ALT-1 How to Change Windshield Wipers
Like most things in this world, there is a market for windshield wipers, therefore, there is a variety of wipers for each and every vehicle in the country. So first, you must know the make and model of your vehicle. Now, for reasons only known to the wiper goddesses, this is real important, but not a matter of life or death. You can put the wrong size wipers on your car and they will still work if you purchase the entire arm assembly and not just the blades. Confused? Well, let me explain that further:
- ARMS This is the whole assembly that snaps on to the gear thing that moves the wipers. It's kind of like an elbow. Hold your arm in front of you, now move your arm from your elbow up, you know, like a wiper blade. That is why they call it a "wiper arm."
- BLADE Now the blade is just the part that holds the rubber part of the assembly. There are different lengths and styles of blades. It is a universal fit but you must know what length your arm is in order to purchase the blades alone. The length of the arm refers to the length of the wiper arm.
- REFILLS You can just replace the rubber part of the blade. It's not the wisest thing to do for several reasons. First, it is difficult to thread the rubber through the little hooks and there are too many styles
You need to decide if you want to replace just the blades or the entire arm assembly. I like to go for the complete outfit assembly mainly because you can get the arms in different colors these days and it's nice to freshen up the look of your car. Besides, trying to change just the rubber (called the refill as mentioned above) is challenging, you have to thread the new rubber through those tiny hooks and it's not always easy.
I like to go with the whole arm at least once a year, but in the meantime, I replace the blades. And it goes something like this.
Take off the old blades. It's a pretty simple procedure. Stand up the wiper arm. Pull pull it up away from the windshield until it is 90 degrees from the glass. The arm and blade will look like a letter "T" protruding from your windshield. It's okay so let it rest against the glass like this while you look for a little clip thing, a lock, on the inside of the arm. Push lock in toward the arm, while holding it in - pull the holder down and out of the "U" shaped arm end. You may have to wiggle it around a little.
