Here are some tips to protect your windshield glass all year long.
Choose Your Parking Spot Carefully
One of the easiest ways to keep your car’s windshield safe is to choose your parking spot carefully. Ideally you’ll want to park in a parking garage, but if that isn’t an option, plan to park in an area with lots of trees or buildings that can provide shade during the warmer months. In the winter, be aware of any parking areas with overheads that have ice built up which can come crashing down on your windshield at anytime.
Use a Windshield Sun Shade
Albeit not everyone’s style, these handy devices are cheap and easy to use. Available in various designs, sunshades work by reflecting direct sunlight as it beams down on your windshield, alleviating the greenhouse effect and maintaining an overall lower temperature within your vehicle.
More expensive versions even tout heat absorbing materials, making them an even more effective method to even further reduce the temperature within your parked car. Remember, the sun is just as damaging during the winter, especially as sunlight reflects off of snow.
Tint your Windows
Tint in a thin dark film applied to the interior of your windows, designed to allow light in while keeping the sun’s thermal and harmful UV rays out of your vehicle. That said, the laws surrounding tinting your vehicle’s windows widely vary depending on where you live, so make sure to check with your local law enforcement to ensure any tint applied to your windows is within the legal limit.
Install a Solar Powered Fan During Summer
Solar powered fans work by harnessing the power of sunlight through a solar panel and converting into usable electricity. Installation of these devices is simple: the fan clips to the top of one of your rolled up windows and an outward facing solar panel is placed where it will receive ample sunlight.
Once turned on, the fan acts as an exhaust, pulling the hot air out of your vehicle while pulling cooler air in to replace it. You can even use two fans, placed on both front or rear windows, to increase cross ventilation, decreasing the temperature in your car even further.
