My windscreen has a crack and I will be replacing it soon. Now that I will be starting with a new piece of glass, I intend to take extra effort to keep it clean and clear. My windscreen currently has streaks when I use the wiper during a downpour. How do I maintain streak-free clarity which comes with a new car?

This is a problem many motorists experience. A car that is only a few days old will have a streak-free windscreen. Its wipers clear water completely, leaving the glass crystal clear.

But over time, the clarity diminishes because streaks appear. Maintaining the windscreen in showroom condition is not an easy task.

This is because dust and other air-borne particles settle on the glass surface. Hence, when it rains, the wipers are always switched on long before the contaminants are sufficiently washed away by the rain.

The blades then drag these minute particles across the windscreen and over time, create microscopic scratches on the surface. It is this phenomenon which causes the streaks.

Generally, washing the windscreen frequently, even more often than the car body, will minimise the occurrence of streaks. Using a windscreen washer liquid helps too.

Bear in mind that you should not use the windscreen washer to clean a dirty windscreen when it is not raining. Instead, wash it manually with copious amounts of water. This is because the washer nozzles do not supply enough water to flush away the grime before they start to have an abrasive action on the glass.

Finally, replace the wiper blades regularly. The wiper blades are the highest-wearing components on your vehicle - particularly with the punishing weather here.

Tiny dust particles build up on old wiper blades over time.

As a rule of thumb, wiper blades should be replaced as soon as you start to see streaks when you use the wipers during rain.