Windscreen wipers are one of those things that we don’t realise quite how much we rely on, until we don’t have them. Your vehicle will fail its MOT if your windscreen wipers don’t work, and for good reason: they help you to maintain visibility in a whole range of conditions.
Last week, we talked about how to (and how not to) de-ice your windscreen. But, once you have sufficient visibility to drive legally and safely, your windscreen wipers may well still be frozen. Switching your wipers on when they are frozen can burn out the motor, bend the arms and damage the mechanism, resulting in expensive but essential repairs. Follow these steps to prevent that from happening.
- Turn up the heat - make sure that your wipers are switched off before switching your engine on. Turn the windscreen heaters up to full and close the other vents so that the full force of the heat is directed towards your windscreen.
- Remove ice and snow from your windscreen, sticking to the dos and don’ts that we went through last week. Be gentle with your wipers and makes sure that your washer reservoir holes are clear of ice, snow or other debris.
- Very gently, see if you can move the wiper or if it is stuck to the windscreen. If you feel any resistance, stop: forcing it could break the arm or rip the rubber.
- Spray de-icer around the wipers and gently scrape away visible ice. Try lifting the wipers again.
- If the wipers will move, you can switch on your wipers to test them – and you’re ready to go! If they are still frozen stuck, leave it another couple of minutes with the heating on and repeat with the de-icer.
De-icing can be time-consuming, so here are some tips to reduce stress and save time:
- Give yourself ten minutes extra if you know that it is likely to be frosty.
- To prevent your windscreen washer from freezing up, make sure that you have good quality washer fluid in the bottle, in the appropriate concentration for winter.
- When you are checking to see if your windscreen wipers are frozen, take a look at them; if the rubber seems old, ripped or perished, they will probably need replacing; you can buy new wiper blades from your local vehicle parts shop, or pop into a nearby garage and they will be able to help.
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