When it comes to your vehicle’s wiper blades, replacing them regularly is important. In this blog post, Matthews Tire Green Bay Manager Tom Winninghoff talks about the value of keeping your wiper blades fresh.
“We have heat, cold, salt and ice, and everything that adds wear and tear to our wiper blades,” Tom says. “They’re more important than people think, and it’s worth it to replace them more often than less often.”
When do I know it’s time to replace my wiper blades?
When wiper blades begin to wear down, drivers might notice streaks in their view on the windshield, Tom says. “Sometimes people notice a skip, a squeak or something like that—those are the most common clues that your wiper blades are wearing down.”
Wiper blades can deteriorate because of things like salt on the road, chemicals in the washer fluid, or simple weathering in the summer and winter. The plastic gets dried out and makes it easier for the blades to wear out.
“There’s no exact schedule for replacing them, but I would say certainly a couple of times a year makes sense for most people.”
During your oil change, the technicians at Matthews Tire will check your wiper blades and make a recommendation about whether it’s time to replace them.
Can I replace my wiper blades myself?
Replacing a wiper used to be as simple as sliding the rubber piece out and replacing that element with a new one, Tom says. But now wipers are manufactured so that the whole blade element pops off, and a replacement that matches the ones that came with your vehicle is required.
“That’s what makes it so hard—depending on the type of vehicle, there are different ways of putting the blade on because they come with different attachments,” Tom says.
Wiper blades come in different sizes, depending on what your vehicle requires, but generally range from 17 inches long to about 28 inches long. Each blade has several plastic clips that attach to the metal part of the wiper, and how it attaches depends on your vehicle. The technicians at Matthews Tire might encounter five different types of clips for twenty different cars, for example.
“You can’t really tell until you take the old one off and find the replacement that matches,” Tom says. “It’s not as simple as it used to be.”
How much does it cost to replace wiper blades?
Typically, wiper blades cost in the range of $25 apiece to replace. “Being able to see out of your windshield makes it worth it,” Tom says. “With a season of summer rainstorms ahead, you don’t want to be caught without good wiper blades.”
Deteriorating or damaged wiper blades can leave streaks in your line vision or fail to clear away the water when you most need to have a clear view—it’s better to replace your wiper blades than to risk a crash in poor weather.
Conclusion
It’s easy to keep your wiper blades—and every other aspect of your vehicle—in optimal condition by bringing it into Matthews Tire.
“Let our technicians take a look and make recommendations,” Tom says. “We’re here to help keep your vehicle up-to-date and ensure you have what you need for your safety.”
