Defrost Vehicles Slowly in Frigid Temps

By Kim Wilhelm (WICHITA, Kan.)

You might want to take a good look at your windshield before the cold sets in. If you have rock chips in the glass, you may want to consider getting them fixed. That's because during extreme cold temperatures, chipped glass has a greater chance of breaking if you don't defrost your vehicle correctly. 

How Should You Defrost?

Ken Tullis from Discount Auto Glass in Wichita recommends turning on your defroster as soon as you start your vehicle. That way the air is still cold and warms up gradually. 

You can run into cracking and splitting problems if you like to warm up your vehicle first and then blast the warm defroster on the cold windshield. The sudden change in temperature can cause the glass to break. 

Tullis says a lot of people don't notice rock chips that are on the sides or out of line-of-sight of the driver. It's those chips which don't get repaired and cause problems during extreme temperatures. 

Check with your insurance company. Many cover the cost of repairing rock chips. It could save you paying hundreds of dollars for a new windshield down the road.