The freezing temperatures are really and truly with us at the moment. In fact it looks like being a cold spell to equal the last properly great one we had in the UK. That was 1963. It was so cold then for such a prolonged period of time that even my cautious and protective allowed us to stand on the frozen canal. That said; I think we are still a long way from there yet, and I would certainly advise NOT venturing on any ice that’s on top of water deep enough to come over your knees.
Back to business: if you can overlook the pun; our little firm is completely snowed under with orders for and enquiries about winter wiper blades. Many people are struggling with Wiper blades that have gone rigid to such an extent that they cannot flex to the shape of the windscreen any longer. Another problem is that the ice can really grip the rubber, and when the driver tries to free the windscreen wiper, they end up shredding the rubber; so making the wiperblade unuseable.
We specialise in Silicone Wiper Blades, and they really come into their own in tough conditions. They normally don’t cost any more than premium quality rubber wiper blades, but unlike rubber wiper blades, any decent brand of silicone wiper blades will come with a 12 month guarantee.
Silicone wiper blades have much better resistance to ice sticking to them than rubber wiper blades, so they seriously reduce the risk of burning out your wiper motor or breaking the windscreen wiper transmission system.
Additionally, silicone wiper blades remain flexible down to -60°C, so they continue to work even in the coldest of british conditions, this helps them to shake off any ice that manages to stick, and to follow the shape of the windscreen, so shifting the snow much more effectively.
In additions; silicone wiper blades are resistant to attack from the anti-freeze additives that we must use to keep our windshield washers flowing in freezing conditions.
In deep snow; I still advise removing the most of it with a brush before you start your wipers, because the increased weight of the snow could well damage your wiper motor or transmission. Doing this also avoids a build up of too much compacted snow at the end of the wiper blade’s sweep. When you get such a build up; it prevents the wiper from making its full sweep, and this puts extra strain on the wiper motor and the wiper transmission system. By not dealing with this issue you risk a burnt out wiper motor or wrecked wiper transmission system. Neither of these are cheap to repair on modern cars.
Even when I have silicone wiper blades fitted on my car, when it’s freezing; I just routinely lift my silicone wiper blades off the screen, and allow them to spring back. This ensures they are free and clear, and helps shake off any ice. I also knock off any excess snow, so that I know I’m not going to wreck the wiper motor or transmission system, and that’s it. Clearer vision, longer lasting wiper blades, and when we eventually, I can be sure that my silicone wiper blades won’t be attacked by the ozone or ultra violet in the sunshine, nor will they melt and stick to the windshield, even in the hottest conditions.
