Is it safe to drive with the front broken in the snow?

Hey y’all, I had an accident today when someone ran a red light and damaged the front of my car. The snow is coming down pretty hard where I am. Should I be worried about driving my car tomorrow? The only damage is to the front plastic; nothing else seems wrong. I’m just concerned if the snow coming in through the front could cause any problems. Thanks for any advice!

Thanks for posting here, lizzybear1798!

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If there’s no leak and the tire lights aren’t on, you should be okay.

Eliot said:
If there’s no leak and the tire lights aren’t on, you should be okay.

Thanks! That makes me feel a bit better.

You can zip tie a couple of pizza boxes to protect it until payday.

@Amelia
So you’re driving around with an exposed LED headlamp for months and bragging about it? OP didn’t even say there were any issues, just asked if it’s safe to drive like this. Weird flex!

Palmer said:
@Amelia
So you’re driving around with an exposed LED headlamp for months and bragging about it? OP didn’t even say there were any issues, just asked if it’s safe to drive like this. Weird flex!

The water cooling on LEDs makes them brighter, obviously. You’re getting one over on Ford with this setup.

@Amelia
In 2025, Fords will come pre-wrecked.

The snow should melt once the engine warms up. It should be fine. If you’re worried about airflow, you can scrape some snow off gently with a plastic putty knife, but I don’t think it’ll be an issue.

Nuri said:
The snow should melt once the engine warms up. It should be fine. If you’re worried about airflow, you can scrape some snow off gently with a plastic putty knife, but I don’t think it’ll be an issue.

Thanks! I’ll give that a try if I need to.

The real problem is debris getting in. Normally the guard keeps it out, but now you don’t have that protection. If it were me, I’d at least tape some wire mesh on for extra protection. Also, if you have other cars or don’t mind a couple of Ubers, I’d leave this one at home. If the shop hasn’t looked at it yet, there might be hidden damage that could make things worse if you drive it.

@Bowie
Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll keep that in mind!

Watch your temperatures. It should be fine since it’s cold and the heater will be on, but snow could block the airflow to the first radiator (your A/C condenser). This can affect the second radiator, which is for the coolant. If you turn on the A/C (for defrost, for example), it will heat up the condenser and melt the snow. After that, you should be okay and won’t have to worry about overheating.

If your condenser is covered in snow, it’s a good idea to clean it off. If you don’t, it could rust.

All good!

Don’t drive if it’s very windy. Without the plastic, more airflow will get where it shouldn’t. If you see a lot of snow building up under the car, don’t let it soak places that shouldn’t be wet.

Looks like it’s going to be a snow adventure. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Maybe you’ll be able to fit more snow in there. Guess we’ll find out.

As long as the headlights are working, it should be fine. Just make sure your engine warms up so the snow melts away.