Winterize your car Tip No. 6: Windows are made to see through

“I can’t see. I can’t see.”

“Why not?”

“My eyes are closed.”

I can almost hear that exchange between Curly and Moe. Anytime you’re driving, it’s a good time to keep your eyes open. In the winter, however, sometimes, keeping your eyes open isn’t enough. Windshields become frosted, covered with salt, snow and road spray. Not only is driving without a sufficient view dangerous and maddening, it can also lead to a ticket for operating a vehicle with an impaired view.

There are several steps you can take to ensure your view is as clear through the windshield as possible. One place to start is taking a look at your wiper blades. Do your wipers operate properly when you turn them on? What is the condition of the blades. Visually inspect the rubber on your wipers for wear and breakage. They’re inexpensive enough that, when in doubt, it’s best to replace them. Do they sit evenly across the windshield? Do they leave streaks?

Next, check your windshield washer solvent. If the reservoir is cracked and leaks, you’ll need to replace it. Here at Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Ct., Ringwood, we can help with that. However, once you’ve identified where to fill the reservoir, it’s easy to fill and there are level indicators on the reservoir you can follow to fill to the correct level.

When called upon, does the washer solvent spray across the windshield as desired? We can clean clogged jets and replace pumps that don’t quite have the proper oomph anymore. However, these are parts that generally work well for years and years and will often outlive your car.

Another thing you can do to improve your winter driving vision is to wipe your windshield, inside and out, with an anti-fogging solution. These are available at inexpensive prices at your local auto parts store. You may also want to keep some extra wipes on hand in the car, in case you need them.

Finally, do you have a good scrapper and brush handy? The scrapper should have sufficient reach so you can clean ice off the entire windshield without lying down on the snow-covered hood of your car. The blade of the scrapper should also match up smoothly, from edge to edge, with your windshield. These are relatively inexpensive items are well worth the modest investment.

To learn more about Performance Unlimited, visit our facebook page at: http://on.fb.me/WinterWindowVision.

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