GIVE US A CALL TODAY
GIVE US A CALL TODAY
There’s nothing quite like that new car smell when you get a new ride. From the moment you roll off of the car lot, you want to do everything you can to protect your ride from parking away from other cars to carefully avoiding food in the car. But don’t forget about preventing windshield damage!
At Zenith Auto Glass, we help Duluth and Superior drivers get their cars back on track fast when they need auto glass repair services. In this post, we’re sharing our top advice for avoiding windshield damage. If you need auto glass repair, give us a call today!
There are some things you can’t avoid in life. But although you can’t prevent every windshield crack, we see far too many auto glass repairs that could have been avoided with just a little extra care. Most windshield and side window damage is caused by simple acts of negligence. By simply driving safely and staying alert, you’re already reducing your chance of a windshield crack.
Follow these tips to reduce your chance of windshield damage:
Anyone who took driver’s ed class in high school probably remembers hearing about the three-second rule. This rule is straightforward enough for anyone to use and easy to remember even when you’re driving in traffic. It also works just as well for highway driving as it does for cruising around town.
The three-second rule is meant to protect you and the drivers around you from a collision in case anyone has to stop quickly. However. It also serves a secondary purpose. When you give your vehicle plenty of room to safely follow other cars, you’re reducing your chance of an impact due to debris from the driver in front of you. Too often, tiny rocks and debris can get kicked up from the cars around you and flung into your windshield.
To use the three-second rule, simply choose a stationary object on the side of the road. When the car in front of you passes that object, start counting. In challenging driving conditions such as inclement weather, you should give yourself even more time as it may take longer to stop than usual. If you don’t reach three before you reach the object, you’re following too closely.
When you’re looking for a parking space, take some extra care to make sure your vehicle is parked safely where there is no chance of windshield damage. Potential hazards aren’t always immediately obvious, so take a careful look around. Hanging icicles located near your vehicle can fall, impacted your windshield and causing a crack if they’re heavy enough or hit at the right speed.
If it looks as if it may storm, try to park under covered parking areas to avoid the chance of hail damage or debris. This is a good rule of thumb even on a sunny day, since solar radiation can cause your car’s interior to become faded or damaged over time.
Ice is a simple fact of life in the Duluth and Superior area. You might be surprised at how much damage can be done with vigorous de-icing.
When people are in a hurry to get their cars ready to go in the mornings, they’ll try anything to break away the ice, and that sometimes leads to auto glass damage. This is especially true if your windshield already has minor damage, since freeze and thaw cycles cause glass to expand and contract and leading to worsening glass damage.
Only use specialized deicing tools and equipment to clear your windshield and windows. A plastic window scraper is really the best tool for the job. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to de-ice in the morning so you’re not in a rush, and never pour hot water on your windshield.
Avoiding gravel with your vehicle is a good idea not only for your windshield but also for your paint job. Avoid gravel roads altogether if possible, and be extra careful driving on roads where gravel has been used. Even the smallest pieces of gravel can cause serious damage when kicked up behind another vehicle.
One of the biggest mistakes we see drivers make is to underestimate the seriousness of a tiny windshield chip. If it doesn’t impede your view, it’s easy to ignore it and put off repairs until a later date. Unfortunately, these tiny chips can end up expanding over time or even quickly spider-webbing out when there is a secondary stressor to the windshield. Putting off repairs is a good way to turn the need for chip repair into a necessary windshield replacement.
Your best bet is to immediately schedule windshield chip repair, but if you can’t fit it in right away, be sure to take extra precautions until your windshield is repaired. If making it to our shop for repairs is a problem, we offer convenient mobile windshield chip repair to make things easier on you.
When you need windshield repair in the Duluth and Superior region, Zenith Auto Glass is here to help with convenient, knowledgeable repair service you can trust. Contact us online to connect with a member of our team or give us a call at 218-275-5555. We look forward to getting you back on the road safely!
