Choose the Right-Sized Wipers for Your Car
Buying a set of car windshield wipers might seem like an easy task, but you should take it seriously considering their importance to your driving safety. Furthermore, most car models can only take wiper blades of certain types and sizes. If your car comes with beam or hybrid wiper blades from the factory, you should not change to conventional wipers, though you can upgrade to beam or hybrid wipers if your car comes with conventional wipers as stock.
You can usually determine the size of the wiper blades you need to buy by referring to your car owner’s manual, though if it’s unavailable, you can just measure your current wiper blades before buying. Front windshield wiper blades range in size from 10 to over 30 inches long, though rear windshield wiper blades are usually eight inches long.
So why is it important to buy the right-sized wiper blades? Well, if the blades are too long, they’ll bump into each other with the risk of getting damaged. If they’re too short, they won’t provide enough coverage and can’t clean your windshield effectively.
Are Cheaper Generic Wiper Blades Worth It?
Another thing to consider is whether to get branded or generic wiper blades. Though original, branded blades provide better long-term performance and generally last longer before deteriorating, cheaper, generic blades should perform just as well when new.
In fact, keeping your blades clean is more important than the price and material of the blades when it comes to performance. Most wiper blades, regardless of brand or price generally last between six months to a year before deteriorating, and if you frequently park under the sun, maybe even less than that.
Avoid going for RM10 wiper blades unless you plan to replace them every few months, but even then, the chances of the rubber on these blades splitting are generally higher than branded wipers.