Tip #7: An iced-over car needs ten extra minutes, not a hammer
Freezing rain coats the whole car in a hard shell. Start the engine and defrosters first, let heat loosen the ice from the inside, and scrape with plastic, never metal, while the glass warms.
Tip #7 in one line
Freezing rain coats the whole car in a hard shell. Start the engine and defrosters first, let heat loosen the ice from the inside, and scrape with plastic, never metal, while the glass warms.
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Call nowPlan the time
When the forecast calls for freezing rain, plan on extra minutes in the morning. Ice is not snow; you cannot brush it off, and trying to rush it is how windshields get scratched and wiper blades get torn.
The night before, if you can, lay a windshield cover or an old towel across the glass and close the doors on its edges. Lift the wiper arms off the glass or leave them down with the blades clear, following what your manual recommends.
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Call nowOrder of work
Clear the tailpipe, then start the engine outdoors. Never warm a car inside a closed garage.
Set the heat to the windshield and turn on the rear defroster and any heated mirrors. Use the air conditioning button if your manual suggests it; it dries the air and helps defrost.
While the glass warms, free the door seals and the mirrors. Then work the windshield with a plastic scraper once the ice starts to soften at the bottom edge. A de-icing spray speeds it up.
Clear the roof, hood, trunk, lights and plates, as New Jersey law requires before driving.
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Call nowMistakes that cost money
Hot water can crack cold glass. A metal ice pick or the edge of a credit card scratches the windshield. Running the wipers while they are frozen to the glass can strip the blade or burn out the wiper motor.
Check the wiper blades before you set off. A blade that was frozen to the glass may have a torn edge that streaks badly, and on slushy roads you will need it constantly. Knock any remaining ice from the arms, and make sure the washer nozzles spray. If they do not, let the hood warm longer before you leave.
Do not drive off peering through a small hole in the ice. Visibility is the whole point of the exercise.
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Call nowWhen the car will not cooperate
Ice storms are hard on batteries, and a car that has sat through one may not start. A jump start is one flat price, and if the car slid into a ditch or a snowbank on the way out, a winch out is the same call to (908) 444-0129. More winter tips are on the blog.
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Call nowMore on winter
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- Tip #1: The first cold morning is when a weak battery quits
- Tip #3: In extreme cold, crank in short bursts and turn everything off first
- Tip #4: Stuck in snow, stop spinning the wheels and check the tailpipe
- Tip #5: Clear the roof, hood and lights before you drive; New Jersey law requires it
- Tip #6: A frozen door is usually ice in the seal, not a broken lock
- Tip #90: Replace wiper blades before they streak, and clear the whole car of snow
- What to do when your car breaks down in New Jersey
- Flatbed vs wheel-lift towing: which does your car need?
- All posts
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