Great! Winter is over and summer’s on the way, so you could very well be pardoned for thinking that your Wiper Blades are in the clear if they’ve succeeded in getting through the winter unscathed. However, even in the cloudy United Kingdom, summer is often more aggressive to your Wiper Blades than winter!

We all know that rubber Wiper Blades become rigid, crack, split, and can even freeze to your windscreen in sub zero conditions. Additionally, the solvents we use to prevent our Screen wash fluid from freezing also damage rubber Wiper Blades.

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

Summer is also the time of year when many people decide to spend their holidays and free time at the seaside, and guess what? Ozone & U.V. levels are often higher at the seaside, so this exacerbates the situation further. 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 resist 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. Unfortunately there’s little you can do about the way Ozone attacks your rubber wipers blades.

Alternatively, you may wish to consider changing 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 most other solvents and fuels.

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

What’s becoming more and more obvious to an ever greater number of people is that Silicone Wiper Blades aren’t only 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 unaffected by even the hottest tropical summer. They’ll withstand levels of temperature, Ozone & U.V. that would destroy just about any car and it’s driver.