Worried About Windscreen Repair or Replacement? Avoid Them Entirely With These Tips!

It’s not only important to care for the car body but detailed care should be taken to look after your windscreens as they play an important role in helping you travel safely and smoothly. Can you imagine how safe it would be to drive a car without a windscreen to protect you from hazards like bad weather and insects?

Having said that, this may also make you wonder that if your windscreen is taking the beating on your behalf, how much additional care you should take of it to help maintain its resilience.

Let’s Walk You through a Few Important Steps to Help You Look After Your Windscreen

Do Not Shut Your Car Door with a Bang

We all have this wrong notion that the car door has to be slammed in order to ensure it is properly shut. However, continuous slamming of doors while shutting them not only causes the windscreens and windows to vibrate but can also cause small cracks or chips to expand which will lead to a major windscreen or window replacement job.

Avoid Too Much Exposure to the Sun

Did you know the heat of the sun and UV rays can have a very bad effect on the car in general but continuous exposure to the sun’s heat can shorten the lifespan of the windscreen and glass? That’s right with prolonged exposure it tends to get brittle and can start to crack or chip easily.

Stay Clear of High Temperatures

Keep the wellbeing of your car in mind refrain from hiking up your air con or trying to defrost your car using a high temperature. This will only damage your cooling and heating system or even ruin your glass and the windscreen of your car.

Keep the Weather in Mind

During a rainstorm or windy weather, it would be wise to park in a safe place away from trees or anything that can easily come crashing down. Make it a habit to always park in a place where your car is safe from falling trees branches. This is integral to protect your car from being damaged or ruined by harsh weather conditions and nature.

Look Out For Suitable Sheltered Parking

Parking your car in the open is just asking for trouble. Although you may not practice littering, in some areas people have the bad habit of just flinging things out the windows which may fall on your windscreen resulting in damage or breakage.

Maintain Safe Interspace

While driving it’s always a good practice to keep a safe distance between you and the vehicles in front of you. At times fine pebbles and debris flung out from under the wheels of the car in front can cause damage to your windscreen or glass. To avoid this, traveling at a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you is highly recommended.

Make Sure Your Wipers Function Well

Wipers that are damaged or malfunctioning can be a hindrance to clear visibility while driving. It is very important that the wipers are checked and cleaned well.

To allow smooth movement it is advisable to put a few drops of liquid detergent into the windscreen washer container and after turning your washer on, start the wipers.

Also, don’t make the mistake of using your wipers without any water as this will just give rise to scratches on your windscreen.

Always Use Your Hand to Eliminate Tough Stains

After you have washed away all the grime and dirt from your windscreen, wipe up the extra moisture with a soft cloth. Here’s an expert tip to get a squeaky clean appearance, wipe the windscreen and window down with the help of a newspaper and you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the results.

Look Out For a Shady Spot While Parking

Now here’s added reason to hunt for parking spots in the shade. Parking your car in a shady place is very important while traveling in countries having soaring temperatures in the day and colder weather at night. These weather conditions can result in your windscreen developing fine cracks.

Now That you’ve Got Expert Tips on Prolonging the Life-Span of Your Vehicle’s Glass Here Are Points to Keep In Mind While Cleaning:

Go For the Best Cleaner

Many cleaning liquids have a small percentage of ammonia in them which will have a bad effect on tinted glass and is also not healthy to inhale. It is recommended you use a cleaner that has an alcohol or vinegar base which will not only take of the dirt and grime but also leave it sparkling.

Take Care While Wiping

After you have cleaned your windscreen use a soft cotton piece of cloth to wipe off the remaining moisture. Avoid rough cloths as they can create fine scratches.

Do a Thorough Job

Merely wiping down your windscreen is not enough. Take care and remember to also clean and wipe the rubber gasket around the glass as at time stray grains of sand and dirt can be the cause of cracks as you roll the screens up or down.

Do Not Forget the Wiper

Do not put much pressure while cleaning the wipers as this may deform them making it difficult for them to engage with the windscreen. Also, as mentioned above don’t forget to look for fine sand or dirt under the rubber of the wipers as this can form fine scratches on your windscreen.

What’s the Worst That Can Happen?

When faced with an issue of a fine crack or chip attend to it at once else with the passing of time it widens and you are left with a bigger job of replacing the windscreen.

Sometimes you might try to repair or replace a windscreen to save a few dollars but could end up worsening the situation having to pay much more than you should as the job would have to be carried out all over again by the professional. Rather than handling situations yourself, it is always good to look for the expert to help you while repairing or replacing your windscreen.

And finally, do a thorough check on the certifications and skill set of the professional you choose to entrust your car with.

About the Author

Darren Pay and Justin Oakes are the owners of A1 Windscreens. Along with having top skills and the right certifications for tinting for cars and windscreen replacement in Melbourne, their team of experts can guide you on cost-effective and long-lasting solutions

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Saving your Windscreen from a Frost Attack

Winter happens to be a wonderful season where everything is covered in snow giving it a white, clean and spotless finish but just like everything else winter too has its disadvantages, one of them being frost build up on the car windscreen.

By this, we understand how dangerous driving in the winter can be but in this modern and fast living world, we can't take the chance of not getting out of the house, can we? Since we don't have the option of staying home the least we can do is to take the necessary vehicle maintenance measures during the winter and drive safely.

In many cases, vehicle owners fail to clear the frost properly from their windscreen before going out, which not only puts their own life in danger but also the pedestrians and other vehicle drivers lives at risk.

What is Frost?

Frost is supposed to be the ice deposit that is formed when humidity is present in the air during the winter, frost tends to build up overnight.

Frost is formed when the outdoor temperature drops below the freezing point of water leaving behind a white residue that we find on solid surfaces.

We can know that it is frost based on how it looks, the coating might have a glassy or crystalline look depending on the surface that it has formed on and this process is known as atmospheric icing.

When the outside surface of the glass is exposed to a very cold temperature while the inner surface is exposed to moderately moist temperature it results in the growth of frost on the car's windscreen and windows.

In Melbourne, Australia it is very common to see cars with frosty windscreens but the growth of frost on the windscreen tampers with the driver's vision of the road and might lead to car accidents, putting the lives of pedestrians and animals on the road at risk.

The build-up of frost hinders a 360 degrees’ visibility, restricting you from seeing the road in front of you clearly.

In most places, people that drive a car with frost build up on their windscreen are eligible to be fined for driving a car that has visual obstructions they are also referred to as the “peephole drivers”. And you don’t want to be referred to as that nor do you want to be filling out that fine.

Tips to Eliminate Frost from Your Windscreen

• For cars that are parked in an open area, cover the windscreen with a cardboard, a double folded sheet or a lightweight tarp to protect it from snow, ice build-up or frost.
• If you stay in a region experiencing heavy snowfall using a tarp would not be of any use as it will be difficult to remove the heavy tarp in the morning so instead, you could start up the engine and set the car heater on "high"; the heater will help thaw the frost that is accumulated, and your work is done.
• Pour lukewarm water over the frost covered windscreen and clear the glass surface with a windscreen scraper or a gloved hand. Do not use very hot water as it might cause the windscreen to crack or chip in the process. If this happens do make sure to replace or repair it in order to keep the cold from getting into your vehicle because if you fail to replace or repair it, it might cause more damage which will ultimately lead to furthermore expenses. 
• You can also concoct a deicing fluid by yourself. To create it you need to use about a few drops of some dishwashing soap, mixed with quarter teaspoon of alcohol. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it over the area that has collected ice on it and once softened you can scrape off the remains. Use the windscreen wipers or wear gloves if you need to use your hands to protect yourself from getting cut. Do not use sharp or hard items to scrape off the ice as they may cause scratches or cracks that will need the windscreen to be replaced or repaired.
• During the winter season it is also common to find a frost build-up on your car tires as well which will cause it to get brittle and crack, it will also lose its grip on the road which might lead to the car sliding and having an accident hence it is important to replace your tires with winter tires for better performance due to the supple rubber that lets them perform in freezing temperatures. 

Safety tips

Driving anywhere in Melbourne, Australia during the winter is dangerous and risky enough without having to drive with frost on your windscreen. Hence, to be safe you should follow these safety measures because a frost free windscreen significantly reduces the chances of meeting with an accident. It can help you and your loved ones live a much longer life and also secures the lives of the pedestrians and animals that could be prey to someone's carelessness.

About the Author:
Darren Pay and Justin Oakes heads A1 Windscreens in Melbourne, Australia. With a team of skilled experts making use of the best technology and finest materials, A1 Windscreens has been successfully offering glass scratch removal and car tinting services in Melbourne at a competitive rate for years.

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