I'm from New York, and if anyone there left their wiper-blades up, they would be bent into pretzles by passing kids within minutes. Actually, in some sleazier areas, people take the wiperblades off their cars when they park them to prevent them from being stolen.
In the winter here I always see people leaving their wiper-blades up when they park their cars overnight. I assume this is to prevent them from freezing to the windsheild? Or is there another reason? Do people in other countries do this also? (I've only seen it done en masse in CH)
I used to do this in the UK, too. It does prevent them freezing to the windscreen - guess that's why they do it here, too.
No = no contact with windshield, no wipers frozen to same
I always understood it was to keep the wipers from freezing to the windshield - what other reason could there be? Lots of people cover their windshields in winter with cardboard or plastic to make it easier to clean off if it snows. Anyhow, let's hope it won't be necessary too often, though the snow is coming down like crazy just now!
No passing kids ever bent them? Guess you Brits are more civilized than us Yanks
I never left them up. Anyway, you should warm the car up a few minutes before you start driving. And the wiperblades shoud get unfrozen by then. If you start your car cold and drive right away, it's not really good for the engine.
Ha! In Malaysia people do it so that the wiper blades won't melt on to the windscreen when they leave their cars in the sun.
No, because they would have had to come up the driveway to bend the wiper blades and would probably have got eaten by the dog in the process...
About starting the car up cold - aaggghh I know! My dad used to get into my tiny Citroen on a proper chilly and frosty morning then rev the poor thing up until the pistons were begging for mercy. Teeth grating moments...
There are few things more annoying on a cold winter's morning than scraping the ice from your windshield, getting into the car, starting it up, switching on the wipers and watching the rubber stay behind while the remainder scratches a track across the glass...
Its to pay respect to the Wiperblade ghost who patrols Switzerland and surrounding countries in times of great coldness, legend has it that you will not receive any soup until the Summer monthsif you choose to ignore him....
Just make sure it's the right car before you scrape
Seems to ring a bell (or blip a bleep) somewhere
Now you see that's why we have a car port