More input from normal people, please.
As Lloyd was giving me a ride to work this morning, he flicked on the wipers. “I’m going to need new wipers soon,” he said.
Me: “Didn’t you just buy new wipers?”
Lloyd: “No.”
Me: “We just put wipers on this thing.”
Lloyd: “Wipers wear out.”
Me: “How often do you replace them?”
Lloyd: “About twice a year.”
Me: “TWICE A YEAR?! That’s crazy!”
Lloyd: “The rest of the world likes looking through clean, clear glass.” (Then he gives this pointed look at my glasses, which have a perpetual film of yuck on them. What? I can’t see the spots, and they soften the light for me – like I’m always watching a romantic movie. Or a flashback.)
Me: “Normal people do not change their wipers that often.”
Lloyd: “Yes, they do.”
Me: “No, they don’t.”
Lloyd: “Get out of the car.”
Me: “Nice.”
Lloyd: “No, we’re at your work.”
Me: “Oh. Bye. Have a good day.”
So, normal people, what say you?
Keren Lowell says
It is not acceptable to drive a car in Alaska unless there are at least three good sized cracks in the windshield, and one wiper blade that is held on to the wiper with some kind of wire.
Twice a year? Twice?
Rachel in Cali says
here here! there’s alot to be said about filmy glasses. my reflection is softer, sorta like Barbara Streisand in ALL of her movies….I digress. the harsher the weather the more you need to change the wiper blades.
Brad says
Ha! Great transcript!
I LOVE new wiper blades. Here are two things that prevent me from changing them twice a year:
1. I seem to have some sort of aversion to the car parts store. Even when I dearly want a strawberry air freshener.
2. Every time I change wiper blades I hurt myself. I often end up bleeding. Are you supposed to bleed when you change wipers?
Beth says
We change ours at least THREE times a year!! (I’ll pause so Lloyd can be a little envious.)
It’s one of Harold’s “things”.
Brady G. says
As often as needed? Twice sounds about right though, not as rule, but merely a good idea.
deanne says
In middle school, my friends used to clean my glasses for me, because I never got around to it. I’m sure the same would have happened in high school, but I got contacts. Now that I’m an adult (-ahem-), I clean them only because other people look at them, and I don’t want them to make a judgment about me based on the cleanliness (or lack thereof) of my glasses.
Mark says
I have to side with Lloyd on this one. Yes, twice a year.
A good rule of thumb is to change them when we go from daylight savings to daylight standard time. This month I’ll put winter blades on both the car and the truck. In the spring I’ll remove those and put on regular blades. I’d do it more often on the truck since it sits out in the sun and the elements, but don’t.
Here’s one for Lauren: a cheapo trick to keep them working well in between changes is to wipe them (scrub them) using a paper towel wet down with Windex. The ammonia in the Windex removes the old, dried out rubber and you’ll see the paper towel turn black. BLACK. On generic replacement blades, you can also turn them 180 degrees on the wiper arm. This keeps them from drying out squished to one side, which results in the blade bouncing across the glass rather than wiping it clean. A true car nut would do that monthly. It’s like rotating your tires.
Tires wear out too.
Mark says
I hope you guys don’t get in an accident in that car.
The seat belts seem to be riding a bit high.
Especially Lloyds. Why is his riding across his UPPER lip?
Kristi says
We got you all beat — in the other direction. My husband changes them once every “three years or so.” That’s a direct quote. Ya, scary.
Kristi says
This probably kicks us out of the “normal” category.
Peggy says
You’re supposed to change the wipers?
Lauren's dad says
Since ours are Lutheran wiper blades — change?
Christina says
I’m probably leaning more towards Kristi side of the scale. But since we haven’t really used them in the last year, they tend to last longer (no rain except the last two weeks)
I think my dad used to clean my glasses for me every once in a while when I was a kid because he said they were to dirty. I don’t recall seeing him clean his glasses now that he has them though.
Curt says
When I was young my Mom would hound me all the time to clean my glasses. It was mostly because I had manure on them from working on the farm.
Curt says
I like new wipers too but am too cheap to change them consistently. What I do is rotate them from side to side, vehicle to vehicle, and flip them around like Mark mentioned above to get as much out of them as I can. If they leave streaks but still have some life I rotate them to the right side of the windshield.
But over the last few years, it seems I have been replacing them more often. I tend to rip them in the winter when they freeze to the windshield.
Lloyd says
It occurs to me that I’ve missed another fine opportunity to include a poll in a post.
Deanne says
Quick… add one now!
Mark says
Oh…those things in the drawing are the WIPER blades!
(I’m an idiot.)
Lauren says
Let’s be honest -- I’m not a great artist. 🙂
Annette says
I knew they were wupers, I just couldn’t tell Mark. Discovery is learning.
Mark says
Thank you, Annette. My bruised intellectual ego is forever in your debt. :’)
Quiana says
You can buy fancy pants ones that last longer, but if you just get it done when you get your oil changes you don’t have to fiddle with them/think at all. I also use rain-x. But I live in Seattle.
Lloyd says
I too am a firm believe in Rain-X. I even tried the Rain-X washer fluid, but I don’t think it’s as effective as the wipe on stuff.
Marisa says
Lloyd, I’m with you on the benefits of Rain-X. However, I couldn’t tell you the last time I replaced my wipers. Maybe three years ago? They’re squeaky, but they do the job.