How To Keep Your Windshield Wipers from Freezing

A car’s windshield may not be part of the hard working engine or steering system. But this big sheet of clear glass is surely one of the most important yet simplest parts of a vehicle. It doesn’t keep your way clear on its own, though. It needs help from the windshield wipers. Without properly working wipers, it’s impossible to ensure safety when driving through a heavy rain or snow. That is why keeping the wipers to their optimum performance is highly necessary. Besides aging, windshield wipers’ another enemy is bad weather—like a bad winter.

Winter can freeze the windshield wipers, making them inefficient for their main job—keeping the windshield clear. You can’t stop the season from changing or the snow from falling from the sky. But at least, you can do something to keep your windshield wipers from freezing. Follow the tips below:

Replace the wiper blades. There are so-called winter wipers, which are specifically engineered to withstand freezing coldtemperature. Have these handy for the winter season. Make sure to use these instead of the regular wiper blades. Using winter blades reduces the chance of having frozen wipers.

Use winter wiper fluid. Wiper fluid is the thing sprayed whenever you push that button for the wiper fluid reservoir. Ordinary wiper fluids cannot resist the cold temperature. These are usually in blue fluid. You should get the orange or red fluid during cold weather. Check the wiper fluid’s label to check if it’s really for the winter. Use that instead of the usual fluid to reduce incidence of frozen wipers.

Drive slowly. Windshield wipers get easily frozen if driving too fast. Slower driving means slower air speed and that could lead to lower temperature. Try it and you’ll see how driving slowly can keep the wipers from freezing. It will be a safer trip on the road, too.

Raise the windshield wipers off the windshield. Doing this prevents the wipers from being stuck on the windshield due to ice build-up. Do this whenever the vehicle is not in use. But before you set the wipers again on the windshield, wipe off ice from the glass sheet.

Use spray de-icer. Find this kind of product from auto shops. Simply spray the can on the build-up ice and see it melting. Most car owners use this only when there is too much ice on the windshield.

Check under the hood. Sometimes, the real problem is not really the old wipers or the winter fluid that you are using. There are instances that a vehicle owner has done almost all the tips above but still to no avail.

Look back to what your vehicle has done in a few months. Maybe it was repaired or maybe you open up the hood to check the system. Check the reservoir if it’s connected properly to the hose and pump. Maybe you or the technician forgot to reconnect everything.

Not only your windshield wipers should be kept from freezing. There are other important parts in the car that are subject to freezing during the cold months. Make sure you know the special maintenancefor your vehicle no matter what the weather or season is. It is part of your responsibilities as a vehicle owner.

1 Response to "How To Keep Your Windshield Wipers from Freezing"

wheel balancing machineSeptember 5, 2012 at 1:10 AM
Loose nuts as well as rusty and used up parts are some of the most common reasons for windshield wiper arm failure. Fixing the problem largely depends on the manner by which the wiper arms were attached to the car but most of these issues can easily be solved if you tighten the nut or if you replace the rusty or depleted parts.