Month: October 2022

The cold winter months present several challenges to drivers. For one thing, you need to be mindful of road conditions, altering your plans when snow or ice make the roads dangerous. But another issue that often comes up in cold weather is frozen windshield wipers. If the temperature drops below the freezing mark, and there is enough moisture on the windshield, the wipers will likely become frozen to the glass. This is a problem not only because you won’t be able to move the wipers if you need them, but also because the rubber wipers might be damaged in the process. We’d like to tackle this problem in the article, below. Read on to learn how to fix frozen windshield wipers.

It’s no secret that winter weather can be harsh on your vehicle. You may also like to consider solutions that help protect your vehicle from other cold-weather car problems, like the dreaded dead winter battery or snow damage to your car and its body. You can accomplish this by adding a detached, insulated garage where you park your vehicle! If that’s the option you want to pursue, get started by exploring our Build & Price tool. If you have any questions about customizing your garage, simply contact us at American Carports. Our team is here to help you design the perfect garage for your vehicle and your home.

Start By Avoiding These Mistakes

Dealing with frozen windshield wipers is as much about what you shouldn’t do as what you should do. First and foremost, absolutely do not bring hot water from your home to pour on the wipers. This seems like a logical step, but it could do serious damage. When the hot water meets the frozen wipers and glass, the windshield could crack due to thermal shock. Sure, this would be the fastest way to get the wipers unstuck and ready to go, but rushing the process just isn’t worth the risk.

Also, resist the temptation to grab the wipers and pull them away from the windshield. In the process of trying to pull them up, you could rip some of the rubber off of the wiper blade, or you might even break the wiper assembly. Again, it’s just not worth the risk, and there is a better way to solve the problem.

The Right Solution

When you find that your wipers are frozen to your windshield, simply get inside the vehicle, turn it on, and turn up the defroster. After a few moments have passed, the air will get warm and the windshield will gradually lose its ice. Yes, this takes longer than pouring hot water on the wipers, but that’s the point – gradually warming the area avoids thermal shock and prevents damage from occurring. You’ll just need to bring some patience with you while sitting behind the wheel and waiting for everything to melt.

If you have to leave your home early in the morning, and you know the temperatures are supposed to drop well below freezing, plan a little extra time into your schedule to defrost the car. Even bumping your alarm clock up by five minutes should be enough to give you the time needed to warm up the vehicle and get ready to hit the road safely.

Prevention Is Even Better

Allowing your defroster to run for a few minutes will gradually thaw out your windshield and the wipers will be released from the frozen grip. This is a good solution when you find yourself in such a situation – but it would be better to avoid such a situation in the first place.

Ideally, that would mean parking inside a garage, where the temperature will be moderated and moisture won’t be able to settle on the vehicle. A properly insulated detached garage can control temperatures by as much as 10 to 20 degrees F. While this may not seem like much, it can mean the difference between freezing temperatures and non-freezing temperatures for your car. If that isn’t possible, you can cover the vehicle with cardboard, a large cloth, or a dedicated car cover. This won’t do anything about the outdoor temperatures, of course, but it should keep moisture from freezing on the windshield, and the wipers won’t be locked up when you are ready to leave.

Protect Your Vehicle with American Carports

We hope you enjoyed this blog on how to fix frozen windshield wipers! As you can imagine, it’s hard to overstate the luxurious feeling of parking inside an insulated metal garage in the middle of winter. If you are used to parking outside and having to deal with the elements, walking out in the morning to a vehicle that has been protected from the weather all night long will be quite a treat. To build a quality structure that is backed by a 20-year warranty and can be expected to stand the test of time, turn to American Carports.

To get started, explore our Build & Price tool. If you have any questions along the way, simply contact us at American Carports. Our team is here to help you design the perfect garage for your vehicle and your home!

There is a lot to love about cats. As pets, they can make life around your house endlessly fun and interesting – but you don’t necessarily want them crawling all over your car. If you have been dealing with the problem of cats making your vehicle something of a home base, we’d like to offer some advice in this article to appropriately deal with the problem.

At American Carports, Inc., metal carports are our specialty. Through the use of our simple Build & Price tool, it’s possible to design something that lines up nicely with your needs, suits your budget, and keeps the neighborhood cats away.

Car Covers Offer Physical Protection

As a starting point, you might think about buying a car cover to protect your vehicle while it is parked. If you are having a problem with cats crawling on your car and marking it up with scratches, the cover will protect the vehicle’s finish and keep it free from damage. As an added bonus, using a car cover will offer protection from other forms of potential damage, such as UV rays from the sun on a hot summer day.

Of course, the notable downside to a car cover is the work you need to do to take it on and off each day. When you head out to your vehicle in the morning, you’ll have to take the cover off – and then you’ll need to put it back on when you return home. This task doesn’t take particularly long, but it might get frustrating doing it day after day. As a result, you might find that you stop bothering with it at all after a while, and then it won’t provide any protection at all.

Try Various Repellant Options

If you don’t want to use a car cover to create a physical barrier between the cat and your car, there are various other techniques that people use to keep cats (and other animals) away. These tend to deliver inconsistent results, so you might have to try a few before you land on something that works.

• One of the common options to keep various types of animals away from a vehicle is to use mothballs. The smell of mothballs is quite unpleasant, and the cats may simply decide to look for somewhere else to hang out rather than dealing with the smell. Of course, that smell isn’t going to be enjoyable for you, either, so if placing them around your vehicle leads to an unwanted odor inside, this technique might not be a win in the end.
• Cayenne pepper. Another option for something you might have around the house is cayenne pepper. If you know where the cats tend to hang out, lightly dust that area with cayenne in an effort to keep them away. It might even work to sprinkle the pepper around the perimeter of the car on the ground so you don’t have to put it directly on the vehicle.
• Buy commercial products. There are plenty of products on the market that are intended to help keep cats away from your vehicle, so you might choose to purchase one of these sprays to see how it works for you.

Address the Root of the Problem

Some of the repellant techniques might pay off for you, at least for a while, but they are a hassle and probably not a good long-term solution. Do you want to sprinkle pepper around your vehicle every night before bed? Probably not. At some point, the best thing you can do is address the problem and figure out where the cats are coming from and why they are hanging around your vehicle.

Who owns the cats? Can you ask that they be kept inside, or at least off of your property? Maybe even asking that the cat’s nails are cut shorter so no damage is done to your vehicle would be a possibility. While it might not always be possible, finding a way to address the issue of stray cats entirely would be the best outcome for all involved.

Keep the Cats Away with American Carports

While the methods we mentioned above all have the potential to be effective strategies for keeping cats away, there is nothing quite like parking your vehicle in a protected space. Building a metal garage with the help of American Carports, Inc. will put a physical barrier before your car and the neighborhood cats. We’d love to help you bring this project to life! Get started on your next project today with our simple Build & Price tool. If you have any questions along the way, our team is always here to help!

One of the easiest ways to get your vehicle looking great is to give it a wash. As dirt and grime build up mile after mile, your car can start to look pretty nasty. Most car owners give it no second thought, and a quick trip through the car wash it is.

Not so fast. There is some concern that the act of washing your car could actually be harmful in the long run. Is that true? This article is going to dive into this topic and help you understand the big picture of what car washes can do to your car and how to make them a healthy part of your car maintenance plan.

If you are someone who takes car care seriously, you would probably love to park your vehicle under a roof, rather than out in the open. For that, turn to Carport Kingdom to add an affordable carport or metal garage to your property. You might be surprised by how easy this project can be, and when you order from us, the building you receive can be expected to last for many years to come. Start by trying our Build & Price tool, and contact us if you have any questions along the way!

Are Car Washes Bad for Your Car?

Determining whether or not a car wash is going to damage your vehicle depends entirely on how the car is being washed. Generally speaking, automatic car washes – the kind you pay a few dollars to drive through – are going to be pretty rough on your vehicle’s finish.

Sure, the car might look sparkly when you drive away, but some damage was likely done that could come back to haunt you later on. Some automatic car washes are better than others, but you can assume that at least a little damage will be incurred when you take this option.

As you might imagine, hand washing is far better for your vehicle in terms of avoiding damage. Sure, you might still create some tiny little scratches, but if you do the job carefully, your vehicle’s finish should come away in good shape and the car will be nicely cleaned when you are done. If at all possible, opt for hand washing over automatic car washes to help protect your vehicle’s finish in the long run.

The Best Way to Care for Your Car

Just skipping out on washing your car entirely isn’t the right way to approach this matter. After all, washing your car doesn’t just make it look nice, but it also has some protective benefits by taking dirt and grime off the vehicle that could gradually harm the finish over time. So, what you’ll want to do is come up with a plan that allows you to keep your car clean throughout the year without inflicting too much unintentional harm along the way. Here are some tips to do just that –

• Mostly hand wash. We aren’t going to say that you should never take your vehicle through an automatic car wash, because that might not be reasonable for your situation. But we do think you should wash your car by hand most of the time, if at all possible. Then, the occasional automatic wash won’t be a big deal, especially if you visit a quality facility with good equipment.
• Buy good gear. Speaking of quality equipment, be sure to invest in good supplies to perform your hand washes. That means buying nice towels and brushes to work on your vehicle, and even spending a little more on quality car wash soap. The small things can make a big difference in the results you get for your efforts, so build a good kit of car wash gear and your time is sure to be well spent.
• Apply some wax. If you are willing to go through the extra step of adding some wax after you wash your car, you’ll be creating a protective layer that can help keep the vehicle’s finish in good condition. You don’t have to do this after every wash, but keep it in mind when you have some extra time and want your vehicle to look its very best.

Protect Your Vehicle with American Carports

After taking the time to care for your vehicle, it would be a shame to allow your car to be harmed by the conditions that Mother Nature might throw your way. To keep your vehicle protected, consider parking under a metal structure from Carport Kingdom. Our carports are affordable, impressively durable, and can be styled to look great alongside your home or other buildings. We are excited to work with you on this project. Start by trying our Build & Price tool, and contact us if you have any questions along the way!

For many folks across the U.S., you can count on plenty of snowy days when winter comes around. When driving in freezing conditions, we all know that maintaining traction on the road is critical for safety. If you are thinking about ordering snow tires for your vehicle, there are a few questions to ask yourself first. Are snow tires worth it? And, are they the best option for you? Here’s what you need to know before you make a purchase.

Beyond the possibility of adding snow tires to your vehicle, another nice step you can take for winter comfort and convenience is adding a carport to your property. By using covered parking throughout the winter, you’ll enjoy plenty of benefits. Keeping snow off your vehicle is only the beginning! You can also look forward to other perks, including reducing your chances of the dreaded dead winter car battery. Check out the possibilities with our Build & Price tool, and contact us directly if you have any questions along the way!

Snow Tires vs All-Season Tires

When it comes to choosing between snow tires or all-season tires, snow tires will almost always outperform all-season tires under snowy and icy conditions. Snow tires work by giving you better traction, more stability, and better stopping power. All-season tires really can’t come close when it comes to what snow tires are capable of on frosty roads.

While it’s common knowledge that snow tires are made for winter conditions, you might not be aware that these kinds of tires actually help your vehicle’s performance even when it’s not snowing.

There are a couple of notable ways in which snow tires are different from standard, all-season tires. First is the tread pattern. Where the tread layout on standard tires might get clogged up by snow and ice on the roads, a snow tire is engineered to get that snow buildup out of the treads as fast as possible. This means that the treads stay exposed to the road, rather than getting clogged as soon as you start driving, and you maintain a better grip on the road as a result.

Another factor that is regularly overlooked, but just as important, is the tread compound used to create snow tires. The rubber of a standard all-season tire is going to get quite hard in the cold weather, and the surface of the tire can be slick and rigid as a result. That does not lead to good grip in winter conditions. Dedicated winter tires will feature a softer compound, so cold temperatures don’t present those same issues. This wouldn’t work particularly well in warm weather, but that’s why they are designated for cold climates – the soft compound is a great option in such a setting.

Managing Snow Tires

As mentioned above, some of the characteristics of snow tires are not suitable for warmer conditions. For this reason, most people who own a set of snow tires take them on and off their vehicle depending on the season. They use all-season tires throughout the warmer parts of the year and snow tires when the temperatures start to drop. Yes, this means owning two sets of tires, but you get far better performance throughout the year as a result.

Just like with any other set of tires, you want to keep them inflated to an appropriate level based on the recommendations for the tire and your vehicle. You’ll also need to think in advance about your storage solution for this set of tires when they aren’t on your vehicle, so be sure you have a garage or other space available where four tires can live for half of the year.

The Financial Picture

It would be easy enough to think that having snow tires is going to be more expensive than just going with all-season tires, since you have to own two sets rather than one. But each of those sets is only working for half the year – so they will wear down half as quickly as they would if on your vehicle for all twelve months. In the end, if your tires are managed properly and kept at a suitable pressure level, you should wind up spending the same amount of money in the long run, and you’ll get much better traction in varied driving conditions.

Stay Covered this Winter with American Carports

Adding a set of snow tires is a great way to care for your vehicle and to keep you safe on the road during the cold winter months. While you are thinking about what you can do for your vehicle this winter, also consider the addition of a parking structure from American Carports, Inc. With a quality set of winter tires and a protected place to park when not on the road, you’ll be ready for whatever the season has in store. Check out the possibilities with our Build & Price tool, and contact us directly if you have any questions along the way!