How To De-Ice Your Car: Should You Use Boiling Water?
Winter is coming, and millions of drivers across the UK will soon wake up to find blocks of ice where their cars used to be.
In this post we’ll discuss the safest, fastest, most effective way to de-ice your car.
Should You Use Boiling Water to De-Ice Your Car?
If your windscreen is frozen, you might be tempted to boil some water to throw over your car but please do not do this. If your windscreen goes from frozen to boiling in a split second, it can crack the glass. This is called Thermal Shock. If it doesn’t crack the glass, it can weaken it. So, over time, cracks could develop. Before you know it, you’ll have to pay for a new windscreen.
How To De-Ice Your Car Without Boiling Water
Start your car’s engine. Your car will immediately start heating up once the engine’s running. Many cars have de-icing features too. Look for a button featuring three wavy lines crossing a rectangle. Press this button to activate your car’s windscreen defrosting system. Don’t be tempted to leave your car running and go back into a warm house. Make sure you stay with your car.
As your car heats up and defrosts, use an ice-scraper on the outside to remove any compacted ice or snow on your lights, windows, and registration plates. You should wear gloves while doing this, as you’ll get very cold very quickly otherwise!
You can also speed up the process with a de-icing spray, which you should be able to find in most supermarkets. These feature a concentrated formula that will quickly melt ice on your windscreen, without refreezing.
If it’s been snowing, be sure to remove any snow from your car’s roof before you set out. If you do not, it could slip onto your windscreen while you’re driving, which could result in an accident.
Do not set out until you have a clear view from all of your windows, and until all snow has been removed from your car. Also be sure to clear your lights and your registration plates.
Car Won’t Start in the Winter?
Low temperatures can affect your car’s battery, meaning your car might struggle to start on particularly cold days. Read our full guide to what you should do if your car won’t start on a cold day.
How to Stop your Car Freezing
If you want to prevent your car from freezing in winter, and you do not have access to a heated garage, you could buy a cover for your car. These range from dedicated windscreen and mirror covers, to full covers for the whole car.
Staying Safe in Winter – Further Tips
You’ll find many guides on our site to staying safe on the roads in the winter:
As cold weather can affect your car’s battery, car breakdowns are more likely in winter. So to avoid getting stranded in the cold and the dark in the event of a breakdown, consider adding RAC breakdown cover to your comprehensive car insurance.
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