How to check and maintain wipers

One very important part of driving is your ability to see the road clearly. Here are some tips for maintaining good wiper and washer operations. Being aware of your wiper and washer condition is going to keep your view clear at all times.

Start by spraying the windshield washers

The wipers should go through a cycle of 3-4 sweeps when the washers are sprayed.

Look for two things, make sure the sprayers are hitting the windshield and the wipers don’t streak leaving a blurry view.

If one or both of these two things are bad then you can adjust the sprayers and replace the blades.

If the washers don’t spray make sure the fluid is topped up.

Find the reservoir that holds the washer fluid and top it up.

There are several brands of washer fluid to choose. They all have a certain percentage of alcohol so it helps to clean the bugs from your windshield and to air dry very quickly so, cheap fluid is ok to buy.

Fill up the washer reservoir you can’t over fill this fluid.

Look at the condition of the wiper blades.

If there is wear to the wiper blade it’s usually torn in the middle or at one end not allowing it to contact the windshield.

Most wiper blades are attached to an arm that spring hinges where it mounts towards the base of the arm.

In order to remove the blade for replacement you need to lift the blade off of the wind shield.

While holding the arm, pivot the blade to expose the hidden lock tab on the end of the arm.

Slide the arm down, to the side and lift it from the arm. Be cautious about not dropping the arm into the windshield.

If you need to let go of the arm then lay it on a shop rag until you are ready to attach the new blade.

If wipers are needed replace the entire blade rather than just the rubber insert because the blade itself can wear at the hinge points and not apply the proper amount of pressure on the windshield.

If blades are not needed then as a routine maintenance clean the rubber with a small amount of washer fluid on a rag wiping off any debris which could damage the rubber.

Recommendations:

I would highly suggest using a product called Rain-X.

Rain-X is a special wax type liquid that you apply onto the windshield itself. It helps visibility and reduces friction which causes wear to your wiper blades.

In some cases you could drive with limited use of the wipers even in very severe raining conditions at highway speeds. Rain-X is a great product to use which you apply once a month.

If the washer jets are not spraying where they should then you can adjust them with a small pin or paper clip. Put the pin into the sprayer itself and lift or move to the direction needed and spray test the washers. If the jet appears to be clogged cleaning it out with the same pin could help clear the passage.