Why are my windshield wipers smearing the rain?
A common reason why your windshield wipers might be smearing water is worn wiper blades. Clean your wiper blades by wiping them down with warm, soapy water, and wipe the edge of the blade with rubbing alcohol. If you’re still having issues with smearing water, try upgrading your wiper fluid.
How do you tighten a windshield wiper arm spring?
Steps
- Turn the windshield wiper switch off.
- Follow the wiper arm away from the wiper blade to its base.
- Pry up the plastic dust cap covering the nut.
- Select a socket sized to fit the hex nut.
- Set the ratchet to allow it to tighten the nut.
- Tighten the nut.
- Test the wipers.
What should I do if my windshield wiper is not working?
Give the blades a good cleaning too, for good measure. If that doesn’t fix the chattering, the problem may be a bent wiper arm. To make this diagnosis, bring the wiper up to mid-stroke on the windshield and examine the blade assembly. The blades should be making full contact on the windshield and the blade arms should be parallel to the glass.
What to do if your windshield wiper is smearing water?
It’s a good addendum to this week’s post on maintaining your car. If your wipers smear water in both directions, you may have one of the following problems: Try using new wiper fluid and cleaning the windshield and wiper blades before you replace the blades. To clean your wiper blades, simply wipe them with a clean rag dipped in hot, soapy water.
Why does my windshield wiper blade keep chattering?
There are a few possible causes of this problem. It’s often the result of a buildup of wax, oil, or grease which prevents the blade from cleanly wiping the water away. Give your windshield a nice, thorough scrubbing. Give the blades a good cleaning too, for good measure. If that doesn’t fix the chattering, the problem may be a bent wiper arm.
How often should you replace your windshield wiper blades?
The recommended wiper replacement schedule is once a year. Even if you don’t use your blades all that often, it’s still a good idea to replace them at this frequency. The hot sun beating down on an unused wiper blade can cause just as much damage as regular use in the rain. A good time to replace your blades is at the tail end of winter.