How to get things off your windscreen
I just spent an hour cleaning stuff off my windscreen. Thrilling way to spend a Saturday evening! Here's some tips that seem to make it easier.
Whatever you need to take off, keep some glass cleaner (ie. Windex) and methylated spirits on hand; you'll need those to clean up any dirt and glue residue.
Electronic toll tags
Most of them are stuck to your windscreen using one of those 3M sticky tabs which is basically a foam pad with extremely sticky stuff on one side.
A lot of instructions will tell you that while the tag is still attached, you can essentially twist it to one side, bringing it free of the windscreen. This works as long as you remember to do it before you've traded it in for a working one. (Good job, me.)
In the event that you've got a tag holder with no tag in it, it turns out that you can cut straight through the pad with dental floss; take a decent sized length, wrap it around the tag holder, and use it in a sawing motion. Be careful not to hurt your hands while you do so.
Eventually you'll saw right through the pad, enabling you to get a better grip on the rest of the pad and pull it free. You could also use a hair dryer or heat gun to get it loose.
Sticky labels
Don't do what I did, which was to scrape them off with the blunt edge of a Stanley knife. While this works, it takes ages, makes a mess and, if you're not careful, might leave scratches.
Instead, if you can, get a sponge and dip it in hot water straight out of the kettle. Hold it against the label using a tea-towel or glove or something that won't transmit as much wet heat to your hand. In time, the glue should loosen and you can pull the label off in one go.
This might not work so well with older labels, but it should still get most of it free without having to scrape at it so much.
Anything larger
Can't really be addressed by this guide, but at the very least, pull over and call a tow truck and your insurance company. Try not to do that again.
Understandably, Windex and metho might not help here.
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