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Flipping up wipers during snowstorms - bad idea?

SpikeDog

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I was reading about how sometimes bad wiper blade performance isn't due to the wipers themselves, but worn out tension in the wiper blade arms. And that the biggest contributor to killing the tension springs is flipping the windshield wipers up and leaving them there. Like so many skiers do in the base area parking lots.

I used to think this was such a smart idea. Now, I'm not so sure. I replace wiper blades at least once a year, and have a couple of older vehicles that need them more often than that. Thoughts on this?
 

Doug Briggs

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I'm not a metallurgist, but I also call fake news.

Is the tension really higher when the wiper is in the up position? Is the metal loosing tension? I don't think so.

The cost to replace a wiper motor or wiper mechanism hidden in the dash/firewall far exceeds the cost of replacing a spring and/or wiper arm that is readily accessable outside the body of the car.
 
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dbostedo

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The cost to replace a wiper motor or wiper mechanism hidden in the dash/firewall...
Is that why people put them up? I thought it was just to keep it from freezing to the windshield and protecting the blade. And making it easier to scrape. Are people blowing out their wiper motors trying to run them while frozen to the windshield or something?
 

Scruffy

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They must be talking about the spring tension because the arm has a hinge and in the up position there is no tension on the arm itself. In fact there is more tension on the metal arm when it's down on the windshield and the spring pulls it taught to the windshield.
 

pete

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I'd agree with @scott43 and @Doug Briggs

the car's I've used this on have more a cam motion where tension is tight when down, then once past a swing point in putting them up, drops off. I don't believe there is greater tension when up than in the down position, so .. theory would hold spring may last longer in the up.

of course, they don't work well in that position when driving in a rain/snow storm :roflmao:
 

pete

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@Scruffy yeah, typing while you replied but I completely agree
 

Posaune

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I find it easier to scrape the window when the wiper is up and there's frozen crap all over it. I've done this for a lot of years with several vehicles. I'll take my chances.
 

slowrider

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Frozen wiper can strip out the armature to wiper motor spline. PS- wiper blades are expensive for 2 peices of rubber
 

Bad Bob

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I'll risk it. What is it going to take to be an issue, 30 years? If it does become an issue there is a real simple metal clip you can purchase (or make yourself) to add tension to the wiper.

Wonder if this is brought to us by the same group that says you shouldn't let your engine warm a few seconds before you drive. Or the ever popular, 'wearing a hat won't increase heat loss'?
 

Andy Mink

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A little tangent...Can you even buy just the wiper part anymore? All I see are the entire arm/rubber combo. Seems like a huge waste. You used to just slide the worn rubber out and slide the new one in. Now you toss away the other 22 pieces of plastic for the other ways to hook up the new blade.
 

scott43

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A little tangent...Can you even buy just the wiper part anymore? All I see are the entire arm/rubber combo. Seems like a huge waste. You used to just slide the worn rubber out and slide the new one in. Now you toss away the other 22 pieces of plastic for the other ways to hook up the new blade.
You can get the rubber refill alone. Cheaper and OEM blade is often better quality.
 

Andy Mink

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You can get the rubber refill alone. Cheaper and OEM blade is often better quality.
I'll have to look harder. I usually get the Goodyear or Michelins on sale at Costco. Not recently, though...
 

Doug Briggs

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Is that why people put them up? I thought it was just to keep it from freezing to the windshield and protecting the blade. And making it easier to scrape. Are people blowing out their wiper motors trying to run them while frozen to the windshield or something?
Yes, they are running them while they are frozen. Sometimes by accident, of course, due to leaving them running when you turn off the car.
 

Eric267

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Yes, they are running them while they are frozen. Sometimes by accident, of course, due to leaving them running when you turn off the car.
Yup. With the cement we get here in the Sierra it’s not uncommon. Drive home in the storm & forget to turn off and flip up wipers, get 1’+ of heavy cement, turn car in in the morning to warm up before clearing off.

I’ve never personally had the motor burn up but definitely destroyed dozens of wiper blades over the years. Would be lying if I said I haven’t a few times turned the car on for 5 Or more minutes before clearing only to have the wipers start moving after a few swipes of the snowhoe
 

scott43

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James

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Years ago I put in SilBlade silicone wipers on a 95 Range Rover. Pretty flat and steep windshield, basic 18 inch arm/blade. At the time, I bought both summer and winter blade/arms. Except I never swapped out the winter ones. I had those things in for 5 years! Over 100k miles. Only near the end did they streak. Incredible. Before that I went through Bosch, - crap didn’t last, and all sorts of wipers.
 

scott43

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Years ago I put in SilBlade silicone wipers on a 95 Range Rover. Pretty flat and steep windshield, basic 18 inch arm/blade. At the time, I bought both summer and winter blade/arms. Except I never swapped out the winter ones. I had those things in for 5 years! Over 100k miles. Only near the end did they streak. Incredible. Before that I went through Bosch, - crap didn’t last, and all sorts of wipers.
I suspect silicone rubber's superio resistance to UV and ozone helped that. I buy rubber refills every year pretty much..I hate hate HATE poor wipers.
 

dbostedo

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Years ago I put in SilBlade silicone wipers on a 95 Range Rover. Pretty flat and steep windshield, basic 18 inch arm/blade. At the time, I bought both summer and winter blade/arms. Except I never swapped out the winter ones. I had those things in for 5 years! Over 100k miles. Only near the end did they streak. Incredible. Before that I went through Bosch, - crap didn’t last, and all sorts of wipers.
That brings up this thread : https://www.pugski.com/threads/silblade-premium-wipers-a-first-on-car-look.568/
 

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