Hi all
What to do to stop car windscreen wipers juddering and squeaking? (Mazda 6
54 plate) If I replace them, they are quiet and effective for a month or so then the problem returns.Looks like there's something smeary on the windscreen, but using halfords glass cleaner doesn't seem to resolve it.
TIA
Phil
Give the screen a good clean with a dash of vinegar in clean water and polish it dry with scrunched up newspaper. Use a pliers to bend your wiper arms gently to slightly increase the downward pressure onto the glass. Treat yourself to a set of flat wiper blades.
"TheScullster" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
What are you replacing them with? Cheap no-brand wiper blades often start to judder quickly. Valeo, Bosch or other name-brand last far, far longer and work much more effectively ime.
On one of my previous cars I had similar symptoms which turned out to be a loose spline on the wiper arm causing the wiper blade to be damaged where it was hitting the side of the window.
get some contact cleaner speray ( electrical stuff) make sure its the non oily type and it will cut any crap from the screen regardless of what it is - you could also use acetone if you can get it
In message , John writes
Because of friction, the wipers usually end up 'parked' with the edge of the rubber blades pointing up the windscreen.
After a while, the rubber loses its elasticity and, when the wipers are in motion, the blades no longer have a 'flip-flop' action on alternate wipes. This is particularly true with cheap blades, where the rubber is rather plasticky - and even more so in cold weather.
As a result, the blades are trying to dig into the glass (like a barb), and juddering occurs on the upward stroke. [It's a bit like scraping your finger nail down a blackboard (if you know what I mean).] This effect can be alleviated somewhat if, when the wipers have parked, you push them slightly downwards (usually towards the engine), and, when they spring back, ensure that the blades have flipped over.
Wash your car manually (or simply don't bother) so that no polish gets on the screen, (don't ever use a wash and wax product) always use big brand wiper blades, no supermarket pound shop specials, clean the screen, and if all that doesn't work replace the wiper arm springs.
As for cleaning the screen, vinegar might work, but this will help to remove the silicone
It's not helped by a motor etc which is down on power. Do the wipers run at the same speed as when the car was new - and do they clear snow etc as well as ever?
I mention this because my old Rover suffered badly from wiper judder, and I've just replaced the motor with a different more powerful type. The judder has gone. So it would be worth checking the mechanism is well lubricated and there is acceptable voltage drop to the motor.
In article , TheScullster writes
Have you been cleaning the blades as well as the screen? Also check that the arm is parallel to the screen (so that the blade holder is perp to it).
Bit of useless information but VW cars never rest on the same edge twice when the wipers park. So this phenomenon doesn't occur as quick as other cars.
To the OP have you put anything on the windscreen previously like Rain X? I used this once and the juddering was terrible. I used steel wool to remove it all and the windscreen was back to normal.
Treat yourself to a new flat set and you'll never look back.
"Steven Campbell" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:
I have a set of flat-blade wipers (own-brands from wiperblades.co.uk) on the Saab at the moment. They've solved one specific problem - the arm pivots freezing, causing the blade to set in position and lift - but are considerably less capable at following the curvature of the screen, and much bulkier (especially around the pivot), so visually more intrusive.
Do you live near an airport?
We used to get this really badly in Hounslow - the fine mist of unburnt jet fuel ruined wiper blades very quickly and in the end we just resigned ourselves to replacing them every three months or so.
I get my acetone from our local pharmacist. They will ask you what you want it for and as long as you give a plausible answer, they will order it in for you.
Dave
Bottle of cheap nail polish remover?
For cleaning glass on a vehicle, have a word with your local bus/ lorry/ coach company cleaners or your local Autosmart guy. Traffic film remover for the glass, and meths or similar for the wiper blades. Neat washing up liquid on a cloth will also do the job on the blades, with a good rinse afterwards. Dilute the TFR as recommended, and be warned that it will remove what polish you've got on your paintwork where it comes into contact. If you use it to clean the whole car, it leaves a lovely surface for re-polishing
Often cured by adjusting the "angle of attack" of the wipers relative to the windscreen. The blade should flop over everytime the wiper changes direction, but if the arm is not twisted correctly then it tries to push the blade in front of it instead of dragging behind. This makes it judder. Use two pairs of pliers to twist the wiper arm so that when presented to the screen the rubber blade is roughly perpendicular.
Try WD40 - seriously. It gets all sorts of stuff off, then it'll wash off with soapy water.
In message , Simon C writes
Seriously? It's great stuff, but even _I_ wouldn't use WD40 on a windscreen (not mine, anyway!).
Well I've used it on mine to remove tar spots. Perhaps unwisely... but it did work just fiine. Perhaps if in doubt then 'try on a small area first'. But glass is pretty tough isn't it? I've been much more worried when using WD to remove sticker residue on the speedo glass [actuaslly plastic] on a recently bought car - as recommended by someone in this group. That worked fine tho too.
In message , Simon C writes
I'm sure I've also used it to remove tar spots - but only on bodywork.
I don't think I'd be at all worried about it actually harming the glass.
I don't think I've ever had WD40 actually harm plastics. White spirit is a completely different. I always thought it was pretty innocuous, I used it once on something that might have been acrylic, and it crazed it within seconds.
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