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Windshield Wiper Blades
Windshield wiper blades -- those rubber wipers
that clean your windshield --
are an important
safety feature because they can
help you
see in a rain or snow storm.
But old wipers,
leaving drops, streaks, and blurs
on your
window, can be a real safety
hazard, particularly
at night. When should you change
them and
to which wipers?
Time to Change
The rubber blades of the wipers wear out
from use and from exposure to the elements.
The sun, in particular, causes the rubber
to harden and crack; when it stiffens, the
rubber has a harder time conforming to the
shape of the windshield, thereby causing
streaks.
Selecting New Blades
The simplest approach is to buy the entire
wiper arm. Simplest because you walk into
an car dealer, auto supply store, or local
discount store (Walmart, etc.). Each wiper
manufacturer has a book that you can use
to find the right blade to fit your make
and year car. Removing the old blade and
attaching the new one is a simple operation
(although there is a trick to it, so dispose
of the instructions and have someone show
you how to do it the first time).
A cheaper approach (save as much
as half
or more) is to replace the rubber
wiper.
The only trick here is that you
need to buy
replacements made by the maker
of the original
wiper arm (a lot like razors
and razor blades),
so it limits your options.
Which Ones
There is a wide range of blades
to choose
from. The winter style have a
protective
boot on them to keep snow and
ice out. A
nice thing if your wipers are
prone to being
frozen in snow or ice. Other
than that, you
are pretty much on your own and
at the mercy
of the claims of the manufacturers. |
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