Is it time for new windscreen wipers?

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MyCarNeedsMe® is offering 10% off Bosch windscreen wiper blades.

A lot of things influence whether you need new blades or not. Is your car garaged or kept out in the open? What's the weather like (hot sun can harden rubber and winter muck and grit can be abrasive). Rear wipers are often more vulnerable as the aerodynamic properties of many cars can cause road debris kicked up by the rear wheels to be sucked onto the rear window.

"So how do I know whether I need to buy new blades for my car or not" - that's what a lot of people ask themselves so here are a few tips to help you.

Screeching wiper blades

If your blades are screeching or making scraping noises then it's likely that the rubber has hardened and deteriorated with age.

As well as driving you mad with the noise, your blades won't be clearing your windscreen as effectively as they should.

Wipers leaving bands of rain

If your wipers are leaving bands or thin lines of water on the screen it is likely that that rubber of the blade has hardened, deteriorated or been damaged in some way.

A chip in your screen can sometimes nick the rubber of a wiper blade causing it to leave a band or line unswept.

Juddering or skipping wiper blades

Believe it or not, sunlight can harden the rubber of your car's windscreen wiper blades. Also, if you've left them in a parked position for too long without using them this can affect the rubber as they may have stuck to the screen.

Add to that muck from the road and chemicals from car wash and it's no surprise if your wipers eventually start to chatter, judder or skip when you use them.

Unwiped margins of wiper sweep

Sometimes you'll find that the margins of the area swept by the wiper blades are not entirely wiped and that some water remains on your screen.

This may be due to a lessening of the pressure exerted by the wiper on the windscreen or less commonly by a problem with the wiper linkage.

Blades lifting from screen at speed

Occasionally you can get 'wind lift' which is when the windscreen wiper blades partially part contact from the screen. If you experience this it may be possible to cure the problem by fitting new blades or you may need to get the wiper arms inspected.

 

Remember - damaged wipers can restrict your view of the road and mean your car could fail its MOT.