Grumps wrote:

I've always been told that you shouldn't use water as it could crack the
glass. Is this true or one of those old wives' tales?

From the replies posted so far, no-one seems to have heard of a
windscreen breaking from the application of water. Might the old
wive's tale have originated in much earlier times, when glass
technology was not what it is today, and screens were more easily
shattered? I've used the water method for thirty-odd years with no
problems.