Windscreen Wipers care

Wiper blades are one of the most important parts of your vehicle. Essentially, two pieces of rubber mounted on two arms are all that keep your windscreen clean and your vision unhindered from dust, water and in bad weather. But, in spite of this, many car owners pay little or no attention to these essential components thereby unknowingly putting themselves and motorists around them at risk. For one to have good vision while driving on the road, wiper blades have to be operating well. You should be able to navigate in bad weather conditions such as heavy rain, fog, or snow, but this is only possible if your wiper blades are well-kept and checked frequently. Here are a few tips on what you can do to keep your wiper blades in their best shape.

1.     Physically check the wipers

First, make sure the arms of the wipers are as tight as possible. This will ensure that the blades are not loose and the surface of the windshield can be cleaned at ease. If loose, check if the wiper arm is loose or if it is just the blade. Loose wiper arms can generally be tightened by a standard 10mm wrench.

2.     Adjust the Wiper Blades

If you have tightened the arms of your car’s wipers but still have a dirty windshield, you may need to adjust the wiper blades, making sure they are in full contact with the windshield. This will allow them to clean as much surface area as possible when they are in operation. Also remember to adjust the wiper angle so that they give you the maximum sweep angle possible so as to give you the maximum clean area possible.

3.     Clean your wiper blades

Although one can usually clean your wiper blades using a wet cloth and a bit of soap, maintaining a clean wiper is more difficult. The best way to do that is to add a tablespoon of liquid soap in your windscreen washer fluid reservoir, especially during the rains. The soap will not only clean sludge better than what water can but also create a micro film that will keep particulates of dirt away.

4.     Wiper maintenance in the summer

Harmful UV rays and an Indian summer’s heat can cause havoc on your wiper’s rubber blades. The best way to protect them is to keep your wipers in a freezer or a fridge. This protects the rubber at a molecular level and will keep your blades fresh for the monsoon.

5.     Upgrade your wiper blades

There are two types of blades available on the market today. The conventional setup, with a metal spring arm and a thin blade of rubber has been used since the invention of the wiper in 1903. The newer beam blades, introduced in early 2000 are costlier than a conventional one but way more effective. These blades are more durable, do the work better while being less noisy than the conventional ones. It would be advisable to switch to the beam blades if you do not mind the price. Apart from doing their job well, they also look very good, especially on modern cars.