windshield wipers LEXUS ES300 2005 Repair Manual

WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADE MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING ± BO004-05 July 13, 2005
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3. Contributors to Poor Performance/Decreased Rubber Blade Life (require
rubber replacement)
Dusty areas cause the rubber edge to wear quickly.
Sand and salt used for road conditioning during winter causes the edge to
wear quickly, so areas with significant snowfall require more frequent
wiper replacement.
Heat and time cause the rubber to become excessively ªpermanent set,º so
the rubber does not turn over, resulting in streaking and/or unwiped areas on
the glass.
Rubber is easily cut or torn while using ice scrapers on the glass.
Rubber can be torn when pulling blades off a frozen windshield.
Using wipers instead of an ice scraper to remove frost and ice from the windshield
during a car warm up can dull, nick, or tear the rubber.
Banging wiper on the glass to remove ice & snow can cause the blade to bend
and rubber to come out of the blade providing the potential to scratch the glass.
Ice forms in wiper blade pin joints, which causes streaking and unwiped areas.
To remove ice from pin joints, compress the blade and rubber with your hand to
loosen the frozen joints. To prevent this condition, use winter blades with a
rubber cover.Maintenance,
Cleaning
& Use
(Continued)