When snow is on the way, do you flip the wiper blades off the windshield, if you will be away from the car (like at the beginning of the work day)? I would say almost half of the cars where I work would flip them up when snow is on the way. Personally, if it is already snowing I would flip them up, but usually not, if it is not snowing yet. Just wondering, & thinking about winter....
With winter coming, do you flip the wipers up?
- Thread starter tomlct
- Start date
- Status
Interesting post. I see about 30% of my coworkers do it when heavy snow or ice is on the way. I haven't but I might start now that I think about it.
About 1/2 the cars in the parking lot at work do the wipers up thing...
I use something like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Subzero-Winds...dingMethod=p13n
While they're still scraping with their wipers up, I just peel the cover off and have an instantly clear windshield.
I use something like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Subzero-Winds...dingMethod=p13n
While they're still scraping with their wipers up, I just peel the cover off and have an instantly clear windshield.
Is that held on by magnets or something else?
Originally Posted By: copcarguy
About 1/2 the cars in the parking lot at work do the wipers up thing...
I use something like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Subzero-Winds...dingMethod=p13n
While they're still scraping with their wipers up, I just peel the cover off and have an instantly clear windshield.
Originally Posted By: copcarguy
About 1/2 the cars in the parking lot at work do the wipers up thing...
I use something like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Subzero-Winds...dingMethod=p13n
While they're still scraping with their wipers up, I just peel the cover off and have an instantly clear windshield.
People here do it too. Mot sure why, (no snow/ice) but perhaps they think the blades will get less reflected heat/UV exposure that way, or maybe its just to avoid dust ridges on the glass.
I doubt it makes any difference so I don't bother. I have in the past put short sections of tube on to protect the blade rubber from the sun, but lost them and never replaced.
Long term parking the blades hold foam tiles that cover the scuttle grilles. Don't want leaves falling down there since its impossible to get them out and they'll encourage rust.
I doubt it makes any difference so I don't bother. I have in the past put short sections of tube on to protect the blade rubber from the sun, but lost them and never replaced.
Long term parking the blades hold foam tiles that cover the scuttle grilles. Don't want leaves falling down there since its impossible to get them out and they'll encourage rust.
Nope. If a strong gust comes through, the wipers may smack down on the windshield and damage something. When snow/ice is in the forecast, I wrap the wipers in plastic bags.
Both of my cars have heating elements in the windscreen for the wipers.
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Both of my cars have heating elements in the windscreen for the wipers.
When I spent a winter semester at Aberdeen University sleeping in my Nissan Sunny, on frosty/snow covered mornings when I was going to use it later, I'd leave my hot water bottle (yeh, I'm a wimp) on the dash to gently thaw the windscreen.
Impatient people pour hot water on them. If this doesn't crack the screen immediately it freezes solid later.
Both of my cars have heating elements in the windscreen for the wipers.
When I spent a winter semester at Aberdeen University sleeping in my Nissan Sunny, on frosty/snow covered mornings when I was going to use it later, I'd leave my hot water bottle (yeh, I'm a wimp) on the dash to gently thaw the windscreen.
Impatient people pour hot water on them. If this doesn't crack the screen immediately it freezes solid later.
Last edited:
My Father used warm water to melt the frost off while the engine warming up. About a gallon would be enough to get the whole screen melted and warmed enough that a couple passes of the wipers would clean things and keep clear. I still do it with no ill effects for me in 35 years. I went thru a car wash on a fairly nice day last February and drove out with a crack that by the end of the day was over a foot long and of course almost in the center of vision
Newer glass on cars is a lot thinner so I was told by the body shop that they now see a lot more minor chips go rogue.
Newer glass on cars is a lot thinner so I was told by the body shop that they now see a lot more minor chips go rogue.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
Is that held on by magnets or something else?
It has a flap on each side that you close the front doors on, and then the wipers hold it down on the middle.
Originally Posted By: copcarguy
About 1/2 the cars in the parking lot at work do the wipers up thing...
I use something like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Subzero-Winds...dingMethod=p13n
While they're still scraping with their wipers up, I just peel the cover off and have an instantly clear windshield.
Is that held on by magnets or something else?
It has a flap on each side that you close the front doors on, and then the wipers hold it down on the middle.
Originally Posted By: copcarguy
About 1/2 the cars in the parking lot at work do the wipers up thing...
I use something like this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Subzero-Winds...dingMethod=p13n
While they're still scraping with their wipers up, I just peel the cover off and have an instantly clear windshield.
I have never heard of this.
Doesn't leaving the wiper arm up over stretch the spring?
Snow coming? Wipers up.
It makes cleaning the bottom end of the windshield easier if nothing else.
It makes cleaning the bottom end of the windshield easier if nothing else.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Reggaemon
Doesn't leaving the wiper arm up over stretch the spring?
Nope. My father leaves them up on his truck pretty much right from November all the way to April. He doesn't really drive it at all so they will spend months extended.
Doesn't leaving the wiper arm up over stretch the spring?
Nope. My father leaves them up on his truck pretty much right from November all the way to April. He doesn't really drive it at all so they will spend months extended.
Originally Posted By: bioburner
My Father used warm water to melt the frost off while the engine warming up. About a gallon would be enough to get the whole screen melted and warmed enough that a couple passes of the wipers would clean things and keep clear. I still do it with no ill effects for me in 35 years. I went thru a car wash on a fairly nice day last February and drove out with a crack that by the end of the day was over a foot long and of course almost in the center of vision Newer glass on cars is a lot thinner so I was told by the body shop that they now see a lot more minor chips go rogue.
I think (because I've seen them) that the people that crack windscreens probably use near boiling water straight from the kettle, increasing the thermal shock. Frosty conditions are relatively infrequent in the UK (at least in S.England) so people don't necessarily have an effective routine worked out.
My Father used warm water to melt the frost off while the engine warming up. About a gallon would be enough to get the whole screen melted and warmed enough that a couple passes of the wipers would clean things and keep clear. I still do it with no ill effects for me in 35 years. I went thru a car wash on a fairly nice day last February and drove out with a crack that by the end of the day was over a foot long and of course almost in the center of vision
Newer glass on cars is a lot thinner so I was told by the body shop that they now see a lot more minor chips go rogue.I think (because I've seen them) that the people that crack windscreens probably use near boiling water straight from the kettle, increasing the thermal shock. Frosty conditions are relatively infrequent in the UK (at least in S.England) so people don't necessarily have an effective routine worked out.
I've lived in several places across the country, as far north as Quebec, and south to Nevada-- the only time I saw this practice being used widespread was in the lower midwest where freezing rain is common. I spent five years in St. Louis / Southern Illinois area, and learned the hard way why you should raise the wipers. I once had my wipers frozen into a layer of ice a half inch thick. Required 20 minutes of effort to free them. Even modest freezing rain created a challenge to free the wipers, even with the car warming up. Now I know why my co-workers practiced the wipers-up anytime there was a snow/freezing rain forecast.
In snow climates, I leave the wipers down. You have to scrape the snow off the windshield anyways, it's not anymore trouble to knock ice/snow off the wipers. Spent most of my years living in Vermont and Colorado, have never witnessed anyone leaving their car with the wipers raised.
In snow climates, I leave the wipers down. You have to scrape the snow off the windshield anyways, it's not anymore trouble to knock ice/snow off the wipers. Spent most of my years living in Vermont and Colorado, have never witnessed anyone leaving their car with the wipers raised.
Keep some -32 windshield fluid in the house. When heavy frost is there pour some room temp fluid on the glass and give the wipers a sweep or two.
Never saw this when I lived in Maine, not until I moved to NH did I see this. I started flipping the wipers up on my Jetta, because it would not warm up if left idling. No way to get a bit of heat onto the windshield if the wipers froze. My gassers really don't need to have this, as my SOP is to start the vehicle then clean it off. My Tundra takes a long time to get some heat at idle but all other gassers I've had manage to get something after a few minutes.
- Status
