How often should one change a car's wiper blades? Wiper blades are the highest-wearing components of a vehicle, particularly in Singapore.
These rubber strips go through extreme cycles of heat and rain all the time.
In hot, dry weather, tiny dust particles land on the rubber strips. At the same time, the rubber becomes soft from the heat, allowing the minute sediments to stick.
Most people will never inspect the rubber blades or even wipe them down with water.
During extended periods of dry weather, the wipers on most cars merely sit in the same position they were last parked.
This is when the wipers take on a specific angle that is further exacerbated by the heat, resulting in permanent deformation.
Plenty of dust settles on the windscreen too, which makes the wipers' path a somewhat abrasive one that increases wear on the wiper rubber and the glass surface of the windscreen.
Unlike most other regular wear-and-tear parts, there is no routine interval for replacing wiper blades.
As a rule of thumb, they should be replaced every 12 months, or if you see streaks when you use them during rain.
Wiper blades are relatively inexpensive and new ones are a boon during thunder storms, when you do not want visibility to be compromised.
Shreejit Changaroth