You have probably put some thought into performing maintenance on your vehicle on a regular basis, but one aspect of your car that you might have overlooked if you are like many vehicle owners is your auto glass. Your windshield needs you to be just as thoughtful about it as you are about what's under the hood. To that end, here are some tips to keep in mind that can help prevent damage to your windshield that might lead to a repair or a replacement.
Keep Your Distance When There's a Large Truck in Front of You
You are following a big 18-wheeler or even just a large pick up when it happens. The larger vehicle flies through some debris on the road and kicks it up, sending it up into the air right as you drive through it. Whether it's a stone, rock salt, or something else, the impact on your windshield could very well lead to a chip or crack. For best results, always keep some distance between yourself and a large vehicle in front of you in order to ensure you don't drive right into trouble.
Drive Slow Through an Area with Salt, Cinders, or Debris
If your roads recently had some work done to them, there could be remnants of that work left on the road. Even a salt application in the wintertime could spell trouble. If the salt truck let a few pieces of salt go that weren't quite broken up all the way, this chunk of salt could end up on your windshield if you are not careful. You should also watch out for cinders or debris when driving through an area that looks like it's been freshly repaired or paved as there could be little bits and pieces of the construction work left behind.
Change the Wipers at Every Oil Change to Avoid Scratches From Dirt
It's not just cracks or chips that you should watch out for, however. Your auto glass can scratch as well, particularly if it repeatedly comes into contact with a dirty wiper. In order to prevent scratches to your glass, you should add changing your windshield wipers to the list of tasks you complete every time you go in for an oil change. Changing windshield wipers are relatively simple so there's really no excuse to be lazy about this one.
Contact an auto glass service for more information.