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A CAR expert has shared their top tip to clear ice on vehicle windows on cold winter mornings.
In the colder months, motorists are faced with the daily challenge of de-icing their cars – leaving them running risk of being late for work or school.
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However, Ed Colley, Head of Brand and Marketing at UK-based window repair and replacement service Autoglass, has picked out a method that works perfectly – using a simple rain repellent spray on the car’s windshield the night before temperatures drop.
He said: “The best bet for clearing the frost is to use a proper ice scraper, which can remove the ice efficiently without scratching the glass.
“For those who are really prepared, applying a rain repellent to your windscreen the night before will limit the water sitting on the glass and can make de-icing your windscreen much easier and quicker.”
Drivers can find the product Rain-X Original Treatment in a 3.5 oz bottle at stores such as Walmart for less than $4.
Rain repellent sprays are designed to give car windows an extra layer that reduces friction, meaning drops of water that land on windows are much more likely to slide off.
This means ice is much less likely to form when the temperature drops to freezing.
Ed also warned motorists to avoid certain defrosting methods as they could cause expensive damage.
He said: “Drivers should avoid the temptation to remove the ice by pouring boiling water over the windscreen, as the sudden change in temperature can cause the glass to expand and cause small chips to expand into bigger cracks.
“Using sharp objects like credit cards to clear the ice is also likely to scratch the glass while turning on the car engine and leaving it to clear the ice can take time and is not the most environmentally friendly option.”
This comes as an auto technician has warned aspiring car buyers about a missing item no longer included in many vehicles on the market.
College student Courtney McKeown was one of those victims when, one day, her Jeep caught a flat and called the American Automobile Association (AAA).
McKeown assumed the professional would arrive at her location, remove the spare tire from her truck, and replace the flat.
However, the college student soon realized there was no spare tire in the trunk of her Jeep.
“We thought it would be in there. So, we opened that up and realized there wasn’t a spare tire,” McKeown told Scripps News.
Her car did not even include a temporary “donut” tire.
Instead, all that was in her trunk was a small air pump.
“This is what you get as an alternative to a spare tire,” dad Chris McKeown added.
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