Windshield wipers are worth checking on
Changing blades, which should be done regularly, can be done easily by non-professionals
When drivers are asked if they can change their own wiper blades, some will answer, “Why bother?”
Almost no repair facility, whether it’s a dealership, oilchange chain, or a small independent garage, will charge any labour for this simple job.
But knowing how to handle this task can save you if you’re stuck with a broken blade after shop hours, along with letting you try out some newer types of wipers that your regular garage might not carry.
The majority of front wiper blade and arm assemblies used on today’s vehicles are the J-hook type.
Their designation is easy enough to understand when you see the arm with the blade removed; the end where the blade attaches is shaped like a J.
With the wiper arm raised as far as possible off the windshield, tip the blade as far as it’ll move toward a position perpendicular to the arm. Then look at the underside of the blade: Where it attaches to the arm, find a small, black, plastic tab in the centre and depress it with your finger. This will let you pull down on the blade toward the opposite end of the arm and then remove it.
Simply reverse the steps to install the new one and listen carefully for the click when the blade locks into place.
In colder weather, it helps to warm up this mechanism. Using your bare hand is the easiest, but if it’s too cold a hair dryer also works.
You could resort to breaking the plastic bits apart with a pair of pliers, but you risk damaging the arm, and a bare wiper arm without a blade is a risky thing.
If you’re not careful and let the empty arm drop down on the windshield, you may need to visit an auto glass shop for a new windshield. But all will not be lost as they’ll probably install your new blades when they’re done.
On many vehicles that have them, rear wiper blades are known as integral types.
These usually have an extended plastic cover shielding the blade; if you try to lift up the arm to replace the blade, you might notice it only comes off the glass by an inch or two, not enough room to get the blade off.
On these types of wipers, usually the cover over the attaching point of the arm has to be popped up (or off) to let the arm move farther off the glass.
If you stick with the tried and true metal-framed blades and change them at least annually, you won’t run into many problems and won’t overspend.