Why do you put your wipers up before it snows?

[TiGeo]

The OP makes a ritual of getting car on the road. Putting up wipers prevent them frozen to windshield and you get going in a few minutes in ONE sitting.

The time to get on teh road can be as fast as I can clear the glass - the wipers being down have never had an impact here. If I need to go I can go. I have never had this be an issue to me and can watch all my neighbors with wipers up doing the same things as me/same amount of time to leave their houses. Yes, I like to start the car first and warm it up, when I was working with a commute, I'd do that, come in, get my lunch/coffee etc and leave. I don't get how the wipers having some ice on them is preventing me from leaving my house. They will be working in short order.

 

[Glenda W.]

Many ah wiper transmissions saved using this method.

 

[TiGeo]

You just don't live somewhere that cold. Cars warm up very slow in subzero without a load and ice is not created equal. Ice can be 32 degrees or -50. It's easy to melt ice when you only need to raise it by a few degrees.

I have a friend from the upper mid-west that lived where they get "real winters"...she laughs at the wipers up folks. I'll take her as a snow SME. She told me nobody does that where she is from.

 

[TiGeo]

Not sure the winter weather of Northen Virginia is a match to ask this question. The quantity of precipitation, the temperature fluctuations, and the current temperature after the falling of precipitation are all factors. All factors that likely mean as little to the people of Northern Virginia as it does to the people of El Paso, TX. Both areas get freezing and below freezing temperatures, and both areas get snow. But the impact from both areas to windshield wipers frozen to the windshield because of a large quantity of precipitation, that ends up freezing, in a deep thick sheet, and then the temperature drops 5 below zero, is why people stand up their wipers.

When I lived in Alaska, the area I lived in was a rainforest. In the winter with very limited sunlight, large quantities of rain and freezing rain would fall. Followed by snow all night. In the morning, temperature might be ten degrees. Windshield wipers would be under easily a half inch of ice. That is a lot of ice. Maybe something not common in Northen Viginia, but a lot of the north has like environments. Maybe not rain forest like, but enough precipitation in quantity that freezes the windshield wipers to the glass.

I'm in central VA but sure, we don't have "hardcore winter" here. I have a friend from the upper mid-west that lived where they get "real winters"...she laughs at the wipers up folks. I'll take her as a snow SME. She told me nobody does that where she is from.

 

[slybunda]

-5c temps here in uk, my 1995 ford fiesta has a heated front windscreen so no need to put wipers up, other cars i have just pour warm water on the windows from a bottle and away you go.

 

[factorytuned2012]

It never rains where you live?

rain yes. no snow or wipers frozen to the windshield here

 

[Astro14]

I’ve only seen Southerners do it. It’s common in Virginia, for example, or from California transplants to Colorado.

Decades of living where it truly is cold (Winnipeg, Vermont, etc.) and I never once saw it.

I see no good reason. If it’s really cold, scrape the ice, and if not, don’t worry about it.

 

[fantastic]

I just did this for the first time this last week. Seems to keep the wipers out of the way while scraping the windshield. Also, the wipers themselves tend to stay cleaner from snow/ice when kept up.

 

[Patman]

I’ve only seen Southerners do it. It’s common in Virginia, for example, or from California transplants to Colorado.

Decades of living where it truly is cold (Winnipeg, Vermont, etc.) and I never once saw it.

I see no good reason. If it’s really cold, scrape the ice, and if not, don’t worry about it.

It’s something that has been happening here in Ontario for maybe the last 3 or 4 winters but before that it really wasn’t that common. I definitely didn’t see it happening when I first started driving in 1986. I never do it myself, I would be worried about them snapping back down and cracking the windshield

 

[Pew]

I've done it once or twice when parked at the train station. It significantly makes it easier to wipe the snow and ice off because the wipers are already out of the way. I'm already miserably cold and want to go home after work. A few seconds of not having to be out in the cold can help.

Also significantly reduces amount of ice buildup on the blades.

 

[andrew_j]

My 19 yo daughter leaves wipers down and just turns them on hoping it will wipe the windshield.

 

[PF52]

It’s something that has been happening here in Ontario for maybe the last 3 or 4 winters but before that it really wasn’t that common. I definitely didn’t see it happening when I first started driving in 1986. I never do it myself, I would be worried about them snapping back down and cracking the windshield

I wonder how many cars even had foldable tilt-up wipers in 1986? Even my 2006 doesn't have them, but it looks like most cars newer than that have them.

 

[Gebrekkend]

My local Single A baseball team has the Exploding Whales as an alternative jersey.

 

[Elkins45]

It depends on the vehicle. When we’re expecting a really bad one I drive the 4x4 out to the edge of the road and stretch a nylon cloth across the windshield and close the doors on the ends, then put the wipers in it. After the precipitation I just peel off the cloth and the snow and ice come with it.

 

[GON]

This is why:

 

[Vercingetorix]

I never see anybody checking their tire pressures at home. I guess if I don’t see people doing it it’s a bad idea.

 

[SC Maintenance]

So that’s what that means?

I thought my neighbors wipers broke or something.

 

[DemoFly]

I have a friend from the upper mid-west that lived where they get "real winters"...she laughs at the wipers up folks. I'll take her as a snow SME. She told me nobody does that where she is from.

 

[Rand]

So far, a whole lot of wipers up folks here hahahah....

I should clarify I dont regularly do this as its to easy for some passer-by to mess with them.

Maybe once every 3-4 years when 1/2"+ ice is coming.

 

[TiGeo]

No really. She always laughs about it.