Good Wiper Blades Can Make Your Trip Safer and More Enjoyable!

For many years I would use the cheapest wiper blades that I could get my hands on. One day in an ice storm when one fell off and the other froze to the windshield I decided that using less than perfect blades was unacceptable.

Since then I will shop around extensively looking for the best price on a set of wiper blades, and I will get next years winter blades for almost nothing by getting them well in advance. For example my friend who owns an auto parts store had a sale in May on Winter Wiper Blades for $5 each. I bought new winter blades for every car I own!

Now that the season is heading out of Summer and into Fall I am looking at changing the existing blades out for these new ones that I purchased really cheap.

It is not always the ideal time when you find out that your wiper blades are not up to par, since the first time you try them is when the unexpected torrential downpour of rain hits when you are least prepared! I prefer instead to use the washer fluid switch to activate the blades and spray some fluid onto the glass and see how the blades perform.

You can get a pretty good feel for the age and condition of the blades just by watching the pattern which is created when you run the wipers with the washer motor on. If it is really streaky I will stop and use a moist towelette to wipe down the edge of the wiper blade. This can be very helpful in a pinch but don't wait until the first snow storm to know something this important needs your attention.

Once I see a pattern developing then it is time to ditch the old wiper blades and go put on the new ones I picked up in the spring. In a jam i will use a bit of grease cutting dish washing detergent in some warm water with a clean towel. Washing off the road grime and oils that collect on the rubber makes them work again at least for a few days.

Another trick I use for rejuvenating old wiper blades is after washing off the road grime and oils followed by rinsing and drying, I will clean the wiper edges with a very fine sand paper. Do not go crazy with the sandpaper as you just want to clean off the edges.

These tips and tricks apply to warm weather driving as well, since you never know when it may rain. When rain causes multiple car pileups you have to wonder if maybe someone had bad wiper blades when the downpour started which helped to cause the crash!

Good wiper blades are a very important safety component which can make your trip safer and more enjoyable! Using cheap wiper blades can really ruin your day when they smear the windshield instead of cleaning it!

Thank you for reading my articles here on AC - Yahoo!