forces affect the safety and integrity of your auto glass, feel free to contact us or visit some of the other resources on our website.
Extreme Temperatures and Your Windshield
Let’s start from the beginning. When you first get into a cold car, what happens to your window? The glass contracts as it gets colder and becomes more brittle as a result. That’s why you might hear some cracking noises as you’re starting your car. Your glass is contracting and getting more rigid.
If it’s a warm day, the hot air inside your car can expand the metal of your car, which will also cause some cracking noises to occur. This is completely normal and doesn’t mean that anything is wrong with your windshield! Hot air is simply expanding and pushing against the metal frame of your car.
It’s important to be aware of the fact that the temperature of your car’s surroundings can cause serious damage to the glass. As you probably already know, extremely hot and cold temperatures will cause expansion or contraction in any material. This is true for your windshield, but it can also be dangerous. Here are some of the negative effects that hot and cold temperatures have on your car’s glass:
- Hot temperatures will make your windshield expand quickly. If there isn’t any room for expansion, the glass will pop out of the vehicle’s molding, and the windshield will crack.
- Depending on how cold it is outside, your car’s glass can either contract or expand. If you drive to work and the temperature has dipped below 32°F (0°C), ice and frost can accumulate inside of your vehicle if any moisture seeps into cracks in your window.
- If you find that you’re driving with ice or frost on the inside of your windshield, don’t turn up the heat in your car to melt it! You could cause even more damage if this causes your glass to crack. Instead, scrape off any ice and thaw out any frost with a hairdryer or by rolling down your windows.
How to Protect Your Windshield
It’s best to leave the windshield scraper and icebox at home. If you want to protect your car from any damaging effects high or low temperatures can have, follow these simple steps:
- Warm up your vehicle by letting it idle for a few minutes before driving off (especially if it’s cold out!)
- Keep your car clean. If you keep your windshield clear of debris, chemicals, and moisture, you have one less thing to worry about.
- If the weather is ever questionable, wait until it warms up or cools down. This way, you can protect your vehicle from cracking under pressure! Remember – never rush your morning commute by starting your car when it’s cold – your auto glass can’t adjust to temperature changes quickly enough!
Extreme conditions are a part of every season. We hope you found this article interesting and informative! If you have any other questions or concerns about how the weather might affect your windshield, feel free to call us at (801) 310-5692.
Important Things to Know About Driving in the Winter
It seems like winter is the only time of year when people call us to ask about their windshield. Why? Because a lot can go wrong during a Utah winter. Let’s explore some of the common things that people want to know, and the answers they need to know, about how driving in snow affects their auto glass:
Does snow make my windshield more likely to crack?
While snow won’t make your windshield more likely to crack, extreme cold temperatures can! That’s why it’s super important to make sure your car is completely warmed up before driving, and that if it does crack, you take it to a professional for repair.
What about ice on my car’s windshield?
When you drive in winter weather, it can be hard to keep ice off of your glass. The best thing you can do is scrape the top layer of ice before it starts to thaw and turn into water. This way, you’re not dealing with a puddle when it’s time to drive! Driving with ice on your windshield can be very dangerous because it changes how you see the road. Don’t take any chances, even if it’s just a small sheet of ice! If you want to be completely safe, wait until conditions improve before driving.
What if My Windshield Does Crack?
It’s time to call a professional! Don’t try to repair any cracks in your glass on your own. Auto glass that has been compromised by either physical or temperature damage can shatter at any time, putting you in danger. Be safe and call (801) 310-5692! We replace and repair broken windshields in the Salt Lake City area, and we can help you too.
We know that driving during the winter months can be tricky! We hope this article helped make your commute a little less worrisome. Have any other questions about how the weather affects your auto glass? Give us a call.