Windshield wiper blades fall under the category of preventative maintenance. This means that the part should be replaced within a specified time period regardless of condition to ensure optimal performance. For as long as I can remember, wiper blades have been recommended to be changed every six months. The rationale, to ensure the wipers performance would not decrease driver visibility. However, recommending a change of wipers to a customer whose blades are performing well can be a challenge.

It appears that the windshield wiper industry has responded to this consumer buying pattern of “Why replace it if it’s still working?” Bosch has announced that its latest Icon wiper blade line will last beyond 12 months.

The key to replacing wiper blades is to follow the preventative maintenance recommendation of every 6-12 months depending on the wiper blades you use and not wait for them to be wiping poorly during the rain. I always found the best way to recommend wipers to a customer was to ask “How well were your wipers working the last time it rained?” This would always work for me even on a sunny day. However, nothing beats that first snowfall and the line up of customers who want their under performing wipers changed!