How to Replace Windscreen Wipers: A Short Course

By Vijay Aug 10, 2022

Windscreen wipers are a crucial safety feature in your car, just like effective brakes or the right tire pressure. If you can’t see the road ahead, you can’t drive safely.

Your wiper blades should effectively remove water, snow, and dust from your windshield, keeping it clean and safe at all times.

If your wipers are smearing, squeaking, or shuddering, then you're due for a replacement.

Fortunately, replacing wiper blades is one of the easiest auto-maintenance tasks you can do.

To help you perform this simple task, we'll walk you through:

  • Your windshield wiper assembly (to identify what needs to be replaced)

  • How to replace and remove your windshield wiper blades

  • The basic procedure for wiper blade replacement


Let’s get started by identifying what part of your windshield wiper you need to change.


Understanding the Basic Parts in the Wiper Assembly

Image 1 wiper arm

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A windshield wiper is made of three essential parts:

  • The wiper arm

  • The wiper blade

  • The rubber refill

The arm is the lower part of the wiper that extends from your windscreen. The wiper blade, on the other hand, is the metal or plastic housing that holds the rubber refill, which cleans and clears your windshield.

The wiper arm holds the wiper blades in place so that they can pivot and make the arc movement that cleans your windshield.


The wiper blades themselves are fitted with the rubber strip that comes into contact with your windshield and wipes away water, snow, and dust.

However, frequent usage over time causes the rubber to nick, wear off, and lose its grip, which can cause streaking, smearing, or squeaking.

When this happens, you can either replace the rubber strip with a refill or purchase a new wiper blade.

Let’s take a look at the basic procedure of how to remove and replace the rubber strip on your windshield wipers. You can also jump ahead if you want to replace your wipers entirely.

Step 1 - Buy the Right Wiper Refill Sizes

  1. Measure the size of both the driver and passenger wiper blades on your vehicle to get the exact length of your refills.
  2. Buy replacement refills that are the same size as your current blades.

Note: The blade refill on the driver’s side should be at least an inch longer than the one on the passenger’s side.

Tip: It can be challenging to find refills that are the exact same length as your wiper’s blade. Purchase longer refills and cut them to your desired length using scissors.

Step 2 - Slide Out the Old Rubber Strip

Wiperbreak down Image 3

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  1. Lift the wiper away from your windshield and twist the blade so that the rubber strip is on top.
  2. Place a towel at the base of your windscreen (where the wiper usually rests) to protect the glass from damage should the wiper arm snap back.
  3. Near the end of the refill, look for metal retaining clips. Pinch the clips together using a pair of pliers and start sliding the old refill out.
  4. Once the old refill goes under your blade’s claws, set the pliers aside and slide the refill down using one hand. Hold the metal frame down with your other hand.

With some models, you might need to completely disengage the wiper blade from the arm to remove and insert the refill.

Step 3 - Insert the New Refills on Your Wiper Blade

1. Carefully insert the refill from the same end you pulled the old blade out from.

2. Ensure the refill sits perfectly between each clamp and that the last retaining clip locks in place

3. Gently pivot the wiper blade back to its original position. Remove the towel from step 2 and lay it back against the windshield

Repeat the same steps with your other wiper blade, and you’ll have successfully replaced your windshield wipers.

Start your car and turn the wipers on to see if the new blades are working properly. If they’re still leaving streaks on your windscreen, you might need to clean the inserts with alcohol wipes.

You can avoid the hassle of measuring and trying to find the perfect fit for your vehicle by replacing your windshield wipers with Wipertech wiper blades.

Wipertech wipers are easy to install without the need for tools. What’s more, you’ll have no trouble finding a fit designed specifically for your vehicle.

Let’s start with how simple it is to find new wipers for your vehicle.

Choose the Right Wiper Blades for Your Vehicle

Wipertech has an easy-to-use platform where you can enter your car’s model, make, body type, and year to identify the right windshield wiper blades. All you have to do is navigate to our homepage and enter your details in the navigation box.

Image of website

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Are the wipers you need out-of-stock or not shown here?

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Best of all, with Wipertech, you’re fully protected if your wipers don't fit perfectly. Our Perfect Fit Guarantee allows you to request an exchange or refund if your wiper blades aren’t an easy fit.

Our comprehensive inventory has thousands of wiper blades, so you’re guaranteed to find a fit for your unique or antique vehicle. If you’re unable to find your vehicle’s fit, contact us, and we’ll be happy to help.

Since the installation of windshield wipers is different for every vehicle, we’ll send you a short instructional video on how to fit the wipers you buy to your particular vehicle.

However, the basic steps remain the same for every vehicle. Here’s a guide on how to easily replace your windscreen wiper blades.

Step 1 - Remove Your Old Wiper Blade

First of all, it’s time to get rid of those old, worn-out and noisy wiper blades.

If your windscreen wipers are concealed by the hood, start your car first, then turn the wipers on. As soon as they reach the centre of your windshield, turn your ignition off.

1. Raise the wiper arm away from the windshield until it stands on its own, perpendicular to the windshield.

2. Place a towel on your windscreen to protect it. The wiper arm is spring-loaded and could snap back suddenly, cracking your windshield.

3. Gently pivot the blade until it's at a 90-degree angle with the wiper arm.

4. Press the tab that holds the blade in place at the joint of the wiper arm and the wiper blade.

5. Remove the old blade from the wiper arm by sliding it out.

Table of wipers

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Are the wipers you need out-of-stock or not shown here?

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Step 2 - Insert the New Wiper Blade Into the Wiper Arm

Installing new blades is just as easy as removing them. The whole process will take you less than five minutes.

1. Open the tab on the wiper blade’s connector.

2. Place the wiper arm into the connector.

3. While holding the lower wiper arm in place, slide in the new blade until you hear it lock in place.

4. Close the tab connector.

5. Check the connection to confirm the new blade is securely in place.

Once you’ve replaced your first wiper blade, repeat the same procedure on the second wiper.


How to install WUA image 4

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Are the wipers you need out-of-stock or not shown here?

Have no fear! More than likely we'll still have the right wipers for you. We add new vehicles all the time. Let us know what you're after and we'll see what we can do!

 
 
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Cleaning wiper with a squeegee

Find perfect-fitting, premium-quality wiper blades for your car

Need help? Click here

Are the wipers you need out-of-stock or not shown here?

Have no fear! More than likely we'll still have the right wipers for you. We add new vehicles all the time. Let us know what you're after and we'll see what we can do!

 
 
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Step 3 - Test Your New Wipers on a Wet Windscreen.

Test your new wipers to ensure they’re working correctly.

1. Top up your windscreen washer reservoir—running your wipers on a dry surface will cause them to wear out faster.

2. Turn your wipers on and confirm that they work quietly and efficiently.

Expert Tip: To get the most out of your windscreen wipers, clean your windscreen with a squeegee before every trip. Frequently wiping dirt, grease, and frozen ice with your wipers will wear down the rubber blade faster, resulting in a poor and noisy wipe.

You can view the whole removal and installation process in this video. Alternatively, you can watch the video on the product page for the blade you’re buying.

Upgrade Your Windshield Wiper Blades With Wipertech

Wiper blades are definitely the upgrade you need for long-lasting wiper efficiency.

The following table compares Wipertech’s wiper blades to traditional wiper refills.

Wipertech Wiper Blades

  • Guaranteed to fit your car perfectly
  • Require no tools to replace new blades
  • Easy to install and takes less than five minutes
  • Sleek and aerodynamic design

Traditional Wiper Refills

  • One-size-fits-all that need to be cut to size
  • Some tools are needed during the installation process
  • Tedious process that requires you to tailor the refills to your frame
  • Generic design not tailored to any specific frame

At Wipertech, we’ve won over thousands of customers and sold over 1.5 million wiper blades with our simple buying process and high-quality products.

Our wiper blades are made using the highest quality rubber and are embedded with graphite and Teflon for a smooth and silent wipe.

“Great quality, tight fitment, fitted it myself in 2 minutes. Website is super-easy to order from and delivery was quick.”
Luke R, NSW

Order your wiper blades today and have them shipped directly to you anywhere in Australia within 3–5 days.


Follow our Wipertech blog to learn more about our premium wiper blades.

Vijay Sitaram is a car lover at heart and has spent the last 12 years fitting, designing, testing and thinking about wiper blades. He holds a Bachelor's degree and honours in Automotive Engineering from RMIT University and is the founder of Wipertech, Australia's #1 rated Vehicle Accessory store. You can find Vijay on LinkedIn here.

Posted by
Vijay Aug 10, 2022
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