test drives

It was pleasing that my 10-year-old 88,000 mile Ford Fiesta passed its MOT but there was an advisory note that the windscreen wipers needed replacing. More expense, I thought. Watch the video to see how bad they were!

I have owned the vehicle for two years and the Ford wipers must have been on their for a good few years before that time. They had got to a point where they were causing me embarrassment because as they attempted to rid the screen of water, they would screech up and down. Not ideal. The wiper on the rear window was worst.

So what to replace them with? Traditional wipers or do you embrace technology?

Until now fancy wipers were the preserve of new cars but now Bosch has made its excellent Aerotwin wipers available to a wide range of cars including older ones, thanks to incorporating clever multi-clip adaptors.

Storms battered England the day after I fitted my Aerotwins and for the first time I actually enjoyed driving in the rain because I now have crystal clear vision no matter what the conditions. 

This is because the three-part wear-resistant blade edge, which ensures an efficient wiping action, so even the smallest micro-drops are removed. Even on partly dry windscreens, the wiper blade slides wax and dirt easily off the windscreen. They’re a joy to use and ever so quiet as you can see from the video.

They’re so good that my wife asked me to fit some to her P-reg Fiat Punto and she, too, is a happy motorist now. A friend has also bought a pair. What price pleasure? Around £30 a set.

No wonder they've been awarded Auto Express Best Buy every year since 2009.