If you have a car, you know how essential wiper blades are, especially during rainy or breezy days. This simple stick-like tool is a complete lifesaver.
Investing in a high-quality wiper blade is always the priority, you never know if one fails you at times when you need it the most.
Wiper blades might not look like the tool you need to pay a lot of attention to. But if you don’t, it can cost you a lot. A LOT!
Anyone who drives a car must buy wiper blades they can trust completely. If you are new to wiper blades or don’t have any clue how to fix or install them, you’ve stumbled upon the perfect guide.
In this comprehensive guide, we will discuss wiper blades and their types. Including an explanation of why wiper blades are important, how to choose the right wiper blades.
What is a Wiper Blades and Why is it Important?
Wiper blades might not be important in running the vehicle, but it’s extremely useful for the driver’s safety and visibility. These tools help to remove water, snow and dirt from your vision while driving.
Imagine not having a wiper blade on your car? It won’t be safe enough for your drive through rainy or breezy days. Not to mention, the absence of wiper blades can result in terrible accidents.
The wfiper blade also needs to be changed after it fails to do the work as beore. They are most susceptible to wear and tear over time. After a long time of use, the rubber strips across the wipers begin to break and erode.
The wiper blades won’t remain in close contact with the windscreen and turn dysfunctional. Be quick to spot the failure of your wiper blades and consider replacing it with a better one immediately.
Also Read: What To Do When The Headlights On Car Stop Working.
How do Wiper Blades Work?
Wiper blades are connected to a small electrical motor that powers the blades. Since it takes much force to accelerate the wipers back and forth quickly, the blades contain worm gear.
A worm gear multiplies the torque of the motor by 5ox, increasing the speed of the wiper blades in heavy rain.
This was an explanation of the physics behind wiper blades. In visualization, the wipers blades drag a thin rubber strip in the left to the right direction to clear away the water, and dirt.
The presence of a rubber strip in the wiper helps to wipe the water away from the windscreen without leaving streaks. Another key to streak-free cleaning is the even pressure over the entire length of the rubber blades.
Although wiper blades are attached to a single point in the middle of the windscreen, the series of arms branch out from the middle, making blades connected in six to eight places.
Also Read: Affordable Best Sunroof Cars In India
Types of Wiper Blades: Are All Wiper Blades the Same?
No, wiper blades don’t follow the one-size-fits-all approach. There’s a wide variety of wiper blades, the difference arises depending on the type of car’s model and makes.
Here are the different types of wiper blades -
1: Standard Wiper Blade
Standard wiper blades are the most used type, often referred to as conventional wiper blades. It fits the majority of the new vehicle and looks like a coat hanger in shape.
Standard wiper blades are attached to the vehicle by a hook-shaped wiper arm. The sizes are between 10” to 28”, size is extremely important while choosing wiper blades for your car.
These wiper blades are also easy to replace and install.
Also Read: OEM Vs Aftermarket - Which Is Better.
2: Spoiler Wiper Blade
These types of wiper blades have a full spoiler that runs the length of the blade. The spoiler keeps the wiper blade close to the windscreen at a high speed and usually designed to keep it at the driver’s side only.
Spoiler wiper blades are also attached to the vehicle’s hook-shaped wiper arm fitting.
Also Read: Turbocharger Vs Supercharger- How Are They Different?
3: Hybrid Wiper Blade
These types of wiper blades combine the aerodynamic shape of the flared blade with the shape of a standard wiper. Wiper blades provide smoother airflow, creating an even downforce along with the entire length of the blade.
Under the plastic sheath of the wiper blades lies a steel substructure that provides robust support for the rubber strip. This innovative design helps the complete wiper to produce a smooth, efficient and quiet wiping performance.
Also read: What is waterless car wash detailing?
4: Retro Flat Wiper Blade
Flat wiper blades contain a new feature and technology, making them fast and ideal for new vehicles. These kinds of wiper blades don’t have a metal “coat hanger” shape.
Instead, retro flat wiper blades have a pressured metal strip under the rubber strip. This design helps the wiper to attain a flatter aerodynamic shape, which reduces wind noise and makes it go faster.
The internal metal strip puts constant pressure along the full length of the blade and has a built-in spoiler. Retro flat wiper blades are smaller than a standard wiper, providing less interference to the driver line of vision.
5: Specific Fit Wiper Blade
These kinds of wiper blades are rare, designed for only a few vehicles. Specific fit wiper blades are used wherever there’s a unique or rare wipe blade required.
6: Rubber Refill Wiper Blade
These wiper blades contain a rubber part of the wiper blade only. It’s designed to replace the existing rubber element. When the rubber part is damaged, rubber refill wiper blades are used often. However, we recommend replacing the entire wiper blade for much easier and faster results.
Also Read: Fuel System Cleaning: Clean The System Quickly.
How to Choose the Right Wiper Blade for You?
Don’t we all love options? We do too. But options also create confusion and indecisiveness, especially when it comes to buying products online.
With a wide variety of wiper blade types, choosing the perfect blade for your car can get a bit tricky. To help you narrow down your options and make shopping for wiper blades easier, here are the right steps-
Standard, Hybrid or Flat?
Starting with the three main wiper blade types: flat, hybrid or conventional. Every wiper blade consisted of a metal frame with a rubber strip underneath.
The frame applies tension, along with the wiper arm to hold the rubber against the windscreen, while also being flexible enough to move easily. The flat wiper, as mentioned before, is a bit curved.
While hybrid blades are a mix of both of these blades. It is often selected for its aerodynamic design.
Winter or Regular Blades?
Winter blades are designed differently than regular blades. If you are looking for a winter blade that’s efficient with whipping out ice and snow, then consider getting it.
Convention blades aren’t great once the temperature drops. Winter wiper blades are designed with softer rubber to stay flexible in cold temperatures. In order to prevent the frames from icing up, winter blades are covered with a rubber frame. It helps to prevent the blade from freezing.
If you live in a cold area, then consider replacing your regular blade with a winter one.
Wiper Blades For Specific Models
Don’t forget to choose wiper blades that fit the exact requirement and size of your vehicle’s model. Most wiper blades have a universal fit, some are OEM specified and only match a few vehicle’s makes and models.
Accurate Length - While we are talking about specific vehicle models, wiper blades also come in different lengths. Choosing the right length wiper is extremely important. A wrong undersized blade won’t cover the windscreen properly while an oversized will not sit snug on the windshield correctly.
Consider looking up the model-specific length on your manufacturer manual or stick to the measurement of your existing blade to stay on the safe side.
Durability
The wiper blades quality determines the longevity of the product. We all want the product to work for years, but not all wiper blades are created equal. Consider getting the wiper blade that ensures durability.
Also read: List of hand tools.
Mount
Many cars contain wipes that emerge from a linkage mounted below the cowl panel. While other cars have wipers coming from the corner of the windshield. Hidden wipers are parked below the level of the cowl as the name suggests.
Also Read: What is a handbrake?
Installation
Do you like spending hours replacing your wiper blade? No, right? For your ease, consider choosing a wiper blade that can be easily fitted and installed. It must not look like a chore you want to avoid.
Aerodynamic Design Features
This design allows wiper blades to wipe out the dirt and water quickly and reduce wind resistance at the same time. It’s essential to choose wiper blades with aerodynamic features like a spoiler or curved design.
Aerodynamic wiper blades improve wind resistance and keep the blades running at a high speed.
Also Read: What Is A Differential In A Car?
Rubber or Silicone?
The wiper blade edge material determines how effectively the blade can clean your windscreen. Natural rubber, synthetic rubber and silicone are ideal materials for wiping out the screen clearly.
Streak-Free Wiping
The design and shape are a few points to consider when buying a wiper blade, but the performance of the product is the only point worth considering right now. We recommend using beam blades for creating even pressure to provide a clearer view and run fastly.
How to Fit Wiper Blades?
It’s always wise to fit wiper blades in pairs. If one has failed to work, it won’t be long for the other one to turn dysfunctional. Thus, consider buying two wiper blades together.
Also Read: Foggy Headlights? How To Remove Moisture From Headlights
If you have and don’t know how to install or replace these wiper blades, here’s how -
1: Clean the Windscreen -
Hygiene always ranks first. Before you install your new wiper blades, it’s important to clean the windscreen. Get rid of all the dirt and dust lying on the car’s surface.
2: Safeguard the Windscreen -
While replacing the wiper blade, the arm will fall quickly back into its place. Since the rubber blade will be removed, the fall can damage the windscreen easily, resulting in a costly fix.
To prevent it from happening, cover the windscreen with a towel. It will protect the glass from any injury and you can continue fitting the new blades peacefully.
3: Raise the Existing Wiper Blades -
This stage constitutes removing the wiper blade which is present on the vehicle right now. Raise each of the wiper blades off the windscreen to remove them. If you are facing issues while lifting the blades, it could be because of a specific model.
4: Disconnect the Wiper Blades -
Once you have lifted the wiper blade, disconnect them to remove them from the vehicle. There are two different ways to unclip the wiper blades from the car. Identify the clip that’s holding the blade in place, disconnect to remove it.
The second step is to slide down the blade arms and unhook them. Remember to take extra care while removing the wiper blades from the screen, as the arm can always fall back down.
5: Connect the New Wipers -
Repeat the exact process of removing the new wiper to install the new one. Depending on the vehicle, a pair of wiper blades can be different sizes so check that you are connecting the right wiper blade to each side.
Place the New Wiper Blades Onto the Windscreen - If the towel is still on the screen, then proceed to remove it. Now, place the blades slowly onto the windscreen. Check if there’s a gap between the surface and wiper blade, if there is any then it’s not installed properly.
If there happens to be no gap, the wiper blades are fitted correctly. Step into your car and test how the new wiper blade works.
Also Read: How to change a car key battery.
Wiper Blade Essential FAQS
Q1: How much wiper blades cost?
Ans. The average cost of wiper blades is in the range of INR 100 to 200 in India.
Q2: Which Wiper Blades Fit my Car?
Ans. To know the correct size of your wiper blades, read the car’s user manual to learn about the length size of the existing wiper blade. You can also lookup online by asking car’s model size. It will tell you the right size required for buying wiper blades for your car.
Q3: Where to change wiper blades?
Ans. You don’t require professional help in changing the wiper blades. You can easily do it by yourself.
Q4: How Many Wiper Blades Come in a Pack?
Ans. One wiper blade comes in a pack. Some manufacturers also sell their wiper blades in a pair as well. For instance 22” and 16”.
Q5: Are Wiper Blades Universal?
Ans. Yes, some wiper blades are universal. But not the majority of the wiper blades.
Q6: Are Wiper Blades Covered under Warranty?
Ans. It depends on the brand and the manufacturer. Although a majority of brands and OEMs offer warranty for wiper blades.
Q7: Why windshield wiper blades squeak?
Ans. Wiper blades squeak if there’s dirt on the windscreen. Dust and other contaminants often collect on the windshield surface, causing friction when the blades are running.
Q8: Where to Buy Wiper Blades Near Me?
Ans. You can buy high-quality wiper blades at Carorbis for the lowest price. Carorbis offers original and durable wiper blades from genuine and OEM sellers, ensuring only the best quality to customers.
Q9: Can Wiper Blades be Adjusted?
Ans. Yes! Adjusting the wiper blade is quite easy and requires only a few steps. Grab your plier and bend the wiper arms back into the right position. Use two sets of pliers for effective adjustment.
Q10: How often should you change wiper blades?
Ans. You must change your wiper blades every six to ten months. However, people often forget to change them, either due to lack of money or time. So it depends. How soon to replace your wiper blades also depends on the weather condition you live in.
We recommend changing your wiper blades every now and then. Change them in a year, and take time to evaluate how effective they sweep your windscreens to determine the longevity of the product.
Q11: How to Know the Right Time to Change Your Wiper Blade?
Ans. The best way to know the state of your wiper blade by regular testing and inspection. Wiper blades are easily susceptible to rust and breaking.
If your car wipers are often covered in dirt and grime, then they are putting a lot of effort, making them weaker each day. You will notice when your wipers are damaged or unfit for use by how effective they clean the windscreen.
Spill some water to test it out effectively. Build a habit of checking and cleaning your wipers every now and then.
Always test the wiper blades by running a soapy cloth all over the windscreen, never activate the wipers dry. Without lubricating the glass, the wiper blades can break the windscreen.
Another way of checking the effectiveness of wiper blades are through streaks. If the wiper leaves behind streaks, and you are unable to see clearly through the screen or the blade makes awful noise while cleaning the screen, consider changing it.
Q12: How to clean wiper blades?
Ans. If your wiper blades are covered in dirt and appear filthy, then consider cleaning them up. To clean your wiper blades, you will need to clean your car first. Check the state of the windscreen, get rid of any dirt or debris the screen contains.
Here are the steps to clean your wiper blades -
- Raise the entire blade from the windscreen.
- Put cleaner or hot soapy water on a paper towel.
- Clean the wiper blade by wiping the towel back and forth to remove all the dirt and grime.
- Clean all the hinged areas of the wiper with a cleaner carefully.
- Rub a bit of alcohol on the wiper blade to get rid of any residue using the cleaner.
- Now, slowly release the wiper blade to the windscreen.
Q13: Are Silicone Wiper Blades Better?
Ans. There’s always this question whenever it comes to choosing the better material for the wiper blades. The answer simply lies in what your needs are at the end.
Silicone blades are ideal for areas that receive a lot of snow and ice. Silicone blades are more flexible and work well in light snow and ice conditions. Some silicone blades are made using blended rubber, making them withstand wear and tear.
Natural rubber blades on the other hand are great for hot weather and areas with high UV exposure. Rubber blades don’t get damaged if they're heated to high UV rays. It cools off easily and works efficiently.
If you experience both of these temperatures, then consider choosing a hybrid of synthetic rubber hybrid blades.
Takeaway
As we mentioned above, if you have got a car then investing in a quality wiper blade is extremely necessary. If you happen to look for the best wiper blade in India, Carorbis offers a wide variety of top brands and OEM sellers. Choose from hundreds of genuine, durable and high-quality wiper blades online from Carorbis at the lowest price.
