How to de ice your car.

The country is in the middle of a cold snap. One of the coldest some parts of the country have seen in a while and many drivers might be unsure what’s the best and safest way to de-ice a car. So, here’s our top tips to safely de-ice your car.

• Firstly, make sure you don’t slip, if your car is icy it’s likely that water may have dropped from the bodywork and turned to ice on the floor around the car !

• Before you do anything else, check to make sure your wiper blades are not frozen to the screen, if you try to operate them it could burn out the motor or damage the blades. Ideally spray some de-icer on them or gently pry them off.

• If you don’t have any de-icer, you can use a very small amount of warm salt water or rubbing alcohol (mixed with water) around the doors to get you into the car, but don’t use this on the glass.

• You might find your doors are iced closed, pull firmly but gently to open them, be careful not to tug and slip, put de-icer around the frame to help!

• Now start your engine and turn the blowers to maximum heat and aim the air at the windscreen, if you have one, turn on the rear heater too.

• Don’t wipe mist off the inside of the windscreen with your hands, this will leave greasy smears which will actually make things worse the next time it gets cold. Use a good lint free cloth or wait for the hot air to desist.

• Now, if you have de-icer this is the time to spray the windscreen, it’s also worth spraying the bottom of the side windows around the rubber, this area can also freeze and stop your windows from opening. Now wait a few moments and then use the wipers to clear the ice.

• If you don’t have any de-icer, DO NOT use hot water on the windscreen, this can crack the glass when it’s cold. In this case, wait for the heat from the car to start to melt the ice and use an ice scraper or old credit card to help, be careful not to damage the screen or paintwork.

• If it’s been snowing make sure you clear all the snow off the car before you start, belive it or not you can be prosecuted if you don’t. Besides, it’s also dangerous. If you brake any snow on the roof can slide forward and cove the windscreen!

• Before you set off, make sure your lights and grill are also clear to help cooling and vision.

Make sure your windscreen is completely clear before you head off, low sun can reflect off any ice left and blind the driver. Now, happy and safe motoring and be careful on the roads!