With winter just around the corner it’s always good to be prepared for the icy mornings. The best and lease expensive thing to have on hand is a spray bottle filled with washer fluid that has de-icer in it. You may think well,  I already have this in my washer fluid reservoir but the truth of the matter is 90% of the time the small jets that spray the fluid on the windshield are frozen. This works well on side and back windows as well and will not harm your paint.

If you are parked outside and there is ice on your windshield, DON’T turn the defrost on, instead, turn the car heater on to the floor heat setting and let the warm air rise up and defrost your windshield and windows.  This is slower but is much easier on the glass.  Why do I suggest this?

 If there is one single thing that will cause windshields to crack, it is ice. The two reasons that contribute to windshields cracking is if there is glass damage that has not been repaired it is a weak spot in the glass. When people turn on there defroster to melt the ice the warm air blows on the cold glass and the temperature change between hot and cold can cause the windshield to crack. Also chipping away at the ice with an ice scraper on the unrepaired rock chip ( weak spot ) can cause the chip to crack further. Also, on rare occasions the rear window could shatter from the rear defrost heater elements.
PS. Under no circumstance pour hot water on auto glass to remove the ice.