When to Change Your Wiper Blades

Mark Clarkson
April 10, 2006

Finally, the cold and snowy months are over. It is time for everything to warm up. And yes, this month, April, is also National Car Care Month. So it would be best to know how to take good care of your vehicle. This month is specifically not just for cleaning and tidying up your car. The purpose of this is to actually encourage more information and knowledge to car owners and users about the specifics of vehicles. That way, people can understand more about cars and how they function.

One of the most used yet most overlooked parts of the vehicle is the windshield wiper which is also known as the windscreen wiper. Most owners of vehicles only notice that this part is there once the rain or the snow starts to pour. What this part does is it wipes away rain, dirt, or snow from the vehicle’s windshield. It is a legal requirement to have a windshield wiper.

For most vehicle owners, the question is: do I need to change my windshield wiper? Automobile experts suggest and recommend that the windshield wiper and the windshield wiper blades be changed once a year. They say that people should not wait until the rubber part of the windshield wiper is already torn, ripped, or already hanging off the wiper. This is primarily because damaged windshield wipers would only give you a blurred vision and more vision problems when driving through sleet, rain, or snow. And when this happens, accidents could happen which you could have avoided in the first place if you had a clear view of the road ahead.

Changing a vehicle’s windshield wiper blades is something that owners could actually do themselves and not need any professional service. You see, when you buy a wiper blade set, you would find that along with the wiper blades is an instruction manual on how do the changing and replacement. However, when buying a new set, make sure that you are buying the right size for your vehicle – it should not be too large nor should it be too minute. You can always ask at the auto parts store regarding this if you are not sure which one to buy for your vehicle. Always remember that the way you remove the old wiper blades should also be the same way that you put on the new ones. After you have successfully installed the new ones in, test the new set of blades so you can see if they would be working properly.

In addition, you can actually purchase windshield wiper arms and wiper blades for any Toyota vehicle from auto parts stores like Toyota Parts Online. They have a superior stock of Toyota parts including Toyota Prius parts and Toyota Tercel parts for Toyota owners worldwide.