I wanted to select one every-day product that almost every driver could use, and another lifestyle oriented product. Something As Simple As New Wiper Blades?
Whether you live on the East, West, South Coast…. Or reside in Fargo North Dakota, every vehicle has a set of wiper blades that endure a heavy workload when it rains or snows. This is a product that many overlook and rarely look to improve.
New wiper blades can enable for much clearer vision of the road. As if the slick roads weren't dangerous enough, vision is impaired during bad road conditions. New blades are easy to find in local part store and on online for discount prices that are likely better than local part stores. Go with a top name brand, you'll be surprised to see the difference in effectiveness from cheap blades to high quality blades. PIAA, Rain X, Trico & Bosch are trusted brand names.
What's All The Rack-it?
For my second recommended product, I did research to see what the most popular activity was during the winter. It may sound obvious to you, but I was surprised to hear that skiing was the top activity. When I think about skiing, I picture that classic 80's movie “Ski School” and all of the funny things that they did to win the competition at the end of the movie. So the perfect auto product to fit this activity would have to be ski racks. Most people don't ski by themselves; they go with family and friends.
The solution; throw a rack on the roof and strap those skis down! Many fit both skis and snowboards. Same idea applies here as for wiper blades. You don't want to see those expensive skis flying off the roof, and you certainly don't want the skis falling out of the racks and dinging your precious ride. Thule and Yakima make trusted products, and many newer sport oriented vehicles come with their racks straight from the manufacturer.
I once purchased cheap soft-surf racks and regretted it.
Omg, I Need New Wiper Blades!
Golf ball-sized rain droplets are pounding on your windshield. Most experts say you should replace your wiper blades every six to twelve months for optimum performance and driving visibility. Halogen-hardened rubber and synthetic rubber provide longer life, but eventually fall victim to environmental factors as well. Your wipers are exposed to nature’s elements 100% of the time. Exposure to sunlight and ozone will cause the rubber to age, even if you barely use your wipers.
If the wipers are chattering, streaking or otherwise failing to wipe cleanly and consistently, you need new blades -- Pronto!
But what really happens to wiper blades over time?
Cold weather can also affect your blades’ life. Freezing temperatures make rubber hard and brittle, increasing the tendency to crack and split. For you snowy drivers, your wipers can become clogged with ice and snow, preventing the holder from distributing spring tension evenly over the blade. Driving in the snow is hard enough.
Heavy use can take a toll on your wiper blades, too. Dust, abrasives, road grime and even bug juice wear away the edge that allows the blades to wipe cleanly. As blades lose their edge, water gets under the blade and remains on the glass. The result is reduced visibility and poor wiping action.
If your blades are chattering, streaking or doing a lousy job of wiping, it is time for a replacement. Blades are cheap and easy to replace.
You should also check your windshield washer system. Do the nozzles need adjusting? The vehicle may have a weak washer pump, or a clogged, kinked or loose hose.
The wiper blade performance depends on the condition of the wiper arms and holders. The amount of spring tension on the wiper arm, the number of pressure points or claws that hold the blade, and the design of the blade itself all affect the blade’s wiping ability. If the springs in the arms are worn out, the wipers may not be pressing firmly enough to wipe your windshield clean. In this case, replacing the blades won’t make any difference because the problem is weak arms not bad blades.
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