How Temperature Affects Your Windshield

1. How Temperature Affects Windshield Cold Weather Can Stress In winter, your windshield gets cold and shrinks. If you turn on the car heater, the inside glass warms up while the outside stays cold. This sudden difference in temperature puts pressure on the glass. If there’s even a small chip, it can crack and spread quickly. Avoid Using Hot Wate Pouring hot water on a frozen windshield can cause it to crack. The sudden heat makes the cold glass expand too quickly, leading to damage. Heat Can Weaken On hot days, your windshield expands from the heat. If you quickly cool the car with strong AC, the inside glass contracts. This sudden change can stress the glass, making small cracks worse—especially in older cars with weakened windshields. Temperature Swings In older cars, small windshield chips can grow fast when temperatures keep changing. Hot and cold weather make the glass expand and shrink, putting pressure on weak spots. This makes cracks spread quicker over time. Sunlight Slowly Damages In older cars, long exposure to sunlight can weaken the inside layer of the windshield. UV rays break down the glass over time, making it less clear and more likely to crack from small impacts.