The Importance of Changing Your Windshield Wipers

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Have you ever considered the importance of windshield wipers? Most car owners take these devices for granted, but you could be driving blind in disastrous conditions without them. 

Windshield blades or wipers help clear the glass so that you can see road signs, signals, traffic and other obstructions through the rain or snow. However, wipers do have a limited lifespan, which can vary best on climate and region. You can take your car to a local mechanic in Boise, ID, to assess the health of your blades, but there are more straightforward and more cost-effective options.

  • Routine changes
  • Self-assessment
  • Frequency of Change

A general rule of thumb is that windshield wipers need changing at least twice per year. You will want to swap an old pair for new in the summer and at the start of winter. In other words, an average set of blades in a typical climate will last about six months, providing superior performance. However, the timeline can decrease if you live in a more tropical or rainy climate, requiring more wiper use. The variance in climate conditions is why self-assessment is so essential to determine the performance of wiper replacement.

Assessing Need

Seasonal maintenance, like winter car care, often requires a fair bit of self-assessment. For example, how much have you driven your car over the last few months, how long has it been since your last tune-up? These assessments extend to your wiper blades. How often have you had to use the blades in the last several weeks?

However, use is not always the best test of performance. Wipers are exposed to all the elements regardless of use, meaning that you will need to test the blades' effectiveness.

A quick test to determine the performance of your wipers is to use your windshield washer. If the blades struggle to remove most of the fluid in one or two passes, you likely need a new set.

When is the last time you replaced your windshield wipers? If it has been longer than six months, you might want to consider swapping them out for new ones. However, before tossing the old ones in the trash, go ahead, and do the washer fluid test; there may still be a little life left.

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