Windshield life hacks: do they really work?

Self repair a windshield chip

Life hack: Use nail polish inside the chip, which will allow you to repair the windshield yourself.

The expert advice: Nail polish is not made to repair a windshield, so are a lot of similar material that claims to be a life hack. Using such products may very well worsen the problem. You may know this, but a small chip on your windshield is very likely to turn into a big chip or even a crack. A cracked windshield can no longer be repaired and needs to be changed entirely.

Preventing your wipers to stick during the winter

Life hack: Make your wipers wear socks during the winter season to prevent them from sticking to the windshield before a storm.

The expert advice: This life hack, while it looks good on paper, in practice may end up just damaging your wipers, and wreck your socks at the same time. Indeed, the material from the socks will just stick to the wipers instead, resulting in torn up socks and a pair of wipers that may have a weakened mechanism. If you want to make sure your wipers last a long time, it is not recommended to do. What will help though is a simple and nice de-icing treatment, a weatherproofing treatment and a standard maintenance of your wipers. With this in mind, you will have better tools to fight the harsh winter conditions, and wipers that last longer!

De-icing techniques to save time

Life hack: With the help of your trusty kettle, pour hot water directly on the windshield to melt the ice.

The expert advice: If you like risks in your life, you can go ahead and do this. But keep in mind that pouring boiling water onto an ice-cold windshield may cause a thermal shock and make the windshield crack. During very cold days, the water can even freeze rapidly instead of melting the ice, leaving you with even more de-icing to do. If you want to speed up de-icing of your windshield, the most efficient way is always prevention, like weatherproofing treatment or a de-icing product. Here are some additional tricks to help you de-icing.

Cheap solution to reduce moisture and humitidy

Life hack: To prevent built-up moisture inside your car and reduce humidity, place an old newspaper under your car mats.

The expert advice: Of course, newspapers do absorb some moisture, but will not release the absorbed water unless you change them, or if you dry them outside. During winter, they will freeze and cause even more problems. If you even need a newspaper on the ground, this could be because of another problem in the vehicle, like a blocked cabin air filter, ill-suited car mats or a water infiltration.

In short, life hacks that you find on the internet may work sometimes, but you need to be careful and conscious of the risks and it will never replace the experts working on your windshield. Like everything you own, your car needs to have regular maintenance to last longer, but also to be more enjoyable while you use it!