The windshield wipers that rest at the base of your windshield are one of the hidden heroes of your vehicle. Seriously, without them you wouldn’t be able to drive in the rain, get bug splatters off, clean dirt and dust and pollen off the glass, and you certainly wouldn’t be able to drive in winter. But how much do you actually think about your windshield wipers? I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s not a lot, unless something gets stuck in them or you run out of washer fluid. Well, I feel like it’s important to tell you about how to maintain your windshield wipers properly and how to tell when it’s time to replace them. Check it out!You should take a look at your wipers at least every time you get gas. When you’re inspecting your wiper blades, look for the following:
- Broken frame, which is detachment of frame arms at joints or connection points.
- Metal corrosion, especially at joints and claws.
- Visible cracks, tears, and missing pieces in the rubber squeegee’s edge.
- Flex the rubber squeegee back and forth to see if it is still flexible. Aged squeegees will have difficulty conforming to the shape of your windshield and create streaks.
- Check the squeegee wiping edge for rounded edges which can prevent the wiper blade from making strong contact with the windshield and reduces wipe quality.
- Tug to ensure that the wiper blade has been securely installed on the wiper arm.
- Check to make sure that the squeegee is secure in the wiper frame.
- Sun: Ultraviolet light and ozone deterioration
- Oil: Car waxes and exhaust hold rubber-deteriorating oil
- Airborne debris: Sand, mud, and dust carried in the wind
- Moisture: Acid rain and salt water (in moist air both near the shore and inland)
- Streaking: occurs when the rubber squeegee dries, hardens and cracks. It can also be caused by tree sap, road tar and other foreign substances collected on either the glass or the blade.
- Skipping: occurs when the blade develops a curvature from lack of use (e.g. left in the ‘parked position’ for an extended length of time).
- Wearing: occurs with extensive use and is when the rubber edges are rounded instead of squared.
- Splitting: caused when the sun’s ultraviolet rays penetrate the rubber squeegee, causing it to break down and separate from the frame.
- Bent refill vertebra and bent frames: cause inconsistent contact with the glass surface, creating streaking or skipping.
- Clean your windshield every time you fill your gas tank.
- Gently wipe the rubber squeegee with a damp paper towel to remove any loose dirt or oil.
- Never use your windshield wipers to de-ice your windshield. Instead, either use an ice scraper or use your defroster to melt snow and ice.
- Pull your wiper blades away from the windshield during winter months to prevent ice build up on the rubber squeegee and to prevent them from sticking to the windshield.
