| Windshield Wiper Maintentance BEFORE Winter Starts! |
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| Written by David Delaney |
| Sunday, 05 October 2008 01:30 |
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Have you ever driven in a blizzard without a good set of wiper blades? Have you turned on your wipers to clean off road grime from your windshield only to have it smeared even worse because of poor quality blades? You may not realize this fully, but the correct set of winter wipers can save your life on the road, but only if they are up to the task. Without proper windshield wipers, it becomes practically impossible to drive when snow is falling. Most of us who spend much time on the road have some type of bad experience about windshield wipers that remind us of the importance of wiper maintenance. First thing, beat the rush and start preparing before winter arrives. We all know how an early snow fall can catch us by surprise. Be proactive and get on top of it in the fall. The busiest time of year for mechanics and repair shops is winter time. Just like hardware stores sell out of shovels after a big snow storm. Shops and auto parts suppliers can run out of wiper blades after the first snow fall too. Don’t get stuck having to compromise the quality of your wipers due to availability issues. This is not an area you want to neglect, and its never a mistake to go with heavy-duty, high quality products. Consider replacing your existing summer wiper blades with a good quality winter weather blade. There are several types of blades ranging in a wide variety of prices and models. Don’t let this intimidate you. Instead, ask your local auto parts supplier for help on choosing the one that fits your vehicle the best. The staff is constantly educated by the distributors about the products they deal, they want to assist you in choosing the right product. Take advantage of their knowledge, In general, they love this part of the job.
When you have purchased your new wipers, make sure that they are installed by someone who is qualified to do the task. I can’t stress this part enough! The last thing you want in winter, is to have to pull over on the side of a busy highway because your wiper blade has fallen off or just isn’t doing the job. Forcing you to step outside of the vehicle, risking your life to clean your windshield by hand, need I say more? Alternatively, you can instruct a trusted Auto repair facility to supply and install them for you, but insist that they warranty them and offer a no charge replacement if you are not satisfied with the performance of the newly installed wipers. i.e. the blade will not flex enough to contact the glass or shape itself around the contour of the glass. Replacing your wiper blades is the cheapest improvement you can make that has the most impact on your vehicle in terms of visibility during winter driving conditions. You will find that even during the worst of conditions, when your visibility is not impaired, it can mean the difference between a traumatic driving experience and a confident winter drive. |
