Protecting Your Car when Cleaning off Snow
We don’t get it very often, so when it snows in Wales, people do get very excited, especially children. However, as pretty as it looks, snow, as we know, can cause huge problems from motorists; and we don’t just mean when driving.
Snow on your car, van or lorry can be a pain, particularly if you need to get somewhere quickly and on time. What’s more, if you clean it off properly, not only will you ensure you can see the road clearly but you will also prevent unwanted scratches or other damage to the paint.
It’s important to remove all the snow from your car before you drive to maintain clear visibility at all times. Even a small amount of snow can impact your car’s performance and even cause an accident.
Getting the Snow Off Your Car
We’ve come up with the following tips to ensure you clear the snow off your car to allow for safe driving as well as to protect the paint surface.
- Check that there is no snow clogging up your exhaust pipe as this can carbon monoxide to build up in your car, so you should remove any snow right away.
- Switch on the engine and activate the front and back windscreen heaters. It normally takes around 5 minutes to clear the windscreens so in the meantime, you should remove the snow from the roof, hood and other areas (see recommended tools below).
- Make sure you also remove all snow and ice from your mirrors, headlights, taillights, and indicator lights too.
- Whilst the windscreen is defrosting, you should ensure that the windscreen wipers are free of snow and ice. It’s also important to check the wiper fluid nozzle is not frozen up. Believe it or not but a small needle pushed into the nozzle can free it up to allow for the fluid to flow freely.
Tools for Removing Snow from Your Car
A snow brush (or a very soft brush) with plastic bristles is a must-have for car owners, regardless of the type of vehicle they drive. This brush makes it easy to remove light, fluffy snow from windows and bodywork without causing any scratches.
You should never use a shovel to remove snow from your car. This is a great tool to remove snow from around your car, but using the it to clear snow from your vehicle will cause scratches and other exterior damage.
An ice scraper is also essential for winter driving to remove excess ice from the outside of all windows.
If you are planning a long journey or an overnight stay, make sure you take these tools with you.
Protecting Your Car from Snow
Whenever possible, park your car in a garage or under an car port particularly in winter as this will prevents the accumulation of snow on your car.
You can also place a snow blanket on your car’s roof, windshield, and hood during winter as you can instantly pull the blanket to remove snow from your vehicle.
It’s also a good idea to clean your car regularly during the winter months to avoid a build up of grit and other debris from the slushy roads.
At IPS Paint Supplies, we can supply a range of cleaning products as well as paint products should the elements cause any scratches or damage to paintwork.
What Do In a Winter Collision
If you are involved in a winter collision, you need to follow the same process as for any incident. It is important, particularly if the road is icy, to resist moving your car to avoid further damage or another accident.
You may also wish to follow the social distancing guidelines which we shared on our website a couple of weeks ago. Get details here .