How to Replace Your Windshield Wipers

Your windshield wipers are a very important part of your car. Once they start going bad, you are going to notice. The only problem is that a lot of people do not replace the wipers as much as they should. They say that you should try and replace your windshield wipers about once a year. Of course, it really depends on how much it rains in the area that you live. Just remember not to let them get too bad. After all, you only use them when you really need them, and if they are bad, you could be in trouble.

The first thing that you are going to want to do to replace your windshield wipers on your Toyota is to find the right replacements. Finding the right replacement blades is, of course, going to count on which kind of Toyota you have. For example, the Toyota Tacoma is going to have different blades than the Toyota Prius. You can refer to your owner's manual to make sure you get the right wipers, but most of the time, the windshield wipers will have the cars that they can be used for right on the box. Last, but not least, make sure you buy the whole blade and not just the rubber striping. These are a lot harder to change than what you may think they would be.

Getting Started

The first thing that you are going to want to do is, of course, read the instructions that come with the windshield wiper blades. Keep in mind that the left and right blades are going to be different. Most of the time, the boxes are going to be marked which ones go wear. However, if they are not, then you can simply match them up with the ones that are on your car and mark them yourself. After matching them up, you will want to pull the wiper blades on your car to the up position. You will notice that when you pull on the wiper blades, they will come forward. This is known as the up position, or the service position.

At this point, you will be removing the old worn out wiper blades by simply releasing the tabs that are found at the top of the blade. If you have an old Toyota, you may notice that they require a very small screwdriver to help release the tab. After you remove the blades, it will be time to install the new ones. All you have to do here is push the new blade arm in until they click into place. After that, you will just push the whole blade arm back to the down position, or what auto shops would call the locked position. Before using them, make sure that they are securely located into place. After you get them on, try using them to make sure that the new blade does not come off during use.

New Wiper Blades

The main thing that you are going to want to do is test them before driving in the rain with them. It is always a good idea to test everything to make sure that it is functioning correctly before you start to use it. Otherwise, you could find yourself out on the open road with wiper blades that go flying off. This would be a very bad situation to be in. Also remember, after changing them, you can throw out your worn out wiper blades; there is no reason to keep them. Unlike other car parts, this is a piece of equipment that is fine to just throw out. Also, remember that it's best to go with name brand wipers over off brand ones. Off brand wipers are only going to save you a little bit, and you are taking a big risk with them. That is something that you are not going to want to do when it's your family's life in your hands!

Recent Riots in Britain

In recent times England has seen a number of riots mainly populated by young people. The first were the university tuition fees riots, and now the ones that took place after the sad death of Mark Duggan.

It may be, and I stress the word 'may', that people originally took to the streets to protest at the shooting rather than waiting for the findings of the enquiry. However, it would be impossible to ignore the fact that the violence of the riots have completely obscured what should have been a front page topical issue. If they have done anything they have pushed a legitimate cause for concern off the front page where it belongs.

But what on earth possessed them to do it and is this behaviour indicative of life in England today?

For some people life in England is extremely tough, we are in the middle not only of a recession but also a financial reckoning that was a long time coming and we have to batten down the hatches and find our way back to financial balance. The problem is that England's economy is partly consumer driven and the consumer (wisely) isn't spending, I don't recall a time that the shops were so empty on a Saturday.

This had made life very difficult for a lot of people and more difficult for many, but to be honest this can't explain the riots.

You see, like most countries in the world, England isn't a country of high earnings. We have our top 6% or so and a good few that earn in the high 5 figures, but basically we are what we have always been - a working nation doing their best to keep the wolf from the door.

In the many centuries that we have been a nation, and in common with other countries of the same type, we have always just got on with our lives and we haven't particularly been a nation of have nots. We are a people who by and large accept our financial situation and rarely complain too loudly. We most certainly do not riot.

Yet earlier in the year we had young people rioting because they can't go to university, something that was almost unthinkable in my youth and definitely unthinkable in my parents' day. Well I have news for them, and I speak from experience as a mature university student, a degree is highly unlikely to get you a job, only you can do that.

Yes we've become a society that worships the degree, but it never stopped some of our most successful entrepreneurs from making it and it won't stop you. Who you are and how determined you are is the only thing that creates success. The degree is just a piece of paper if you don't have determination.

The other thing the English don't do and very rarely have done is riot, loot and destroy personal and public property. We are not that nation. We are a nation of approximately 55 million people and only a few measly thousand were on the streets rioting, looting and destroying.

I can't help feeling that they've shot themselves in the foot too. Will local businesses be concerned about employing young people in those areas in case they were involved? How many will go to prison or be fined and for what? I'm not even sure that they know.

We had riots in the 1980s and a few in the 1990s, and the only conclusion I came to then is the same conclusion I've come to now. Anger, possessions, possibly alcohol and drugs were involved, with a big dollop of getting caught up in the 'excitement' of course.

Young people in this country have no right to be that angry. Our tough times are a tickle under the arm compared to what many people are suffering. Even in America a few years ago people were walking away and leaving their homes because they just couldn't pay for them and pay their debts. So far it has never been that bad for us and we are very lucky indeed.

Yes it is bad for some, and that is disgusting, but by-and-large the English don't riot they do something to change their lives.

Those who riot need to recognise their good fortune. Frankly I wouldn't put them in prison I'd send them to Africa as Aid Workers and see if they still felt the same way when a child died in their arms and they were helpless to do anything. It would do them more good and far less potential harm. I shudder to think of the lessons they will learn in prison.

Yes we have social problems. No England isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread, it is a country like any other where the vast majority of people are just doing their best. Could things be improved? Of course they could. Are we still luckier than many people? We most certainly are.

However, there is one way that our society could help the young and that is to remove from our consciousness the idea that only a degree makes you 'someone' and go back to the days of Qualified by Experience. We could throw in a bit of on the job training too.

After all, degrees are achieved one module at a time and you could achieve that degree at work with a bit of evening and weekend study. I rarely needed to be at university for more than 2 working days in a week, a lot of my time was spent in the library or waiting for the next class.

Let's get back to reality and stop setting goals that our young people can no longer afford to achieve. Then they might feel more valued and less likely to riot.

As to the riots, things have been much harder in this country than they are today and the default English spirit is to pull together, knuckle down and get on with it.

Please let's encourage young people to find that spirit again, because finding themselves in prison will be much harder and more damaging than realising how lucky they are and helping them to become part of the solution not part of the problem.

However, let's keep one thing firmly in perspective. This is an extremely rare occurrence in English life and we should applaud and respect the vast number of our young people who wouldn't dream of becoming involved in the events of the past week. By and large English youth are something to be extremely proud of and they should be respected as such.

Wishing you happy days and peaceful nights (and that's rarely meant more than it does right now)

Deb

P.S. I chose to focus on England because I didn't hear of any riots in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland so it didn't seem fair to drag them into it.