Windscreen wipers can be very annoying at times when they begin to squeak or shudder.
You know that noisy sound the wiper blades make as they vibrate across the windshield while trying to clear the rain or water.
This can be very annoying on the ears as they judder on the glass. It can also be highly distracting for the driver whilst on the road which can even lead to an accident.
Wouldn’t you love to get rid of this problem and regain the silent, smooth gliding action that your wiper blades should have?
To solve this problem we must first answer this question,
“Is your windscreen clean of grime, oil or sticky coating?”
A clean glass surface to the eyes does not mean it is clean. When questioned, car owners often says that, “Yes, they go for far was twice a week!” or “I just wash my car”.
Dry glass surface can look clean, but when you wet wipe your screen under glare of lights, the truth speak itself.
In my years of experience in glass maintenance and cleaning, the issue in the picture has got nothing to do with the wipers. The function of the wiper is to swipe away all water along its path. But not to clean your dirt and grime from your screen.
Now back to “What causes grime and oil in your windscreen?”
Oil film is caused by oil dirt adhered to the windshield dried by the hot sunlight. Not only dirt, windshield washing liquid too. Some even use washing liquid wax into the washer tank. Not knowing what is best for your screen might create an annoying problem after. Unfortunately, it can't be completely removed with a regular car wash. Clean the windshield, using an abrasive cleaner, and you can easily remove it. Windscreen need to be frequently maintained, not just with water.
We need to understand, wax and oil on screen can cause the glass and the rubber of the wipers to stick which causes the juddering or squeaking problem.
Using an appropriate glass cleaner will leave the windscreen in the best possible condition to allow free movement of the wiper blades.
Also don’t forget to top up your windscreen washer reservoir under the bonnet with fresh water, for clearing your windscreen while driving. And again, I would not advice using soapish additive to your washer tank as it will stick to your screen under our hot tropical weather.
There are also a few other things you should avoid doing so as to avoid damage on your wipers. These include:
Avoid waxing your windscreen as this can cause slippery blades that are not efficient.
Never add dish-washing detergent into your washer fluid as this would leave the glass on your vehicle “squeaky” clean as it normally does to the dishes. Instead find a product specifically designed for this purpose in an automotive shop.
Although, this is just one of the reason to juddering issues, I feel that this is the main core of the problem before we look into wiper replacements.
Lookout for more tips and advices in my next post.