It's extremely easy to change your
wiper blades, in-fact it's one of the simplest motoring DIY jobs you can tackle yourself
and it's one of the most satisfying jobs to do as you can clearly see the results right in front of you every time you sit in the car and turn on the wipers. A crystal clear view of the road is not only unusually satisfying but goes without saying, is essential for safe day-to-day driving. If your wipers are chattering, squeaking or otherwise failing to wipe cleanly and consistently, it may be time to fit some new ones. Here are some tell-tale signs your wiper blades are worn:
- Lines/streaks - The wiper blade's rubber element can harden or become damaged with age or by repeatedly wiping over foreign objects on the screen.
- Noise - Noisy wipers are usually a sign that the wiper element has hardened, as a result, the wiper blade structure & mountings will wear more quickly.
- Judder - Hardened rubber elements and play in the mounting/adapter are usually the cause of wiper blade judder
- Wind Lift - If high speeds persistently cause the wiper to lift & miss parts of the screen, either the wiper blade or wiper arm itself may need to be replaced.
Fitting new wiper blades: The first step to fitting new blades is making sure you buy the correct ones for your car. Wiper blades are not all the same, they come in different shapes, lengths, styles and different cars have different fittings, but don't be put off! The easiest way of getting the right blades for your car is to use our
registration lookup system, this takes away any guesswork and only shows you wiper blades that are suitable for your exact car. It's much easier to
show you how to fit new wipers than it is to explain, so we made a short video. The car we're using in the demo is a Volkswagen Golf but the same generals principals apply to a lot of popular modern cars.
Top tips:
- Put a jacket or something soft on the windscreen when changing wiper blades. The spring loaded wiper arms, if accidentally knocked from the raised service position can come down with quite a force and could actually crack the windscreen.
- Pay close attention to how you remove each blade & replace one at a time to avoid confusion.
- Buy a reputable brand. In our experience cheaper wiper blades can be a false economy as they don't last as long.
- If your blades are old and worn, you may be able to temporarily rejuvenate them by cleaning & conditioning them. You'll need a silicone based spray like Einszett Silicon Spray and a cloth. It's worth pointing out you can also get a noticeable improvement by simply wiping along the length of the rubber element with an alcohol wipe or even a baby wipe.
Step 1: Spray a generous amount of the silicon on to a clean cloth
Step 2: Wipe along the length of the blade
Step 3: Repeat until clean and no more dirt comes off on the cloth
If you'd like to see more, simple motoring DIY guides why not
check out our Youtube channel or browse through the Service Academy &
Guides section of this blog. We're always interested in your feedback and if you have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see us cover please leave us a comment below
