YOUR WINDSHIELD IN WINTER-HOW TO SURVIVE THE CRUELEST SEASON
At mystarcollectorcar.com we're occasionally accused of being too controversial, too willing to take on sacred cows-this windshield issue is no exception.
How many times have you seen brawls break out over simple discussions about the best way to protect your windshield in winter?
We're here to bring civility back to this hot button topic.
Seriously windshields are expensive and replacing one is time consuming. Most of the time the choice is non optional-that's when a Kenworth gravel truck hauling a tandem load decides to supply free 75 mile per hour 4 inch rock samples to any driver within 30 feet on a busy highway.
You can't avoid that-in fact escaping without a grapefruit sized dent in your forehead makes the cost of a new windshield seem paltry by comparison.
But too many drivers render perfectly good windshields useless over the course of a winter season simply because they know nothing about protecting that shiny clear surface. Then they end up in spring driving conditions staring through glass so scratched that it's like looking through cataracts in certain light conditions-that's when your windshield is essentially junk.With or without cracks.
There are steps to avoid abusing your glass surface and for that kind of expert advice we defer to the professionals-in this case Andrew Pankratz. Andrew owns Fusion Glass and he is in the business of selling auto glass-but he's a glass guy with a heart. He'd rather see glass and mirrors live long, productive lives before the inevitable replacement part of the equation occurs.
Andrew is a firm believer in using the washer wiper combination to get ice and snow off your windshield. He highly recommends fluid first because "it's a lot cheaper than a new windshield". As he points out, "stay on the sprayer, motors are strong you won't burn them out and by using winter rated washer fluid you don't damage the glass like a scraper will".
But there are many times when the snow or ice is too thick, so Andrew recommends the "edges out" scraping strategy. As he says, "do the edge from top to bottom then do the middle and don't push too hard because that will definitely scratch your glass".
Andrew's message is basic- clean your glass surface from the edges first then migrate to the middle. His logic is impeccable as he points out, " the wipers sweep all the crap out to the edges by design so cleaning the middle area first makes no sense. Same thing with the mirrors because the grit and grime builds up on the edges of the glass and you don't want to get that grit into your cleaning area-get rid of it first because it's just like 400 grit sandpaper".
Wiper blades are also a factor because as Andrew points out, "with metal frame blades everything sticks inside, and with frameless or beam blades everything sticks to them so it's important to know where the dirt will stick to your blades and potentially introduce grit to your glass".
Andrew cautions against promises made by any wiper brand "don't have high expectations because the biggest factor is keeping that washer fluid up".
Andrew believes that a glass maintenance programs begins and ends in every season the same way-with clean glass. He highly recommends routine cleaning inside and out with a good glass cleaning solution (pros get commercial grade glass cleaners but he says there are good products out there that will do the job effectively).
The process is the same-clean from the outside edges in with a clean damp towel. Andrew stresses, "Always wipe in straight lines, only in one direction and replace the towel frequently".
A major sticky point with Andrew is the gas station squeegee-he can't overstate the problems, "never, never use them because they only top up the dirty water. Guys will spill gas down the side of their dirty trucks and use the squeegee to clean the spill and then they'll dump the whole gritty mess back in the wash bucket".
Andrew asks a simple question, "would you rub anything on your glass that you wouldn't rub on a brand new paint job? If the answer is no then you should rethink what you're doing".
Andrew is realistic-no matter how much you protect that glass surface eventually it will have to be replaced-whether or not a basketball sized rock crashes through your windshield. But he hastens to add, "that this basic program will definitely keep your visits to me for new glass a lot less frequent".
A glass guy with good advice and a big heart....
Jerry Sutherland @mystarcollectorcar.com
