Those who grew up and / or learned to drive in a place where there was a lot of ice and snow to be seen every winter (and sometimes fall and spring) have likely developed some habits over the years that appealed to them helped adapt to the unpleasant conditions. Or maybe you just started doing something because your parents did and you never really questioned it.
An example of this is placing your vehicle’s wipers when an amount of snow is forecast. Maybe you do it yourself. Or maybe you had no idea this was a thing. Whichever camp you fall into Kevin Williams, a writer at Car bibles, is firm against winter windshield wipers that attract attention. Here’s why.
Turn off the windshield wipers
As Williams explains in an article for The DriveThe reason for positioning your windshield wipers so they stick right in the air in winter is to avoid them freezing (and therefore getting stuck) on the windshield. That is understandable.
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However, he says that this could actually cause more harm than good. Per Williams::
The windshield arms are designed to push the wipers against the windshield as the wind is coming from the front of the vehicle. If the arms are stored, they are now exposed to winds and forces for which they were not designed. Now there is a risk of damaging the transmission, which is often made of shockingly brittle plastic and which holds the wiper blades and arms securely to the windshield. Are your windshield wipers rattling? This can be a possible reason for this.
The wind can be incredibly strong, especially during a blizzard. I’ve seen it before; Wind can blow off the rubber wiper blade. Then the wind blows down the wiper arm, slams it against the windshield, cracks or smashes it.
Setting up your windscreen wipers in winter weather may save you a few minutes to keep them from freezing on your windshield. In the long run, this is probably not the best idea.
