Friday, May 8, 2009

How To Replace Your Windshield Wiper Blades

Walnut Creek Ford's Tip of the Week!

Replacing Windshield Wiper Blades

Suggestions & Warnings

  • It is better (although more expensive) to replace the whole wiper blade, not just the rubber part.
  • The new wiper blades will come in a package with up to three or four attachments for each blade. One of these is the correct one for your car. Do not despair; with persistence, you will figure it out.
  • Changing wiper blades for the first time has been known to cause extreme frustration.
  • Do not let the windshield wiper arm snap back against the windshield when there is no blade attached; this can crack the windshield.
1.
Look up your vehicle's make and model in the reference books where wiper blades are sold. This reference will provide you with the correct model of blade to purchase.


2.
Open the package containing the new windshield wiper blade. The package should include up to three or four different styles of blade attachment'the small plastic piece that secures the new blade to the wiper arm.

3.
Examine the existing attachment (where the arm and the blade meet), then find a new one in your package that matches it.

4.
Grasp the windshield wiper arm and pull up, away from the car. The blade and arm should now be sticking out perpendicular to the window.

5.
Remove the windshield wiper blade from the arm at the attachment. There will usually be a small tab you can depress with a screwdriver that will allow you to pull the blade from the arm. Some attachments have a small metal bump and two tabs on either side; you depress the tabs and pull hard to remove the blade. Some just snap onto the blade.

6.
Remove the old attachment from the wiper blade and replace it with the new one.

7.
Install the blade onto the windshield wiper arm.

8.
Test by turning on the wipers. If the blades slip, turn off the wipers and seat the attachments more firmly.