When Should You Change Your Wiper Blades?

Your wiper blades most likely have not been changed recently, let alone in the past year. However, they should regularly be replaced as part of maintaining your vehicle’s safety. When wiper blades are too old, they cannot contact the glass properly, which leads to annoying squeaking sounds, smears, streaks, and minimal visibility; which is the last thing you want to be dealing with while driving in the winter.

When you bring in your vehicle for auto repair in Richmond and its surrounding cities, your technician can inspect your wiper blades to see if they need replacement. In between these appointments, you should learn how to properly examine them and diagnose a necessary repair before you find yourself in a severe storm with minimal visibility.

Tips for Determining if You Need Wiper Blade Replacements

Not sure if you need a replacement? You must consider the exposure your wiper blades endure each day. Just some of the reasons wiper blades wear down include:

• Sun: The ultra-violet rays and ozone deteriorate the rubber and metal components.
• Oil: Any oil from your vehicle’s wax, exhaust, and in the air, will deteriorate the rubber.
• Airborne Contaminants: Sand, dust, mud, dirt, snow, and other debris will break, tear, and wear down the rubber of your wiper blades, making it harder for them to stay flush against the glass surface.
• Moisture: Moisture is especially damaging, and can lead to rust. The closer you are to salt water, the faster your blades break down.

Ideally, you should replace your wiper blades every six months; though some blades will require replacements much faster.

Here are a few ways to tell it is time for new wiper blades:

• Broken Frames – Look at the frame around the rubber part of the blade. If you see any signs of early detachment, now is the time to replace them.
• Rubber Condition – Now, look at the rubber’s condition. Any cracks, peeling, tears, or missing pieces means your blades have reached the end of their lifespan.
• Contact – Turn on your wiper blades and watch them from outside of your vehicle. Are they meeting the windshield, or do you see streaks where the edges are lifting? If they are not flush with the glass surface, you have worn rubber on your wipers.
• Flexibility – Rubber should be flexible, but after days in the sun and cold, the rubber of your wiper blades will eventually erode. Once it becomes brittle and hard, you need to replace the blades with softer, more pliable rubber pieces.

Get a Wiper Replacement During Your Auto Repair in Richmond and Its Surrounding Cities

When you bring your vehicle in for an oil change or repair, the technicians at Minit-Tune & Brake Auto Centres perform our multi-point safety check, which includes looking at your wiper blades. If you need new ones, we have them in stock and can install the same day so that you stay safe on the road when you leave our facility.

Visit one of our auto repair shops near you for wiper blade replacement. For questions about auto repairs in Richmond and its surrounding cities, or our comprehensive list of services, contact a centre in your area.