DENSO says snow your wiper blades
DENSO Aftermarket Sales UK & Ireland is encouraging mechanics to familiarise themselves with the many types of wiper blades to ensure they are offering the best advice to drivers come the wet winter months.
Specialists at DENSO explain a few simple ways of identifying quality wiper blade types. At first glance most wiper blades all look the same, but on closer inspection there are a number of simple identifiers that easily separate quality blades from poor alternatives. It is essential to understand this difference, as wiper blades have an essential role to play in ensuring the safety of those in the vehicle. If the wipers should fail then visibility from the vehicle is greatly compromised, therefore it is essential to have wiper blades that perform to their maximum efficiency.
Several points of contact
A good quality blade should have between six and eight points of contact with the windscreen to ensure maximum surface area contact and maximise its efficiency. Poor quality blades can have as few as three points of contact, ultimately meaning that much of the blade length is wasted and inefficient at cleaning the windscreen leading to poor visibility and ultimately, increasing the risk of accident.
Natural versus synthetic material
The material of which a wiper blade is made of is hugely important. Synthetic or composite material, although cheaper, are less stable and prone to degrading quickly. New rubber material is ideal for use as a wiper blade, as it is strong, flexible and long lasting.
When considering the harness of the blade, look out for hard wearing metal rather than plastic casing. Plastics are not photostable; therefore constant exposure to sunlight will speed up the degradation of the material.
Thickness of blade harness
The blade harness plays the vital role in ensuring a constant contact with the windscreen. A thicker harness provides additional support as opposed to a thin harness, which is often a characteristic of cheaper, poor quality alternatives.
Industry standards
It is recommended to change your wiper blades every six to twelve months. However seasonal and environmental conditions may require shorter replacement intervals. DENSO wiper blades adhere to the industry’s standards and combine intelligent design, top quality materials and accurate manufacture to ensure they wipe better and last longer. All wiper blades sold in the UK must pass the industry standard of a 1,000 hour salt water test to identify areas of weakness such as corrosion of materials, weakening of connections and discolouration.
DENSO’s Wiper Blade offering
Superior, OEM quality replacement Flat, Standard, Rear and Hybrid Wiper Blades
Original equipment technology and quality guarantee outstanding wiping performance
Durable, non-corrosive materials, including a natural, high-compression rubber wiper, deliver long service life
Evenly cut edges ensure an effective wiping edge
Low profile inserts provide the perfect wiping angle
Curved, pre-shaped and spoiler-type blades with bayonet, hook and twin-screw installation systems
Unique multi-clip fitting system, ensuring compatibility with most European car models
High coverage of Asian and European vehicle applications offer optimum customer convenience
Highly consolidated programme comprising 142 part numbers covering more than 1,700 applications – providing 95% Asian & 85% EU vehicle coverage
Over 700 applications (including Ford Fiesta V, Hyundai Getz, Landrover Freelander 1, Mazda 6 (GG,GY), Nissan Micra (K12), Peugeot 307, Renault Clio II, Toyota Avensis II, Toyota Yaris and Opel/Vauxhall Corsa) are included on Hybrid Wiper Blade retrofit list – launched January 2012 – offering superb opportunities for service specialists, garages & wholesalers.
Retrofit Hybrid Wiper Blades: blend the superior wiping performance of conventional wiper blades with the stylishness and aerodynamic advantages of flat blades. Their innovative engineering, superior materials and futuristic design make DENSO’s Hybrid Wiper Blades the original equipment choice of some of the world’s top vehicle marques.
Retrofit Flat Blades: offer elegant design, a quieter action and better wiping performance than conventional blades, for a wide range of key left-hand drive vehicle applications. In total 225 applications (including Alfa Romeo 156, Audi A3/A4, Citroen C1/2/3/5, Ford Fiesta, Focus, Mondeo, Nissan Micra, Opel Astra, Peugeot 107/206/306/307, Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla/Yaris/RAV4, VW Golf/Passat & Volvo S40/V40/S60/V70) are now available for customers wishing to upgrade from standard wiper blades to the advanced technology of DENSO’s Retrofit Flat Blades.