You're driving down the road, and it starts to rain. No problem, you turn on your windshield wipers, but instead of clearing the windshield, you're left with a wet smear that's harder to see through than the rain was. Worse, you hear a horrible squeaking noise as they move across the windshield. Sound familiar?
I've had this happen far too often, and usually when I'm on the highway, nowhere near an auto repair shop.
The best way to avoid this scenario is to proactively replace your windshield wipers before they have a chance to make your drive more miserable than it needs to be. This should be part of your routine vehicle maintenance, along with oil changes and tire rotations.
The consensus is that windshield wipers should be replaced every 6 to twelve months, depending on the quality of the wiper blades, and the conditions they're used in. If you live in a dry, sunny climate, you may get more use out of the wipers before needing to change them. If you live in a more variable climate, with hot summers, snowy winters, and wet springs, you'll need to change them more frequently.
They should also be changed with any signs of wear and tear, which includes the streaking and squeaking mentioned above, as well as bouncing or chattering across the windshield. The worst-case scenario is that the rubber completely wears away in spots, causing damage to the windshield as the plastic or metal scrapes across it. Please don't wait that long.
You should set up a routine time of year to change your wipers, long before they cause issues and possibly dangerous driving conditions. If you need to change them every 6 months, spring and autumn might work well. If once a year is adequate, autumn might make the most sense, as winter may be wet if not actually snowy.
If you need your windshield wipers replaced, bring your vehicle into our auto repair shop today!