There is a wide array of automobile accessories on the market today designed to make winter auto window care easier and winter driving safer. However, when you glance at the aisles of your local automotive store, you may become overwhelmed with all of your auto window accessory options and leave empty-handed if you are unsure which products are really worth the investment.
Read on to learn about a few of the most popular winter automobile window accessories, how they can make auto window care and driving in the winter easier, and what to look for in a quality accessory.
While windshield covers that shield your vehicle from the sun's UV rays and heat to keep it cooler during the summer are popular, many vehicle owners do not realize that there are also windshield covers designed to protect windshields from snow and ice accumulation during the winter.
If you regularly park your automobile in your driveway or another uncovered location during the winter, then you should consider topping your windshield with one of these covers when inclement weather is expected. You can then quickly remove the cover and snow and ice that accumulates on it before driving instead of spending much more time removing snow and ice from your windshield.
In addition, when your windshield wipers are shielded from snow and ice with a cover, they are less likely to freeze to your windshield and develop damage when you attempt to unfree them. This cover can also protect your windshield from the impact of flying debris to safeguard it from damage.
Winter windshield cover designs vary greatly, but most are made from thermal fabrics, such as polyester, and held in place with magnets, suction cups, or special straps that wrap around your vehicle side mirrors or connect the windshield cover to your vehicle wheel wells. Choose a quality cover that features a thick fabric that is less likely to rip and tear with regular use than a thinner one.
Window deflectors are additional automobile window accessories that can offer surprising benefits when driving in cold winter weather. Deflectors are narrow window shields that are attached to your door frames just above your vehicle windows. These devices direct rain, snow, and other types of precipitation away from your windows just enough to allow you to open your windows slightly to allow some fresh air inside of it without this precipitation entering your vehicle.
While deflectors are great assets on rainy summer and spring days when you simply want to enjoy the outdoor air while keeping your vehicle interior dry, they also come in handy when driving in harsh winter weather - opening your windows briefly to allow cool, dry air inside can quickly help defog your windshield when there is too much moist air inside of your vehicle for your windshield defogger to perform this task efficiently.
Keeping your windshield fog-free helps make winter driving much safer.
You likely already own an automobile ice scraper and snow brush that you use to remove snow and ice from your vehicle windows on a regular basis. However, you may not realize that these scrapers and brushes can vary greatly in design, and you may be able to perform the job of clearing off your auto windows on a cold winter morning faster and easier when you upgrade to a well-designed, premium scraper and brush.
When selecting a new ice scraper, look for one with an extra-wide scraper blade with built-in teeth and a pivoting head; this wider blade style can help you scrape ice accumulation off your vehicle windows more quickly than small, smooth blades can, and when equipped with a pivoting head, the need to twist and turn the device while using it is minimized to reduce stress this movement can place on your hands, wrists, and arms.
Other features to look for in your new ice scraper/brush are an extension feature that allows you to quickly extend the length of the scraper when you need to remove snow from tough-to-reach areas of your vehicle and padded handle grips that increase hand comfort while scraping and brushing.
While dangerous sun glare that impedes your vision when driving can occur year-round, it can be especially strong during the winter when snow on the ground reflects the sun's UV rays right into the eyes of drivers. While your vehicle's stock sun visors may be able to block some of this glare when you position them properly, you can block this glare even more efficiently by adding a sun visor extender to your vehicle windshield.
While sun visor extenders vary greatly in design, some are added to your existing visors while others can be attached directly to your windshield. Most feature sun-filtering, polarized lenses created with the same technology utilized in modern sunglasses. These lenses extend from several inches to several feet below your existing sun visors to filter UV-rays and block glare much more effectively when you are driving than your visor can alone.
Consider adding one or more of these automobile window accessories to your vehicle to make winter window care easier and winter driving safer. If your windshield does experience issues in the winter, contact MS Glass Outlet for help.
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