Automotive Business Review September | Page 28

Windscreen Feature Bosch windshield wipers: A perfect mix of quality, safety and comfort W indshield wipers are an integral part of vehicle safety. Wipers are constantly exposed to sunlight and harsh elements which can cause degradation and cracking. A damaged windshield wiper can hamper bad weather visibility, causing serious safety issues. Snow and ice, insects and resin also damage wipers. In addition wiper blades are increasingly subjected to damaging environmental conditions even when they are not in use. UV radiation, heat and ozone are the principal factors that make life difficult for rubber. In heat the rubbers dry out completely and hardens which leads to unsatisfactory wiping and rattling. Ozone and UV radiation breaks down the chemical structure of the wiper and leads to cracks, roughness and brittleness. Wiper blade service intervals will range anywhere from six months to a year, dependent upon driving conditions and the quality of the wiper. Bosch wiper rubber compound contains substances that protect against ozone and these significantly extend service life of wiper rubber. Bosch is a leader in wiper innovation and has been manufacturing electric windshield wiping systems for over 80 years. Bosch has the world’s biggest factory in Tienen Belgium and supplies wiper systems and wiper blades to a large number of vehicle manufacturers. Bosch wiper blades are tested for their ability to withstand stress over 750,000 wipe cycles. Bosch Aerotwin flat Wipers can be retrofitted on vehicles with conventional hook type wiper arms. The Aerotwin with preassembled Multi-Clip adapter is universally suitable for the four most important wiper arm connections and the assembly is quick and easy. Bosch has both the ECO and Aerotwin range for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The Aerotwin range is now complemented by the Aerotwin Plus with a new adapter system and Innovative wiper rubber technology. The Aerotwin Plus wiper blades comes with 4 adapters and each wiper blade fits 10 different wiper arms 6 more than with the existing Multi-Clip. The benefits with Aerotwin Plus are more than 100 OE sets can be replaced with just 15 Aerotwin Plus singles thereby reducing warehousing cost and increasing profitability. Bosch ECO wiper blades come with the right price and quality. The ECO programme has models with sizes that can vary from 300mm up to 600mm. It has a natural rubber wiper blade element and with graphite coating for thorough wiping action. The Bosch Aerotwin wiper has an optimised aerodynamic design and ensures great visibility at high speeds and longer service life due to even contact pressure. | words in action 26 Bosch supplies a wide range of rear windscreen wipers and are available for most of the vehicle models. They are available in conventional standard wipers, Aerotwin and specially designed plastic versions. For more information, visit www.bosch.co.za or e-mail [email protected] september 2014