Signs You Need New Wiper Blades
Rain or shine, your wipers are out there with Mother Nature. And therein lies the problem. Mother Nature is no friend to windshield wipers. And they have no protection unless you garage your car, and even then, odds are it spends a good portion of its day on the road or parked in the sunlight. Ah, the sun, although you may love it, it's where one of the
leading sources of rubber deterioration originates — ultraviolet light. And then there's the wind. It transports sand, dirt, and other airborne debris to lie in wait on the windshield, ready to pit the rubber the very next time you run the wipers over them. Lastly, there's acid rain. Although we can't blame Mother Nature for this, she does send the rain. Each of these is doing its part, either corroding the metal or drying out and eating away at the rubber. But you need not turn a blind eye toward their effects. You just have to know where to look for them.
It pays to inspect your windshield wipers regularly, and we don't just mean the rubber of the blades, although they too will yield signs it's time to think about replacements.
- The frame arms may be starting to detach at the joint or some other connection point.
- The metal may be corroding.
- Part of the rubber squeegee is cracking, tearing, or pieces are tearing off.
- The edges of the squeegee are becoming rounded.
If you take the time to check for these signs while performing your
routine car maintenance, your wipers won't have any surprises in store come the next rain.