Autumn has finally arrived, and so it’s the season to give your vehicle a short check over to minimise the chance of neredless breakdowns. In Great Britain the major problems of autumn are rain & dampness with the intermittent bit of morning frost.

Bearing that in mind it’s really necessary to ensure that your tyres are in good condition with lots of tread on them so that they can handle any standing water. You could go even further, and put on winter tyres (as many north European owners are obliged do). These don’t only help on ice and snow. They are also excellent at pumping water away, and so markedly reduce the risk of skidding.

Next make an inspection of your vehicle’s Wiper blades. Do they wipe the screen cleanly and smoothly? If you have rubber Wiper blades you will have to look carefully for signs of cracking and degradation of the rubber. If you see any signs of problems, its best to change them now, rather than have them break down on a cold, dark rainy night journey.

According to the manufacturers, rubber Wiper blades should be changed every 6 to 12 months, so replacing them in autumn makes sense to ensure you have them at their best for the autumn & coming winter. If you’re planning to visit cold climates, or just want better value for money, you should consider fitting Silicone wiper blades.

Silicone wiper blades have an expected life of three to five times longer than rubber Wiper blades, and any reputable brand will also be covered by a one year warranty. Also, they stay flexible down to -60°C, making them the Best wiper blades for winter. They also survive searing heat, ultra violet light, ozone and atmospheric pollution, making them excellent for all year round use.

Now look under the hood.

Are all the electrical wires and connectors (most importantly those for the ignition) clean and in good condition? A good way to clean them is with a silicone spray and a soft cloth. This will remove the dirt, and leave the wires water-proofed. While you’ve got the silicone spray and cloth to hand, treat all the door & hatch back rubber seals to a good clean and polish. This will stop them freezing up and locking you out of the car.

Battery terminals must be clean, secure and protected against corrosion by a generous coating of petroleum jelly or white grease.

See that the engine hoses and drive belts are all free from cracks or excessive wear. None of these parts are very expensive. They are fairly easy to replace at your leisure, but if you leave them until they break down; It could lead to a messy, unpleasant and expensive breakdown.

Under the vehicle, check the exhaust system for soundness, especially the rubber mountings. As these age, they can crack and break in cold conditions. Also check the brake pipes & flexible hoses.

Finally, have a good look at your lights. Make sure all the bulbs are working, and that you have a set of spares in the car.

Great! Winter is over and summer is on its way, so you should very well be forgiven for believing that your Wiper Blades are in the clear if they have succeeded in getting through the winter undamaged. However, even in the cloudy UK, summer is often more aggressive to your Wiper Blades than winter!

We all know that rubber Wiper Blades age, crack, split, and can even freeze to your windscreen in freezing temperatures. On top of that, the solvents we use to prevent our Screen wash fluid from freezing also damage rubber Wiper Blades.

What many people do not recognise is that summer is just as tough, and can even be rougher on your Wiper Blades. In summer, Ozone levels and Ultra Violet Light levels can increase dramatically. Both Ozone and U.V. damage rubber, causing it to lose elasticity and flexibility, and to wear out much more quickly.

Summer is also the time when many people choose to spend their holidays and weekends by the sea, and guess what? Ozone & U.V. levels are normally higher at the seaside, so this exacerbates the situation even more. Of course, there’s also a lot of salt in the air at the seaside and this is very abrasive to the wiper blade

So, what can we do to minimise the negative effects of summer on our Wiper Blades?

For a start, as soon as you feel the risk of freezing is past, stop using winter screen wash additives. After that, all you can do is try not to leave your car in the full glare of the sun, and this will minimise some of the U.V. attack. Sadly there’s nothing you can do about the way Ozone attacks your rubber wipers blades.

On the other hand, you may like to consider switching to Silicone Wiper Blades, because silicone resin is completely resistant to attack by Ozone, Ultra Violet Light and Screen-Wash Anti-Freeze, as well as just about all other solvents and fuels.

Many people already choose Silicone Wiper Blades, because they are widely recognised as the Top Rated Wiper Blades for Winter. The reasons quoted for this include their flexibility & resistance to cracking right down to -60°C. Additionally, because they are fully resistant to Screen-Wash Anitfreeze, they don’t suddenly collapse on you either.

What’s becoming more and more obvious to an ever growing number of people is that Silicone Wiper Blades aren’t merely for winter, they have major advantages in summer and especially tropical conditions as well. The total resistance to attack by the heightened U.V. and Ozone levels, coupled to their exceptionally high maximum working temperature (over 200°C) means that they’ll be untouched by even the hottest tropical summer. They’ll survive levels of temperature, Ozone & U.V. that would destroy just about any car and it’s driver.

For most of us it’s a great dream to go and retire by the coast. The attractions are abundant and powerful. Amongst them – marvellous views, fresh air & lots of social, cultural & outdoor amenities.

But, on the downside, there are also strong salt laden winds which decimate lawns, kill off lots of other garden plants, cause corrosion on vehicles and anything else made from metal, abrade paintwork and by and large provide a very efficient, source of abrasive material which attacks any moving parts.

In addition there are the high levels of ozone which are great for purifying the air, but unfortunately, they also attack any rubber seals around the house or vehicles.

And finally, because the sand, rocks & water at the coast are much more reflective than many inland or city surfaces, they don’t absorb so much of the ultra violet light which occurs naturally in daylight. Consequently, there’s a much stronger presence of ultra violet light by the coast.

Now, ultra violet light in small regular amounts is actually favourable to our health, like ozone, there’s nothing it appears to like better than attacking any natural rubber parts it can sniff out.

In total this makes clear why rubber Windscreen wiper blades have an even shorter working life than usual when they’re fitted to a vehicle which lives at the coast. The salt particles abrade the rubber and act as grinding particles between the wiper blade and the windscreen. The ozone assaults the rubber all around the clock, whether the Windscreen wiper blades are being used or not, indeed, whether the vehicle is being driven or not. This attack causes the rubber to turn brittle, and its structure to break down. Additionally the higher levels of Ultra Violet light also attack the rubber and exacerbate its stiffening & break down.

Because of the above I invariably suggest Silicone Wiper Blades to everybody living or regularly visiting the seaside, especially people with boats or other interests that take them into closer contact with salt water & coast air. Silicone Wipers are completely impervious to salt, ultra violet and ozone, as well as atmospheric pollution and many solvents contained in cleaning products.

A silicone blade in a classic wiper blade goes a long way to overcoming the problems caused by lifeat the coast. On the other hand, traditional Windscreen wiper blades have a metal frame with joints which are also liable to attack by the salt, causing rapid wear and corrosion of the joints. Therefore the ultimate Windscreen wiper blades for use at the coast would be silicone Flat Blade Wipers, which brings together a one piece jointless frame and a long life silicone blade.