Apparently, a major reason why windscreen/windshield wiper blades wear out (particularly in hot locales) is because when a car sits in the sun, its windscreen heats up and the rubber wiper blades bake onto the glass. The next time the wipers are activated, the small melted portion of the blade still attached to the windscreen tears off, leaving a ruined area that no longer apposes (not to mention, wipes) the glass.

Perhaps small, elongated umbrella-like devices could be incorporated into either the bases of windscreens or the wiper assemblies themselves, to shield the wiper blades from the direct sunlight. Some heating of the rubber would still be expected, but nothing like the effect that a day of full sun has.

Available in ten gaudy colours, with or without the logo of your choice.
-- vigilante, Oct 22 2004

Not bad. How about keeping the blades off the glass while not in use. The drive linkage could be designed to "park" the arms in a lower position than the bottom of a normal cycle, in which position they would ride up onto a small ramp or cam, lifting the blades off the glass.
-- bpilot, Oct 22 2004


That'd work too, but you can't put logos or gaudy colours on your suggestion.
-- vigilante, Oct 22 2004


Damn.
-- bpilot, Oct 22 2004


I got the lifter already.
-- waugsqueke, Oct 22 2004


Was the lifter's purpose to protect the blades or aid in removing stuff that got caught? Or did it end up being a bit of both?
-- vigilante, Oct 22 2004


In Canada, I've seen people put socks over or cardboard under their wiper to prevent ice accumulation on (and subsequent destruction of) the blades. This idea, however, has the added benefit of gaudy colours and logos. :) [+]
-- MrWrong, Oct 22 2004


// Was the lifter's purpose to protect the blades or aid in removing stuff that got caught? //

Not protecting to blades, no, but it could do that. Read it, it's at the bottom of the list at the top right.
-- waugsqueke, Oct 23 2004


//rubber wiper blades bake onto the glass// Aha! Now I know why after a long hot summer my windshield wipers just spread the rainwater across my windshield rather than cleanly wipe the water off. Good idea with the umbrellas, [vigilante]. I'll have mine in fuschia with the Nissan logo printed all over it.
-- Machiavelli, Oct 23 2004


'sgood.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 23 2004


Done deal, [Machiavelli]. Expect delivery by Hullaballoon in the next few days. Mine'll be royal blue with Mazda signs top-to-bottom.
-- vigilante, Oct 25 2004


Put an umbrella over the windscreen and lose the wipers all together.
-- paraffin power, Oct 25 2004


Make the umbrellas look like a spoiler, and some teenagers will swear it helps performance.

But my vote goes to the park/lifter as mentioned in 1rst anno from [bpilot].
-- sophocles, Oct 25 2004


Just like they do on many cars today. Look at an S class Mercedes or, even, many of the American cars. They park their wipers off the glass, belo9w the glass, in the cowl area.
-- bristolz, Oct 25 2004


//many of the American cars// - once again, Australia lags behind in the technology stakes - this is not widespread here. I'm thinking it's not time for an [m-f-d], purely due to the colours. And the logos.
-- vigilante, Oct 25 2004


Actually, I take it back. The newer car's glass extends below the cowl line so that the wipers indeed do yet park on the glass. It was older Amercan cars with concealed wipers that parked their blades, below the bottom edge of the windshield glass, on a raised section of cowl material. Why they stopped doing this I don't know but I'm guessing it is cheaper to have a larger windshield than it is to build an elaborate parking area.
-- bristolz, Oct 25 2004


That's too bad, considering how thermally conductive glass is. Perhaps the solution is just to put a (cheap) strip of plastic over the bottom of windshields.
-- Worldgineer, Oct 25 2004


Packing tape. Clear, cheap, less thermally conductive than glass. Or, if you caren't for looks, whip out the old favo(u)rite, Duct Tape.

I'll take one in orange, the other in green, with the Dream Theater insignia.
-- absterge, Oct 26 2004


Is Dream Theater still around?

//Perhaps the solution is just to put a (cheap) strip of plastic over the bottom of windshields.// That would probably work--but it's so plain!
-- Machiavelli, Oct 26 2004


Perhaps in that case you'd still need the umbrellas to stop the wipers from sticking to your raw, wind-burnt corneas.
-- vigilante, Oct 28 2004



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