Let’s give a moment’s respect to the toughest-working, least-thanked feature of your vehicle: the best car wipers. That is correct. Those two small blades constantly swishing away rain, snow, and periodic insect sacrifices—never asking thank you, never receiving a trophy, simply out there getting it done in quiet devotion.
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Wipers: The First Line of Defense
Think about it. Your car might have a fancy GPS system, heated seats, and a backup camera that somehow makes you feel like a NASA pilot, but when the skies open up, who steps up to save the day? The wipers. Without them, you’re just a dangerously hopeful optimist with a fogged-up windshield.
But when did you last give them some love? When did you last replace them before they emitted that screeching, juddering noise that cries out, “Help me, I’m dying!”? If you say “Uhh…” then well done—you’re one of the problem.”.
The History of the Wiper
Believe it or not, car wipers didn’t just magically appear as standard car equipment. Ages ago in the early 1900s, some derring-do pioneers used to crank a lever within their vehicles to swipe the rain out of their path. Visualize cruising down the highway with your left hand gripping the wheel and your right cranking away as if churning butter during a hurricane.
Subsequently, in 1917, someone by the name of William M. Folberth patented the initial automatic windshield wiper system. And while it wasn’t perfect, it meant people could finally drive in the rain without needing Popeye-level forearm strength. Fast forward to today, and we’ve got rain-sensing wipers that detect precipitation like a weather prophet and adjust their speed accordingly. (Meanwhile, I still can’t figure out how to stop accidentally turning on my high beams.)
Wiper Settings: A Deep Psychological Analysis
Every car comes with multiple wiper speed settings, and what you choose says a lot about you.
