Visibility is critical to safe driving. You may not think about your Civic’s windshield wipers on a bright sunny day, but they’re absolutely vital when traveling through rain, snow or other severe weather. And when muddy water or other debris splashes onto your windshield, you can’t stop in the middle of traffic to wipe it off yourself. Your wiper blades do a lot of the heavy lifting, pushing away anything that obstructs your vision. Buying replacements is easy, but you have to know what to look for. This short guide offers tips about wiper blade size and brands to consider, plus how to know when it’s time to swap them out.

Best Wiper Blade Brands

You have lots of options when it comes to Honda Civic wiper blades. As you’re browsing through your trusted retailer’s inventory, you may notice RainX and Bosch as top-rated brands. Drivers favor them for their quality, durability and performance.

Bosch’s Envision blade is one great example. One of its key features is ClearMax 365, blending flexible dual synthetic rubber and precision-cut polymer edges to form an optimal wipe angle. NightFocus combines the wiper’s base connector and blade to create a single core construction with uniform wiping stability. You get significantly reduced glare plus less blurring for clearer vision day or night.

The Rain X AdvantEdge is another highly-rated wiper blade for several reasons. A proprietary silicone squeegee delivers better durability and lasts twice as long as natural rubber blades. It also holds up better under extremely hot and cold temperatures – plus it offers superior UV- and ozone-resistance.

Signs It’s Time To Replace Your Wiper Blades

Your Honda Civic uses lots of consumable parts. Like tires, filters or batteries, its windshield wiper blades wear out over time. You should visually inspect your blades on a regular basis. It’s also wise to watch for common signs that they need to be replaced:

• Stiff, torn, cracked or chipped rubber edges
• Squealing, squeaking or chattering across the windshield
• Snow, ice, streaks or debris left on the glass
• Exposed, rusted or corroded metal

When you witness these problems, you should change out your blades as soon as possible. Bosch, Rain X and Duralast offer some great choices. Once you have your replacements, you can follow a few easy steps to install them:

• Raise your wiper arms up. Unpack your blades and set aside.
• Rotate your blade outward until it is perpendicular to the arm.
• Push the release tab and pull the old blade down.
• Turn the blade parallel to the arm, then guide over and off of the arm hook.
• Slide the new blade onto the arm hook and guide it into place.
• Push the blade in until it clicks.

Choosing the Correct Size

Finding the right wiper blade size for your vehicle is easy. When buying 2012 Honda Civic wiper blades, choose 26 inches for the driver’s side and 22 inches for the passenger’s wiper arm. The size difference exists because of the placement of the arms on your windshield – they can clean the glass without hitting the edges or each other. Be sure to buy your blades at a trustworthy parts dealer.