Improve your driving visibility

Quality windshield wipers will be able to clean the windscreen and not leave any marks on it. FILE PHOTO 

In Summary

When rain starts pouring as you drive, you do not have to worry about how you will be able to see the road, especially if your wipers are in good condition. Eseri Watsemwa spoke to experts and they explain how you can maintain them.

Now that the mornings are normally foggy and the rains are not predictable, a number of car owners find equipment such as wipers important.

Wipers which are normally found on the windscreen are made out of thin, flexible rubber that cannot withstand harsh working conditions for long.
However, they are one of the most overlooked yet vital parts of your vehicle. But now that you will be using them more often, it is important to know how to maintain them and how often they need to be replaced.

“There are a number of wipers on the market,” says David Mubiru, manager for Hoshiko Engineering Services. They include; Saveli, unipoint, hybrid wiper blades retrofit flat, original, convectional, specific fit rear wiper blades, conventional wiper blades, direct fit flat wiper blades, side latch wiper blades. These are made by different companies as well.

Saveli wiper blades
Mubiru says Saveli wipers are the latest brand of wipers on the market, with a greenish casing. They are available in sizes 14 and 18 inches for small cars such as Raums.

Unipoint wipers
Unipoint wipers are the commonly used wiper brands. Bob Rubanza, workshop manager at Trinity Motors Limited explains that these usually have blue covers. He however says since they are on demand, they are often duplicated. “Fake unipoint wipers have rubber that peel off very fast and end up scratching the windscreen during wiping.”

Direct flat wiper blades
They have a pre-fitted adaptor which matches the type of wiper arm fitted to them and just as their name suggests, they are time-saving as they can be taken out of the box, straight to your car and fitted directly in a minimum of 10 minutes. Mubiru says the common type of wiper arm fittings for flat wiper blades are known as side pin, bayonet, pinch tab, push button and slider.

Convectional wiper blades
Initially, conventional wiper blades were the commonest type of windscreen wiper fitted to new vehicles. They are usually attached to the vehicle using a hook shape wiper arm.

“A spoiler can be used for the drivers’ side which helps to keep the blade closer to the screen at motorway speeds, spray bar pods for vehicles that have their windscreen washer jets attached to the wiper blade and also specially curved passengers’ side blades for vehicles with very rounded windscreens,” he explains.
He describes hybrid wiper blades as the cutting-edge style of blades.

“These wipers have qualities of the flat style wiper blade and perform like the convectional style wiper. Most cars such as; Mazda 6 and Honda jazz have these blades fitted as the original equipment. They can also be fixed on cars with hook shaped wiper arms”.

The sleek new hybrid design includes an integrated spoiler connected to it that runs the whole length of the blade. It reduces wind lift to ensure a constant down force to keep the rubber blade against the windscreen, producing a chatter free, smooth wiping action which prolongs the life of the blade.

Original equipment wiper blades
“Authorised car dealers usually have specific wipers for specific cars. For instance, Benzes have standard wipers,” notes Rubanza.

Geoffrey Wanjala, an engineer with Good Life Motors adds, “Original equipment wiper blades are fixed on the vehicle when it is manufactured. They come with a pre-fitted adaptor which matches the type of wiper arm fitted to your selected vehicle reducing fitting time.”

Retrofit Flat Wiper Blades
Flat wiper blades are the standard fit on new vehicles. This type of wiper blades have a tensioned metal strip running within the rubber structure of the wiper blade. They allow for a flatter sleek shape which lessens wind noise.
The internal metal strip applies constant pressure along the length of the blade and has a built in spoiler. It provides less obstruction to the driver’s field of vision.

The blades have a special adaptor mechanism incorporated within the wiper structure which are fitted to cars with conventional hooked style wiper arms.