How To Check What Size Windshield Wiper Blades Your Car Needs
Windshield wiper blades are vital for your car's safe operation in inclement weather like rain or snow. This is kind of frustrating, because your wipers are one of the only consumable elements of your car's construction. Even if you make the effort to clean your windshield wipers, trying to make them last longer, they will still wear out at some point. Which means you're going to need to replace your windshield wipers.
The good news is that how to replace a windshield wiper is fairly straightforward. The bad news is that, before you can replace it, you need to know what exactly to replace it with. Unless you happen to be exceptionally skilled in visual calculus, it's difficult to clock a wiper's precise length and dimensions at a glance. The last thing you want is to waste money on new wiper blades only for them not to fit your car. To prevent that, you can make use of tools and documentation to find your car's ideal wiper blade size.
Check your owner's manual or use an online tool
Whenever you're looking for any kind of information on your car and its components, the first place you should check is the owner's manual. It contains a wealth of helpful information and fine details, potentially including the size of the blades you need. If you can find that in the manual, you can go out and buy some replacements right away.
Unfortunately, not all owner's manuals list recommended wiper blade sizes. In this case, the second-best option is to use an online sizing tool. Automotive retail chains like AutoZone have easy tools you can use to look up your car and the ideal wiper blades to go with it. Just enter in your car's year, make, and model, and you'll get a list of potential blades, ready to add to your cart or purchase in a physical store. If you prefer to stick with a particular wiper brand, some, such as Rain-X and Bosch, have similar tools.
If all else fails, measure the old blades
Even in the worst-case scenario, where you can't find the wiper blade size in the owner's manual and somehow don't know enough about your car to use an online tool, there is still a way to know what kind of wiper blade you need. All you need is the old blades and a tape measure. Just measure the length of each blade from end to end, and you'll have a good estimate of your ideal sizing. Make sure to only measure the blades, not the arms, and to take measurements of both the driver- and passenger-side blades, as they're usually different.
If you don't have a tape measure, the last resort is to bring the old blades into an automotive store. Just flag down an associate at your local AutoZone, JiffyLube, or wherever else, show them your blades, and ask for replacements. They'll take a measurement and show you what suitable blades they have in stock.