URL: https://pixabay.com/photos/wiper-wind-shield-auto-automobile-2870283/
While summer heat doesn’t cause cracks on your auto glass, unexpected temperature fluctuations can put more stress on it, making it more prone to cracking and chipping. Rapid temperature changes can also risk auto glass’s integrity, causing impairment. This may result in costly repairs and replacements and even compromised road safety.
Safeguarding your car’s glass prevents the threat of sudden repairs and boosts car occupants’ safety. This article discusses eight tips for protecting your auto glass this summer.
Table of Contents
- 1. Remain proactive with auto glass repairs and replacements
- 2. Avoid sudden, rapid temperature changes
- 3. Don’t park under direct sunlight
- 4. Invest in a sunshade
- 5. Close the car door gently
- 6. Be careful when cleaning your auto glass
- 7. Be cautious when driving on roads with potholes and road debris
- 8. Take care of your windshield wipers
- Endnote
1. Remain proactive with auto glass repairs and replacements
Summer heat can be intense and, when combined with road vibrations and pressure changes, may result in even the tiniest dings expanding, making auto glass replacement inevitable. Checking your car’s glass regularly during summer for cracks and chips is essential to help you prevent more damage.
Upon finding any damage, no matter how insignificant, you can immediately get the glass repaired or replaced by certified and reputable professionals like vanisleglass.com. Additionally, getting your auto glass repaired or replaced on time can help ensure the damage doesn’t escalate, preventing high replacement or repair costs.
2. Avoid sudden, rapid temperature changes
Unexpected temperature changes can wreak havoc on your auto glass. Since the glass contracts and expands to cold and hot weather. Nevertheless, the contraction and expansion should be gradual. For instance, if you leave your vehicle under the scorching heat for several hours, turning on the air conditioner sends cold air blasts to the expanded auto glass. This may cause the glass to contract quickly, raising the risk of chips and cracks. The damage is more significant if chips or cracks have already compromised your car’s glass.
As such, you should let your vehicle’s interior cool under the shade during summer. You can then turn on the air conditioner at the lowest setting in the beginning rather than using the maximum setting to allow your auto glass to adapt to the temperature change. Rolling down your car windows and putting on the AC lets hot air escape. This prevents intense temperature differentials, keeping your auto glass from any extreme damage.
3. Don’t park under direct sunlight
Parking your vehicle under severe summer heat for a long time can harm your windshield, especially if it’s already damaged. However, it compromises your auto glass’s structural integrity. If the glass already has a tiny crack or chip, excess heat or sunlight can only aggravate it. You shouldn’t park your car under direct sunlight. Parking under shade, including a garage, covered parking, or in a basement, protects your vehicle from direct sunlight exposure, keeping your auto glass safe. This also puts less strain on the glass while keeping your vehicle cooler.
4. Invest in a sunshade
Sun shades are an effective solution for keeping harmful sun rays from your car while keeping the temperatures down. They also allow for fast cooling. Using sunshades all around your vehicle safeguards your auto glass. Placing cardboard sun shades over your windshield is a common way to secure your auto glass. For optimum glass protection, you can also find automatic options, including rear sunshades.
5. Close the car door gently
If your auto glass has some chips or cracks, slamming the car doors can significantly escalate the damage because this sends vibrations through your vehicle to the auto glass. These vibrations may result in minor cracks or chips spreading quicker, mainly when the glass is vulnerable to summer heat. During summer, auto glass expands because of heat, making it more susceptible to pressure and stress. As such, slammed door vibrations increase the risk of chips and cracks on the glass widening. Avoid slamming car doors and rather close them carefully to protect your auto glass.
6. Be careful when cleaning your auto glass
When cleaning your auto glass during summer, avoid it when it’s hot or under direct sunlight. Pouring or spraying cold water on the hot glass creates an unexpected temperature difference. This causes the glass to react by cracking, especially if it already dings and chips. You can wait until the evening, when your vehicle has already cooled down, to clean the auto glass. Don’t use harsh products to wash the glass. Ensure whatever you’re using is glass safe.
7. Be cautious when driving on roads with potholes and road debris
Careful driving during summer is among the best ways to protect your auto glass, primarily when behind large vehicles, including construction vehicles and trucks. These vehicles can throw debris, rocks, and small stones, scratching or cracking your auto glass. To prevent auto glass damage, consider maintaining a safe distance between your automobile and other cars. This can also minimize the risk of road accidents which may result in even more significant auto glass damage.
8. Take care of your windshield wipers
Keeping up with windshield wiper maintenance lowers the risk of damage the blades may cause, like scratches, by contacting the glass surfaces. Wiper replacements can also help avoid the harm that failing wiper blades might cause.
Endnote
Summer heat increases the risk of your car’s glass getting damaged. Luckily, leveraging these tips can help protect your auto glass this summer.
