Brits warned over dangerous winter car hack which could cost you thousands
We're at that point in the year where the temperature gets so low that you might wake up in the morning and find your car imprisoned in a layer of ice.
Obviously, you'll need to get rid of that and scrape all the frost off your car, otherwise your chances of being able to see what's on the road are basically zilch.
The thing is, that usually involves loads of boring scraping, which takes time and causes people to employ handy hacks to skip the manual labour.
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Just don't do what one bloke did and only scrape off the absolute bare minimum required for him to see.
You can de-ice your windscreen from inside the car, though that does involve a bit of waiting, but there's one more dangerous method if you're trying to speed things up.
Dorry Potter, an expert at National Scrap Car, has explained how one popular TikTok trick can do your car more harm than good.
Potter has urged motorists to be careful when using a well-known hack that sees people fill a ziplock bag or sandwich bag with hot or boiling water, before rubbing it over the windscreen.
Speaking to The Express, she said that this can cause ‘cracks’ in the glass, which may get worse over time.
"A hack that circulates every year is using warm water in a zip lock bag and rubbing it on the windscreen,” Potter said.
"Motorists are advised to be cautious when applying anything heated to their windscreen as the dramatic change in temperature can cause small cracks to appear in the glass which can cause the screen to shatter when another bout of frost arrives.”
Potter warned against another method, too, continuing: "Drivers should never use boiling water either. Similarly, homemade concoctions should be used with care too.
"Using items such as a potato or onion to clear frost could leave smears or a residue on the screen which in turn could reduce the driver’s visibility, making it just as dangerous as frost to drive. It may be more sensible to stick with a de-icing spray instead."
Instead, Potter thinks your best bet is to use a windscreen cover, which helps protect your vehicle from frost overnight.
She explained: "As temperatures drop the stress of heading out on time due to a frosty car is soon approaching, so it is important for motorists to make sure they are prepared ahead of time.
"One of the best 'hacks' for defrosting windscreens is to prevent the frost from forming on it in the first place.
"Using a windscreen cover will protect the windscreen from frost, meaning that there is no need for scraping first thing.
"Simply place the cover on the windscreen in the evening and remove before heading off in the morning.”
Potter added: "Cardboard, an old towel or sheet can also work but risk being moved by wind, wet weather or just not being held in place properly.
"Something that could also help is making sure your car is parked out of the shade and ideally facing the East, this means that when the sun rises in the morning it will begin to naturally defrost your car.
"Of course, this is only useful for those that don’t commute super early before the sun has a chance to rise."
Bec Oakes