Windshield wiper are very important part of any vehicle or car safety system. Many people overlooked it and do not take proper action to change or repair Windshield Wiper. They don’t stay for forever and may need change every year. They may wear out due to many reason like quality of materials, the weather condition and location etc.
Why Windshield wiper is Important
It is a necessary part of vehicle and you should never ignore it. Oiling it regularly will increase its life span. A Faulty wiper will make it hard for you to see in rain . Faulty windshield wiper blades can damage your windshield, creating visibility hazards. During rainy seasons, a faulty wipers are major reason of causing many accidents. So you must change your wipers regularly.
Why Change Windshield wiper?
Most wipers are made up of rubber which wears quickly and hence needed to be replaced often.
A good condition wiper blades is important for your car safety. It increases the visibility and ensures safety of passengers.
In rainy season you will know why they are important. If you are driving and heavy rainy or snowy weather a bad wiper blades will not be able to properly clean the windsheilds there by decreasing its visibility which can affect the safety of passengers and driver onboard.
A good new properly taken care windsheilds will ensure your safety and safety of other vehicles in road.
Common Symptoms
- Streaking of windshield.
- Screechy or scraping sound when blades are operating.
- Windshield streaking
- Windshield smearing
- Wiper screeching
- Wiper is brittle with rubber flaking off at the touch
- Wiper is frayed
How Often to Replace Windshield wiper?
If you are living in a location which has sunny hot climate, then you may need to check the wiper blades every six month and you may change it after every year. Heat given by sun can damage the wiper rubber material and we need to check it regularly and take proper action as required.
If you are living in a location which has cold icy weather, the wiper may need inspection every 6 month and replaced every once a year. The amount of salt used in road usually damage the wipers.
If you are living in dust, windy sandy area, then wiper blades will get most damage and you may require it to inspect every few month and change it every 6 months at least.
How much does it cost to replace a windshield wiper.
How much does Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement cost? Normally the parts costs from 10 to 100s of dollar depending on brand and type of your car. And if you are hiring a mechanic to install windshield wipers , they may charge anything from 50 dollars to few hundred dollars. For example BMW x6 2008 wiper part will cost nearly 25 dollars and the labor cost will be 100-110 dollars, so total cost can be nearly 130-140 dollars. Most mechanic charge on per hour basis for windshield wiper replacement, so you must ask and inquire what they are doing , remove any unnessary actions to be taken by them, it will reduce the time and hence reduce the cost.
How to install windshield wipers
Buy windshield wiper blades – You can go to nearest auto service center or wall mart to buy them. Most walmart windshield wipers. They most cost anything between 5 dollars to 25 dollars depending on the brand and type.
how to remove windshield wipers
Set wiper blades in an upright position on the windshield.Lift the wiper arm away from the windshield and depress the small tab on the underside of the wiper where it meets the wiper arm. It’s often easier to remove the blades with the arms up unless the hood or some other obstruction keeps you from pulling the arm away from the windshield. Lift arm away from the windshield and pivot the blade. When the tab is depressed, slide the wiper blade off the arm by pulling the center toward the bottom of the arm.
how to replace windshield wipers
Line up the new wiper blade with the arm. Move the hook on the arm over the plastic clip on the new wiper blade. Now pull the wiper and you will hear a click sound. Now lower the wiper arm slowly. Do it for other arm as well. Now Finally Test the Wiper, Make sure it is working properly and not scratching the surface. If everything works fine you have successfully replaced the old wiper.
What to do with Old Wipers
You can throw it or you can reuse it somewhere like cleaning bathroom or window mirror. You can also use it for some creativity. It all depends on you.
Helpful! Sometimes it isn`t necessary to go all the way to the service for such minor tweaks.
Yeah, probably you don`t need a service for every minor thing. On the other hand, I wouldn`t put my hand on anything related to my windshield for the simple fact that it isn`t my area of expertise.