Ricart Ford view of winter storm.

If you live in one of the many places from the Midwest to the Northeast which has the recipient of ice and snow this past week, then you or someone you know has had or still has a car with ice patches covering some, most, or all of it… except the little peep hole you gouged out on the windshield so you could at least move the thing so you could shovel your driveway or parking space. (Of course you would never ever drive around the streets with just a peep hole, right?)

Well, seeing that Ricart Ford is located in Columbus, Ohio, we did get the ice and snow. We also thought a few tips on dealing with it are in order.

So when your vehicle is covered in ice, what do you do? If you are unable to hop the next flight to Miami or someplace even warmer, then Plan “A” of waiting on a white sandy beach until June and the natural melting of the ice before you return just isn’t an option for you.

Since you should never pour water on the vehicle to melt the ice, as this can cause “spider webbing” in the paint, you’ll probably want to go with Plan “B”. If you are able to open a door to the vehicle, just start it up, turn the car heater to defrost, adjust the heat setting as high as it goes, and turn the blower on low. Because heat rises, the top of the car is where the ice will begin to melt first. As water builds up between the car and the melting ice, you can lift the ice off in manageable pieces, but try to avoid sliding the ice off as much as possible to avoid any dirt in the ice or water scratching along the painted surface. If you can not open the door, then a long (out door) extension cord and a hair dryer can be used to melt enough ice around one of the doors to allow you to get in and move on with Plan “B”.

If windshield icing is the problem, you can also spray a mixture of ½ water and ½ vinegar on the glass to help melt the ice faster.

Obviously mentioning driving around with just a peep hole through the ice on your windshield was just a joke, because if you do drive around with ice and snow on your car, it’s gonna start breaking off as you drive and it melts, and when it does, you place all the vehicles around you in danger of being hit by the frozen debris as it flies off your car. Oh, and if you check with Law Enforcement Officials in your area, you will probably find it is illegal to drive around like that in your community, but enough of this standing on a soap box… you’ll do the right thing.

We hope this helps you with any future iced car problems, and if you ever need any other vehicle advice or assistance, just contact your Ricart Ford Family. Drive safely!