CAR owners have been warned against a DIY windscreen de-icing hack that could result in an expensive repair bill.

Winter weather has begun to blanket parts of North, Central, and West Texas with ice and snow, meaning many motorists across the state – and indeed, the country – will need to de-ice their windscreens before hitting the road.

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Car owners have been warned against a DIY windscreen de-icing trick[/caption]

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Of course, the easiest method is to simply use your car’s automatic climate control system[/caption]

Thankfully, AAA Texas has revealed their best tips to prevent and remove windscreen ice.

The easiest method is to simply use your car’s automatic climate control system and set it to defrost.

If your car has an electrically-heated windscreen, turn it on to quickly clear the ice.

However, for those who can’t use this type of technology, drivers can opt for a commercial glass de-icer spray, which typically contains methanol.

Although these products can be pricey and may contain pet-hazardous ethylene glycol, they are effective.

A homemade de-icing solution works just as well and is made of one part isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and two parts water.

Adding a few drops of dish soap can help the mixture spread more evenly.

After spraying this mixture onto the windscreen, drivers can use a plastic scraper, a rubber squeegee, or a soft bristle brush to remove the ice as it begins to melt.

However, AAA Texas advises against using metal scrapers, as they can scratch the glass and damage the wiper blades.

They also suggest avoiding the use of hot water, which can crack the glass due to thermal shock.

Moreover, tapping on the ice with a hammer or other tool can also damage the windscreen, and using a torch is an incredibly bad idea.

Other, less obvious ways drivers can damage their vehicles in the winter include using vinegar-based pretreatments, alcohol-based de-icing solutions, and dishwashing soap.

While not directly harmful to car paint, these substances can remove car wax and leave the finish exposed to the elements and corrosive chemicals, such as road salts used in the winter.

In general, repairs to cars, from bodywork to windscreen replacement, can be costly – especially at this time of year.

In some cases, drivers may be forced to pay out $1,000s to repair their vehicles this winter by making silly, de-icing mistakes.

This comes as another car expert has shared their top tip to quickly clear ice from vehicle windows on cold winter mornings.

In the colder months, drivers are faced with the daily challenge of de-icing their cars – leaving them running the risk of being late for work or school.

Ed Colley, Head of Brand and Marketing at UK-based window repair and replacement service Autoglass, shared a method that he said works great – using a simple rain-repellent spray on the car’s windshield the night before temperatures drop.

“The best bet for clearing the frost is to use a proper ice scraper, which can remove the ice efficiently without scratching the glass,” he said.

“For those who are really prepared, applying a rain repellent to your windscreen the night before will limit the water sitting on the glass and can make de-icing your windscreen much easier and quicker.”

Drivers can find the product Rain-X Original Treatment in a 3.5 oz bottle at stores such as Walmart for less than $4.

BEYONCE’S upcoming Christmas performance will come with some special refreshments for NFL fans.

Queen Bey is scheduled to perform in her hometown of Houston during the clash between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens at the NRG Stadium on December 25.

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And the NFL faithful will get to enjoy the half-time extravaganza with some special festive treat in Texas.

According to TMZ, the Texans will be serving unique Beyonce-themed cocktails across premium bar locations at the stadium.

One is called the “Texan Honey”, which is a mix of whiskey, lemon juice, honey syrup and ginger beer.

Another is the “Blazin’ Cactus” — a spicy tequila drink that includes pomegranate syrup, lime juice and club soda.

The third is the “Ruby Sparkler,” which features blood orange vodka, prosecco, lime juice and cranberry juice.

And finally, fans can try the “Silver Spritz,” which has cognac and blackberry syrup.

Beyonce is not the only music icon to be performing in the NFL on Christmas.

Mariah Carey will also be singing her famous All I want for Christmas is You tune.

A taped performance of Carey’s seasonal hit will air before the first live game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Acrisure Stadium.

And Netflix have announced the national anthem performers for the Christmas spectacular.

Voices of Service will perform before the Chiefs’ clash with the Steelers.

And Pentatonix will perform before the game between the Ravens and the Texans.

IT was a people-smuggling operation so blatant that the Brits behind it promoted a platinum service on TikTok.

Dilshad Shamo and pal Ali Khdir are believed to have helped hundreds of migrants from Iraq, Iran and Syria make their way into the UK.

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The gang used TikTok for their reviews[/caption]

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Migrants looking happy on a boat[/caption]

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They worked in a legal car wash by day but were constantly on their phones fixing up deals[/caption]

They boasted about their success on social media in an operation police have described as being ‘like TripAdvisor for people smugglers’.

By day the pair worked in a legal car wash in the historic Welsh town of Caerphilly where they both lived.

Behind the scenes, they worked as fixers for crime bosses who “operated as travel agents” in the Arab world.

They relied on Shamo and Khdir to organise perilous trips through Europe in the back of lorries and on boats and also on holiday flights with fake documents.

The men last month pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal immigration and The Sun can today reveal the nefarious methods used by two who, incredibly, both have British citizenship.

Shamo is suspected of gaining a UK passport in a sham marriage to a Welsh woman while Khdir has failed in previous attempts to move his Iraqi family into the UK from Denmark, where they currently have asylum.

The global operation saw migrants charged up to £15,000 to get into Europe before making their way into Britain.

They were offered three tiers of ‘travel packages’.

Danger trips

The most basic cost around £8000 and forced illegals to walk through MINEFIELDS in the former war-torn Yugoslavia while those hiding on boats were told to carry lemons to prevent scurvy on long trips.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is contaminated by land mines used during the Bosnian War between 1992 and 1995.

Meanwhile, Kdhir, 40, who was born in Iran, and Shamo, 41, originally from Iraq, are believed to have been building up riches back in the Middle East.

The operation to nail the pair is among the most complex ever carried out by the National Crime Agency – Britain’s version of the FBI.

NCA branch commander Derek Evans said: “We have disrupted a massive network of smugglers.

“We believe these men are responsible for hundreds of people getting into the UK through Europe.

“Our investigation ran for eight months so we don’t know how many cases they were involved in before they came on to our radar.

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The men promoted their smuggling services on Telegram[/caption]

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Migrant ‘selfie’ in the back of a lorry[/caption]

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Dilshad Shamo lived life in a ‘modest house’ with his wife (not pictured) and four kids[/caption]

“If you look back months, maybe even years, then you’re talking about doubling that amount, if not tripling it. 

“We’re maybe be looking at figures in the early thousands.”

Cops put Shamo under investigation in August 2022 after intelligence tip offs and bugged his Mercedes car, recording conversations between him and Khdir which revealed they were running a multi-million pound racket.

They were linked to a cartel of people smugglers who ran agents taking ‘bookings’ in Iraq, Turkey, Moldova and Belarus in Eastern Europe.

Thank God the route was easy

Migrant smuggled into the UK

Derek Evans said: “Each country had people who effectively acted like travel agents, offering trips to the UK through Europe and to Canada.

“They would then contact Shamo and Khadi who were involved in signposting and arranging travel for different parts of the journey.

“They offered different services, from platinum which involved providing fake passports for ordinary flights across Europe to the basic which would see several people in a car or cramped into the back of a lorry.

“These people would be dropped at stop off points and have to walk considerable distances to the next pick-up point.

“The migrants we identified in the Balkan states had to walk through woodland in the former Yugoslavia, which was broken up in the nineties following the civil war and where there are still land mines in the woods.

“They would be sent a pin drop on their phone to locations where they would be picked up for the next leg of their journey.

“Those who were travelling on boats, usually from Turkey to Italy, who might have been stuck hiding in small places for any length of time, were told to take a small kit onboard which included water, eight days of food and lemons to prevent scurvy.”

TikTok boasts

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Family of migrants who gave their illegal plane journey a glowing review[/caption]

The gang boasted of their success through TikTok and Telegram sending potential customers clips of previous successes in videos.

In one, a family who travelled by plane stated: “We are very happy…this is the visa, may God bless him, we are very happy.”

Another migrant, who hid in the back of a lorry, said: “Crossing agreement with the knowledge of the driver. Here we have men, women and children. Thank god the route was easy and good.”

Shamo and Khdir lived modest lives in Wales despite making potentially millions from their venture.

Khdir lived in a small flat he shared with others next to the car wash where he worked, while Shamo lived in a modest semi-detached with his wife and four children, all aged under five.

Cops say Shamo had a short-lived marriage to a Welsh woman which lasted less than a year and they suspect may have been a sham marriage.

The pair are believed to have built up their riches in the Middle East as barely any cash was deposited into their accounts.

Instead, the cash was lodged with bankers in Iraq and Istanbul using Hawala, a form of underground banking in which money is passed through a network of dealers.

NCA branch commander Evans said the case was made more difficult because the pair spoke in the Kurdish language of Badini.

He said: “It was a hugely complicated case with lots of challenges.

“They met pretty much every day in cafes, restaurants and shisha bars; places where, culturally, our surveillance teams would have stuck out so we were unable to go in.

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Dilshad Shamo, left, and Ali Khdir, ran ‘Tripadvisor for people smugglers’[/caption]

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Ali Khdir being watched by cops[/caption]

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Shoma and Khdir sent ‘customers’ messages on Whatsapp and TikTok[/caption]

“These men were getting paid a daily cash wage to wash cars then would take a phone call and go off and talk about moving people around Europe, who they referred to as ‘batches’.

“They spoke in the Kurdish Badini dialect so we had an independent translator transcribe hundreds of conversations, some recorded by a listening device in Shamo’s car.

“It was gaining access to their phones after their arrests that really helped, seeing all their messages and Whatsapp and TikToks, which helped us build up the evidence in court.”

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