What’s a suitable windscreen wiper for my vehicle?

 

Car wipers are easily one of the most disregarded car accessories. Car wipers are not attractive as they do not enhance the exterior of our cars. As much as we may disregard car wipers, they are essential and can be a life-saver! Imagine driving on the road with a major downpour but your car wipers are not functional. You get the idea.

There are more to just buying a pair of wipers to replace the old ones. There is a wide range of wipers in the market. The main types of wipers are the traditional frame-style wiper and premium beam-style wipers.

 

Traditional frame-style wipers

Traditional frame-style wipers are the most common type of wiper blade that incorporate metal frameworks that serve as a mount for the actual wiper. They are metal-backed strips of either ordinary rubber or halogen-hardened rubber.

These frame-style wipers are the most affordable, available and widely used by most cars on the road today.

 

traditional frame style windscreen wipers vs premium beam style windscreen wipers

 

Premium beam-style wipers

For drivers who are more particular about car accessories, they can select from a range of premium beam-style wiper blades. These blades come at a higher price as manufacturers claim that they have longer useful life. On top of that, the sleek appearance may also be more appealing than the traditional frame-style wipers.

Premium wipers feature a one-piece design with minimal parts. The encased spring-steel band allows the wiper to conform to the curvature of the windshield. Some of these even incorporate silicone and double-rubber technology!

 

Picking the right car wipers

The best wiper blade sizes for each of your wipers are selected for proper fitment and to clear the most area on the windshield as possible. If you replace the wiper blades on your car with larger wipers, it can lead to extremely premature wear on the wiper blades and certain areas won’t get cleared. If you replace your wipers with smaller blades, you will likely find there are much larger spots that aren’t cleared including critical viewing areas, which may impair your view on the road!

Fret not! Figuring out what wipers fit your vehicle is quick and easy. You can do this by looking up the owner’s manual for the specifications regarding wiper size. Alternatively, you may also use the parts finder features on automotive-supply store websites to find blades compatible with your year, make and model of car. It is just as simple as that!

Although there is no fixed period as to when you should get your wipers changed, if you notice that your wiper blade is not properly cleaning the windshield (e.g. large uncleaned area), it is an indication of the need to get them changed!