Vehicle repairs and maintenance: highlighting windscreen wipers
Vehicle repairs and maintenance are essential for the safety of everyone, whether drivers, passengers or pedestrians. That’s why we encourage vehicle owners to book a regular service at our Browns Plains Mechanic Centre so there are no nasty surprises.
Often, however, as time moves on, services are missed and you start to notice small things going wrong every now and again. One of these niggling problems is the windscreen wipers which are often forgotten or ignored until they become a bigger issue.
Windscreen wiper replacement is a serious issue because if the blades are so worn that you can’t see clearly in the rain, it quickly becomes a dangerous situation. The blades often make a horrendous noise or streak across the screen if they’ve perished, which should prompt you to do something about it!
Do you need windscreen wiper replacements?
Part of a sensible car maintenance and repair schedule is to inspect and replace the windscreen wipers if needed. We can even replace the arms if they are past their due date.
Keeping your windscreen wipers in top condition ensures that your forward visibility is always maximised, which is essential when it rains. Wipers that have deteriorated and are no longer able to clear the rain from your windscreen can put your safety at risk. Windscreen wiper replacement isn’t expensive, in fact, it’s quite cheap. So always check the wipers regularly and change them if needed.
Top tips for maintaining your windscreen wipers
To help you keep your wipers in tip-top shape, here are four of our best vehicle repairs and maintenance tips for your wipers.
- Keep your wiper blades clean: Over time, a collection of debris and different chemicals can cause the rubber of your wiper blades to deteriorate, resulting in poor performance. A quick clean can be achieved using a mix of vinegar and water. Regular maintenance helps prevent premature deterioration of the blades and postpone the need to drop into our Browns Plains Mechanic Shop to replace the blades (even though windscreen wiper replacement isn’t expensive).
- Check placement of the blades: The blades should touch your windscreen along their full length so that they clean the largest possible area. Check to make sure that this is happening and if not, you can ask one of the mechanics at our Browns Plains Vehicle Service Centre to realign them correctly. Of course, you can refit them yourself, but it can be tricky – our mechanic can easily do it as part of your next service.
- Check the blades for defects: As the rubber of the blade deteriorates, small pieces can come loose resulting in defects along the blade. Brittle, damaged or cracked wiper blades with pieces of rubber missing are a safety hazard and won’t clean the windscreen correctly, leaving areas that are obscured in the rain. So look for cracks or missing rubber on the blades and corrosion on the wiper arms.
- Replace worn wiper blades: As soon as you notice any problems with your wiper blades (usually the first problem is not clearing the rain from your windscreen properly), you must replace the blades. It’s a good idea to replace them every six to 12 months so you always have fully operational wiper blades when needed. It’s also one of the most inexpensive vehicle repairs and maintenance jobs you can do.
Another problem is that your blades may look fine but aren’t moving correctly. In this case, it’s likely there is an issue in the windscreen wiper motor system. Like many things on the modern vehicle, this has advanced in technology, integrating cameras, position sensors and light sensors to communicate with computer modules and operate advanced wiper drive systems capable of several features above just going when you turn the switch on. A booking at our Browns Plains Vehicle Service Centre to diagnose will solve the problem for you.
For prompt and affordable car maintenance and repair, call Steve Sorensen Mechanical – the leading Browns Plains vehicle service centre on 07 3809 2711 or send us an email today.
