Windshield Wipers: Indispensable to Safe Driving

Your car’s wiper system is indispensable in maintaining a safe and comfortable field of vision while driving, particularly on rainy days. The exposed part of your car’s wiper system is a pair of wiper blades.

The wiper blade has a deceptively simple appearance. But simple as it looks, the job of the wiper blade is not just to wipe off water, mud, sand, dust and other foreign objects from your windshield. What it does is to smooth the water on the surface of the glass in order to create a thin film. The thin film on the glass allows the light to pass through it without refracting or bending, giving the driver the full visibility that he needs. Without the wipers, water or rain droplets create an uneven surface causing light to refract as it passes through, ruining the driver’s field of vision.

In order for the wiper blade to function properly, the entire length of the blade must be held against the surface of the windshield with equal pressure. It must press again the glass at a narrow angle range of 30 to 50 degrees, to create a uniformly spread film of water on the surface of the glass.

How long is a wiper blade’s service life? The experts at Izuparts Center Inc., the exclusive Philippine distributor of Denso wiper blades, said that as a general rule, vehicle owners should change wiper blades once a year. Why do wiper blades deteriorate?

Whether it rains or not, whether you use your wipers regularly or not, your windshield wiper has no protective cover. It sits in its receptacle between the windshield and the hood subjected to the elements 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The ultraviolet rays of the sun soon damage the rubber. Also do car waxes, and engine exhaust, which have oil that deteriorate the rubber. And not to be taken for granted are the mud, sand and dust carried by the wind; the acid and salinity not just found in the moist air if you live near the ocean, but which may also be present in rainfall in inland areas as well — all these cause unavoidable deterioration of your wiper blades.

Many drivers may never have the motivation, nor the time, to check any visible damage on the wiper blades such as hardening, splitting, cracking, corrosion, deformation, foreign matter buildup and discoloration. If you are not the pro-active type who remembers to change your wiper blades once a year as a safety and accident-preventive measure, just look at your car windshield, and you will be able to determine if your wiper blades need replacement.

For example, if streaks are left on the windshield, affecting visibility, try to clean the edge of the wiper blades first. But if the streaks won’t go away, then it is time to replace your wiper blades.

If your wipers jump while in use, even if your windshield has been cleaned, it is time to replace your wiper blades.

If your wipers leave large unwiped spots on the windshield, this may be due to rubber deformation, or the uneven blade pressure caused by a deformed wiper blade arm; then it is time to replace your wiper blades.

You should always ensure that your wiper blades are in good condition, so you can enjoy a good field of vision, and above all, safety, while driving in the rain, daytime or nighttime. Changing wiper blades is a simple task any vehicle owner or driver can accomplish.