What's the best way to defrost a frozen windshield?

Published on Oct 18, 2025

Hey folks! This is Jake from Magnatech Auto Glass.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from y'all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"What's the best way to defrost a frozen windshield?"

Answer:

It's just going to crack right across. But, uh, yeah, definitely don't do that. The safest way would just be using the vehicle's own uh defrost. Uh let the vehicle warm up naturally. You know, obviously if it's packed with snow, if it's packed with snow, use the ice scrapers, get all the the heavy snow off of the vehicle first, and then just let the vehicle warm up.

Summary:

Magnatech Autoglass advises against pouring hot water on a frozen windshield due to the risk of cracking the glass. The safest method is to use the vehicle's built-in defrost system, allowing it to warm up naturally after clearing heavy snow with ice scrapers.

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