Most of you must have experienced, or at least heard about cracks over the windshield of your car without any rhyme or reason. It must be unusual for you or could be baffling to imagine your car getting damaged without any obvious reason. But, that’s not a mystery. The crack on your car’s windshield is not caused by some supernatural force; it is very much a natural phenomenon involving the weather. Here, we’ll explain how the weather can affect your windshield.

How Does Weather Affect My Car?

Let’s start with the impact of winter on your car’s windshield. Temperature change starts affecting your windshield as soon as the temperature hits 32℉. At this temperature, the glass of your windshield starts to contract. However, increasing stress caused by the contraction of glass can result in a crack on your windshield. Not only this, but also during the winter, when temps drop below freezing point, your windshield can also freeze, making it more prone to cracks.
Coming over to summers, the chance of getting cracks on windshields increases due to high temperatures. Similar to low temperatures, extremely high temperatures can adversely impact the windshield. During high temperatures, the crack on your windshield can expand more quickly. This is due to vibrant motions and rapid expansion of molecules of the glass of your windshield.m

But how do you prepare your windshield for varying temperatures?

How to Protect Your Windshield From the Elements

During the summer, avoid exposing your windshields to extreme temperatures. To keep the windshield safe, you can park your car in the shade. The shade can be provided by your garage, and if you don’t have a garage, then nature can be your best friend. Trees can prove to be the best shade for your car. However, as far as the winter season is concerned, you need to make sure to keep your car warm. If you find frost or snow on your windshield, due to lower temperature, get rid of it as soon as you can. Never pour hot water on the windshield. Take everything step by step. Don’t blast the defroster as well, on the windshield, because the windshield is sensitive and after all, it is glass!

Whether it’s hot or cold outside, don’t leave your car unattended. Extreme weather scares its windshield, so you need to take suitable measures for different weather conditions.

Have a Damaged Windshield and Need a Repair?

Whether it’s during the brutal summer, or frigid winter, Bama Auto Glass is there to help you with windshield repair and maintenance. Call us today!