{"id":7727,"date":"2023-12-08T08:58:20","date_gmt":"2023-12-08T08:58:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/?p=7727"},"modified":"2025-02-27T01:44:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T01:44:10","slug":"winter-windscreen-hacks-to-steer-clear-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scrapcarnetwork.org\/news\/winter-windscreen-hacks-to-steer-clear-of\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter windscreen \u2018hacks\u2019 to steer clear of"},"content":{"rendered":"

With temperatures still plummeting, it\u2019s becoming more and more common to wake up to find you\u2019ve got to de-ice your car. It\u2019s one of those irritating jobs that needs to be done before you start driving (no matter how many other people you see out on the roads who might seem to think otherwise). And with the extra time involved, it\u2019s understandably tempting to try out time-saving hacks that you may have spotted in places (TikTok is a big hub for that at the moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But those hacks can actually cause bigger issues in themselves \u2013 not necessarily enough to scrap your car<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, but certainly enough to cost you a lot of money and time if they go wrong. The first one of these supposedly time-saving tricks is one that\u2019s been around forever: the idea of pouring hot water on your windscreen to melt ice. Essentially, don\u2019t do that. Here\u2019s why!<\/p>\n

Why you shouldn\u2019t use boiling water to melt ice on your car<\/h1>\n

It seems simple enough in theory \u2013 warm water melts ice, so it stands to reason that hot water melts ice even faster. A bucket of that on the windscreen and you\u2019re good to go, right?<\/p>\n

Well, not quite. Hot or boiling water on your windscreen has a good chance of damaging it, and may even crack the glass. We\u2019ll save you the detailed physics lesson, but essentially, that\u2019s because a rapid shift between extreme temperatures creates thermal shock, which puts huge pressure on the glass. (If you\u2019ve ever heard the medical advice not to put cold water on a burn \u2013 the same basically applies here.)<\/p>\n

Even if your windscreen survives the thermal shock, the water may even freeze again on the glass \u2013 so at best, it\u2019s often just perpetuating the issue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Potatoes, onions, and other cold-weather \u2018hacks\u2019 to avoid<\/h1>\n

The internet is a wonderful thing \u2013 you\u2019re using it now, after all \u2013 but a lot of the newest cold weather hacks and trends that you so often hear about often originate on social media, and that\u2019s not always the best place to get motoring advice. Let\u2019s be honest, TikTok can be the worst offender.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, for example \u2013 and this should go without saying \u2013 whatever TikTok says, don\u2019t smear half a potato over your windscreen at any stage. Nor should you do anything similarly weird with an onion. The (weak) arguments for doing so generally have something to do with the sugar creating a barrier over the window that will prevent the ice from forming. This is, to use the polite phrase, complete tosh. Pibble and poppycock. Nonsense. At best, it is completely pointless. At worst, you end up with a smeary mess all over your windscreen that\u2019s difficult for your wipers to remove \u2013 so actually compounds the problem.<\/p>\n

By the same token, some accounts advise putting cooking oil on your windscreen the night before to prevent snow and ice from forming, but it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Essentially, don\u2019t use anything not specifically designed to remove snow and ice from your windscreen, such as your credit card for example, or your keys, or a garden implement. You could easily end up scratching your windscreen \u2013 or even shattering it. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most effective way to remove snow and ice from your car<\/h1>\n

The best way is the one you probably knew already \u2013 just turn on your car\u2019s engine, and switch on the heater, and direct it towards the windscreen. Make sure to activate the rear windscreen heater too, and use it in combination with your car\u2019s air conditioning to ensure that your windows don\u2019t fog up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While that\u2019s all happening, clear the snow with a soft brush, and then use a scraper and de-icer on the windscreen. By that time, you should be literally good to go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All the TikTok hacks in the world won\u2019t be more consistently reliable than these systems. They\u2019ve all been specifically designed to help your car deal with frost, and they\u2019ve been standard features for decades. They might not be the quickest, but they\u2019re definitely always the safest!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, sometimes the snow and ice can do a real number on your car \u2013 and if you decide it\u2019s not worth it to fix the bigger types of issues (such replacing a dead battery), that\u2019s exactly where we can help here at Scrap Car Network. All you need to do is enter your car reg and postcode into the fields on our site, and we\u2019ll get you an instant online quote before you can say cash for cars. It only takes a few seconds. Curious to find out how much your car is worth?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With temperatures still plummeting, it\u2019s becoming more and more common to wake up to find you\u2019ve got to de-ice your car. It\u2019s one of those irritating jobs that needs to be done before you start driving (no matter how many other people you see out on the roads who might seem to think otherwise). And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":7733,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[16],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n