Debugging Your Windshield
With the mild winter we’ve had here in Oklahoma City, we can expect a thriving insect community this year which translates into lots of bug splattered windshields. We were seeing windshields at the beginning of March plastered with insects. And with it we have already gotten calls from individuals that have scratched their windshield removing bug splats.
First off using a kitchen scouring or Scotch pads to clean any glass including your windshield is a sure ticket for a scratched windshield. Likewise putty or pocket knives can scratch your windshield requiring a replacement to correct the problem.
Removing baked on insects and bugs does not need to be difficult or take a lot of time if you have the right tools for the job and know some tricks. Here is a list of what you’ll need:
Automotive Glass Cleaner – Can be purchased from the auto section in many department stores or your favorite auto parts store. Standard household glass cleaners weren’t designed to remove road grime and bugs. After all when was the last time your house was traveling on the highway and hit a bug at 60 mph.
Microfiber Cloth – While you can use paper or terrycloth towels, microfiber is lint free, environmental friendly and it just does a better job. You can use them many times if you wash them out when they get dirty.
Safety Razor – Great to use for paint over spray, tar removal as well as bugs that are baked on.
Now then it is best if you work in the shade with a cool auto or truck. Make sure you aren’t wearing anything metal like a belt buckle that will scratch the paint as you work.
Start by choosing which side you want to work first (driver or passenger side) spray glass cleaner on heavy bug splats then the half of the windshield you are working on. Fold your microfiber cloth into a quarter and wipe the glass dry. Spray any bug splats that have not been removed and let set for a few seconds then spray and wipe the glass with a clean side of the microfiber cloth. Any bug spots repeat spraying with glass cleaner and wiping the glass or use a safety razor with light pressure to scrape off any stubborn spots. Once you have one side clean repeat on the other side. Remember to switch to a clean side of your microfiber cloth to help prevent steaks.
For the inside of the windshield again work one half at a time. Spray a clean portion of your microfiber cloth with glass cleaner and wipe the glass. Spraying the windshield directly with glass clean gets it all over the dash and interior of your auto or truck.
Tips: Direction, choose on your final cleaning on each half on the outside whether you wipe up and down or sideways. Wipe in the opposite direction on the inside. That way if you have any streaks you can tell which side needs to be worked on to remove the streaks.
Windshield Treatments – When clean consider applying a windshield treatment like Rain-X or Aquapel on the outside. We have had a number of customers tell us they do this to make bugs easier to remove. Never apply these products to your windshield if it is chipped as it can render the damage not repairable.
Having a clean windshield can make driving less tiring and stressful besides being safer for you on the road.
Car windshield fixers keep busy – Roanoke.com
Putting off windshield chip repairs here in OKC with our temperature swings this spring is costing auto owners big time as well. Check your windshield each time you fuel.When you find small damage make arrangements to have it repaired. Save 75% over replacement. – Glass Aid
And the swings in temperature alone were enough to turn what might have started as a small nick in a windshield into a growing crack that stretches across the glass.
“January was not that busy,” said Cindy Blevins, a sales representative with Guardian Auto Glass in Roanoke. “Once it snowed the end of February, that’s when the big increase occurred.”
Customers of the glass company usually have to wait about two to three days for a replacement. Now, customers are waiting a week or longer to have one of the company’s roving installers fix their windshields.
Raining And Wiper Blades
With the rain that is falling across Oklahoma City, it’s not a good time to find you have a bad windshield wiper blade. Besides the safety issues due to poor vision, your reaction time can be reduced which along with the wet road increases stopping distances.
Add to it a bad wiper can quickly scratch your windshield. A case of a part that costs about $10 to replace, destroying a windshield that can cost several hundred dollars to replace.
One thing we can always count on when it rains is calls both during and afterwards asking about repairing scratches caused by bad wiper blades.
We looked at getting into scratch repair and with what we learned caused us to reject this idea. We found that if you can catch your fingernail in the scratch the scratch couldn’t be removed. Add to this the amount of labor spent removing a scratch would make it cheaper to replace the windshield in most cases. Another problem we saw firsthand was when a customer called asking why a new wiper blade would not clean a 4” wide band on their windshield. After looking at the windshield we came to the conclusion that the used car dealer where they bought the car had tried to remove a scratch. The result was they had polished an area so much they had cut a wide groove in the glass. The only way to correct it was to replace the windshield.
With all that said your best bet is to check your wiper blades each time you fuel and while you’re at it check your windshield for chips. Replace bad wiper blades before a rainy day and repair chips when it’s dry to prevent cracks.
Hold Onto That Wiper Blade Arm
Every year here in Oklahoma City like across America many car owners replace their worn out windshield wiper blades. By far the majority accomplish the chore with no problems.
But for a few either due to being in a hurry or carelessness successfully destroy their windshield, costing them a couple hundred dollars or more to correct by replacing their windshield.
How? By lifting and locking in the up position the wiper arm, removing the wiper and leaving a bare arm in the up position. Then either the lock slips or they bump the arm causing it to snap against the car’s windshield. The result is either a large crack or star on the windshield that can’t be repaired.
An easy fix for this is simple. Never repeat never, leave a bare wiper arm in the up position. Always have your hand on the wiper arm or set it gently on the glass if you leave it for anytime.
By checking your wiper blades when you fuel you most times can choose a time when conditions are good to replace them. Rather than replacing them in a driving rain or when we have a zero wind chill. And while your checking your wiper blades check your windshield for chips.
