Rain, hail, sleet and snow aren’t great to drive in because they hamper your visibility, so it’s important that you can rely on your wipers to clear the screen.
You may want to save money and just replace the rubber element instead of the entire blade. This is fine as long as the old blade is able to hold the rubber against the glass properly. If not, you’ll need to change that, too.
How to maintain your wiper blades
Always look after your wipers by giving them a good clean whenever you wash your car – some kitchen roll and glass cleaner works wonders.
Seeing as you're replacing the blades, use it as an opportunity to also top up your windscreen washer fluid.
We'd always advise using the correct fluid, and not washing up liquid (It foams too much, can damage window rubbers and smears easily).
And where possible don't buy 'ready to use' fluid as you end up paying for someone else to have diluted it for you!
Fitting new wiper blades
If you're not sure how your wipers operate it's wise to check in your handbook as there are some cars where the wipers 'park' out of sight below the bonnet line, or behind the windscreen pillars.
In these instances the wipers may need to be set to their 'maintenance position' where they come to rest in the middle of the screen, allowing you to pull the blade forward.
There are lots of different fittings on the market but you're most likely to encounter either straight, or hooked wiper arms.
The blades can generally be removed by sliding a latch, squeezing a pair of tabs, or pushing a clip in. You might need to use a bit of force, but don't overdo it.
With the clips released the blades will either pull off, or (in the case of hooked arms) the wiper needs to be slid down the wiper arm to free it from the hook.
When the wiper is separated from the arm take care not to allow the arm to snap back towards the windscreen. The spring action is very strong, and it's likely to chip or crack your screen.
Most wiper kits come with the correct attachment specifically for your car and others contain a range of fitting solutions. Ascertain what's currently on there and replace like-for-like.
Refitting, as they say, is the reverse of removal. Just take note of how they come off, particularly if you have hooked wiper arms, as it can appear to be a little confusing.