Time For A Clean Sweep

A recent innovation has excited some in the car design business – a move that could see the end to windscreen wipers. Apparently, using “nanotechnology”, Italian car designers have come up with a self-clearing windscreen. It uses a special oxide to repel water and miniature nozzles which blast out water and air to get rid of dust and dirt. The windscreen uses super-thin layers of nanoparticles on top of the windscreen. Each layer is a couple of atoms thick, meaning they can work simultaneously on water and dust.

And it does appear an attractive idea – after all, even the best windscreen wipers don’t reach the whole screen, which means that drivers have to put up with a permanent “film” that restricts vision at the extremes. Windscreen wipers also get frozen to the glass overnight in winter – a major cause of call outs for the emergency services, when fuses blow as a result of drivers starting the car without first freeing up the wipers. Whether the new wiper-free technology could cope with UK road salt and grime has yet to be seen.

It’s certainly been a while since windscreen wipers were on the drawing board: in 1969, the first intermittent wipers were introduced. A year later, Swedish car manufacturer Saab introduced headlight wipers.

So what do we need to do to look after the existing technology until the world changes?

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) recommends that as spring starts to make the morning routine easier, have a look at the condition of the wiper blades. Quite often, polish from the car body finds its way onto the windscreen blades, producing a smear or a less than clean sweep – or pimples of tree resin that leave a line. It’s tempting to replace the whole wiper when this happens – but actually, a thorough wipeover with a bit of kitchen roll can extend the life of the blades considerably, take away those lines, and stop the smearing effect that destroys vision so effectively.

When the rubber blades finally do give up the ghost, consider just replacing the rubbers themselves – there may not be a need to replace the entire wiper blade, depending on your car.