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If your windshield washer system is frozen in winter, fortunately you are only dealing with a relatively harmless problem. We’ll show you how to solve it.
First aid: Frozen windshield washer system
If you notice in the morning that your windshield washer system is frozen, it’s best to leave your car where it is. Especially in winter, you never know when you might need to use the wipers while driving.
- First, get some antifreeze from the nearest gas station or hardware store. Fill the windshield washer fluid reservoir to the top with it.
- Alternatively, you can speed up the process with warm water, provided the temperature is above freezing. However, due to the temperature difference, warm water can cause the ice to break and damage the reservoir and pipes.
- A hair dryer can also speed up the process somewhat. However, this method is not exactly recommended either. Unfortunately, a hair dryer works very slowly, while more powerful devices can cause damage, which is why you should proceed with extreme caution when using this method.
- If you drive your car for a long time, the heat from the engine will defrost the windshield washer system on its own. Just be patient.
- In the worst case, it may later turn out that the tank or the associated lines are cracked. However, replacement is still relatively inexpensive.
Washer nozzles frozen – what to do?
- In some cases, it may not be the water in the windshield washer system that is frozen, but only the nozzles. In this case, the water is prevented from coming out.
- Take a slightly pointed object and use it to remove the ice from the nozzles. Alternatively, you can spray some de-icer under the windshield wipers.
