Today at First Landing AutoCare we’re going to talk about windshield wiper blades. Now that may seem like a pretty mundane topic, but think about how important your vision is: We protect our eyes. If we need contacts or glasses, we take care of them too. And, well, wiper blades are critical to our vision when we drive around the Virginia Beach area.

We really ought to think about wipers as part of an important safety system. We should think about maintaining safety – not just responding when our wiper blades fail. How many times have you been caught off-guard in Virginia Beach by the first storm of the season with a streaky windshield you can barely see out of? Or with no washer fluid?

Wiper blades live outside the vehicle, exposed to heat and sun in the Virginia Beach summer and cold and ice in the Virginia Beach area winter. It’s no wonder that they get dry, brittle and torn.

We recommend changing wiper blades twice a year – before they’re so damaged that they don’t work. If you replace them at the same time as one of your spring and fall oil changes, you should always have wiper blades that can get the job done.

Some of us live in areas with more extreme weather and temperature conditions. You might just live somewhere where it rains more so your blades wear out faster, or you travel a lot and use your wipers to clean bugs and road grime.

If that’s the case, consider a premium grade wiper. There are special wiper material compounds, blade designs and wiper arms that really improve your vision in adverse conditions. There are even special winter blades that don’t get all clogged up with ice and snow.

We can also apply a special windshield treatment that repels rain, sleet and snow as you drive. The increased visibility can improve your driving response time.

When it comes to wiper blades, it’s important to think of it as maintaining this safety component by replacing your blades before they fail. That’ll keep you seeing clearly in all conditions.