windshield wiper review
I bought a new pair of windshield wipers about six months ago when the old pair began to chatter. I decided to go with the Bosch Micro Edge Excel wipers, as they appeared to be the Cadillacs of the windshield wiper line. So far, I am very impressed. They have not chattered once, even if I turn them on with no water on the windshield. They don’t leave streaks and they handle snow and ice as well as can be expected. This is the best pair of wipers I’ve had, I just hope they continue to work well.
I also learned that a small pointy object works wonders if the wiper fluid nozzles aren’t working correctly. Both of the nozzles on the driver’s side wouldn’t spray any fluid, so I poked a screw into the holes and voila, zee nozzle, she is verking.
I find that if you remove the rubber part of the wiper blade it greatly reduces the amount of chattering by the blade.
Did you get the hot pink or green wiper blades with neon windshield-wiper-sprayer-thingy lights on your hood? Oh Dan, you simply must get them. You’d be soooo wicked-cool.
Oh yes, I actually have swirling nozzles which douse pedestrians and bicyclists with fresh wiper fluid as I drive by. The lights point straight up in the air and can be seen from 15 miles away and the neon green is so bright it can burn out a small child’s retina before you can say ‘Woo woo’.
I’ve generally bought the Bosch Micro Edge (not Miscro) and they’ve always worked best. The porblem I can remember, and this may have changed, was that I couldn’t get refills for them — I had to buy the whole blade, metal and all.
As for the squirter thing, I’ve tried many a different solution, from blowing on them to taking a paperclip through the inside (which doesn’t fully work). However, what works best, if you have access to it, is take an aircompressor nozzle and blow things out with really high pressure.
Oops. Thanks for noticing the typo. I hope that getting a refill isn’t a “porblem.” :)
I haven’t verified this myself, but apparently the rubber used by Japanese OEMs is of much higher quality than the rubber used in American aftermarket equipment. If you start having problems with the Bosch blades sooner than you’d like, you might try OEM blades next time.
Do you have those neon lights under your car, too? How about the windows tinted dark enough to be ticketed?
I actually do have my windows tinted but they are legal. The main reason I tinted them was to protect the interior from the sun, and no matter what the color, the tints give you the the same UV protection.
http://www.wiperbuddy.com All problems with the windshield wiper are due to spring pressure from the wiper arm and the extreme heat of the windshield. Ice and frost is an enemy as well and rips wiper blade, bends wiper arms and does wiper system damage. Periodic elevation of the wiper blades with Wipe Buddy allows the wiper “V” shape to correct itself–Try just one for 2-3 days and see the difference. Wiper Buddy is a technical tip in July 03 FMCA motor home magazine. Come see us.
Thanks for the heads up. My wipers are still doing okay, it’s the wiper fluid dispensers that are giving me grief. The passenger side nozzle works great, but I’m getting nothing on the driver’s side. Running the wipers on a dry windshield isn’t too helpful.
I thought about windshield wiper arms and blades and their design. It seems to me that these somewhat troublesome and short-lived items are one of the most primitive items on todays modern automobiles. The basic mechanical design of these things haven’t changed much for decades (except maybe the fact that they are now electrical rather than working on a vacuum sytem). Thinking “out of the box”, there would seem to be some other design feasible for retaining good visibility in inclement conditions other than this antiquated mechanical device that we must all put up with. The automotive industry allocates so much money to many less important electronically related automotive features, whereas driver visibility doesn’t seem to be as important.
F. R. Green
Where would I find information on the wiper mechanism to my /86 Mercury 5L Capri.
The wipers are not working in low or normal speeds…only in the high speed (not as fast as usual), even at that sometimes the wipers stop and then start again. I have also noticed that my signal stops working after a few clicks.
Earlier this year I was having a problem with my battery dying..it was later discovered it was my voltage regulator.Just prior to that being replaced I did have a problem while getting a jump start, smoke had come up from behind my stereo on the dash (while getting the jump start) and my wipers went wonky fast at that time.
Is there any information that could be given….or where I could find some?
Thanks for reviewing this problem….Shay
I’m sorry to hear of your difficulties, but I have no expertise on windshield wipers. I just bought a new pair and talked about how they worked.
How do I stop my wipers from chattering? I have tried new refills, new blades, I have cleaned my windshield many times with a variety of cleaners but they still chatter. Eventually my windshield becomes coated with black (I assume rubber from the blades) and this seems to make the chattering worse.
I checked the pressure of the arms and it appears to be just over a half of a pound.
My next step is to replace the windshield
Does anyone have any ideas??
Thanks
John
what about those teflon jobs? or the new ones which claim to have a rubber boot around the base? The ones I bought last spring are already squeaking on every stroke and the driver’s side wiper misses a large area allowing the snow to pile up. Anyone have a suggestion for a Ford Focus, besides burning it for the insurance money, I mean?
I’ve heard that most wipers are designed to last around six months, so it may be time to get a new pair. I have winter windshield wipers on right now which are covered with rubber to keep the moisture from getting in and freezing the blades.
Though burning your Ford Focus sounds fun too…
I came here to find out why the new bosch blades chatter and found another site you may have seen. I don’t have a direct link but check (pelicanbbs.com/posts/96757.htm) the post about heat from the defroster.
good luck, john
The chattering of the wiper blade is due to what is called “Perminate Set Wipers”. This is due to wiper arm spring pressure forcing the wiper to turn to one side futher causing it to maintain that position and cannot rotate back and forth to properly clean the windshield. The chattering is simply due to the super heated windshield and ice weight. The wiper it is trying to rotate but cannot. Two to three days of wiper elevation will allow the wiper to straighten out. Check out http://www.wiperbuddy.com
Can’t find http://www.wiperbuddy.com
Where did thay go?????????
The site appears to be down. Here’s a temporary Google cache of the site.
hey my daughter actually wants pink wipers on her car…anyone know where i can get them i can find everyother color but pink
I am Looking for some Neon Green Double Wiper Blades > if any one can find any Please email me the link. I have looked every where No one has the Neon Green color and i need that to match my Interior Get up. I have a Black Tracker with Neon Green tree frogs on Black Seat Covers and i’m trying to stick with the whole Get up. I think a Set of tricked out wiper blades would be awsome :) thanks for your help !
i live in the cold wintery (we had snow in Aug!!i love it) state of Wy.i use the heated wipers everblades-they work great in all conditions-my chrysler mini also has the lower part of the windshield that heats up plus heated side mirriors-front wheel drive does great with studded snow tires with deep groves all the way around-the 4x4s go sliding by while i keep on truckin in any kind of weather-may all your days be cheery
hey, i don’t know if you can help me. but its worth a shot right? i just got a black eclipse, and i am decking it out in all pink….. do you know where i can get pink windhield wipers and maybe pink lights that i can put where my wiper fluid comes out? i always see blue or green, but i don’t know where to look for pink, i just can’t find any. i am really excited about my black and pink car. so you think you can help….. loria0421@msn.com
Save your money on “wiperbuddy”. Simply park your vehicle with the wipers on but moving toward the “park position”. This will counter the memory effect of the wiper blade material. I’ve done this numerous times to restore good operation of my current blades (12-months old and counting).
i bought some neon winshield washer nozzles.how do i install them it came with a switch where you can change the colors..12vdc but where could i tap in to power and does polarity make a difference..
I have tried and tried to stop getting a haze on the windshield of my 1999 Subaru. No luck. Just replaced the blades with the triple edge type with silicon. Still getting ther haze. Have cleaned the windshield over and over again.
Thanks
My driver’s side wiper seems to have become “out of sinc” with the passenger side wiper arm. It catches under the right hand side arm on occassion and locks up. I must stop the car, loosen the holding nut, reset the posiution of the arm and ten tighten the nut down again for the arm to work. This happens sporatically but more frequently now. Any suggestions from anyone?
Thanks
I must ask.. are you guys really serious about the ‘neon green double wiper blades’ and items and colors of the like, or is that sarcasm just too subtle for my naivite ?
after having my windshield wipers suddenly stop working (well work only halfway as the passenger side was working and driver was not) and spending 150 for little tiny parts and 200 for labor my windshield wipers work. It seems as though they try and get you by not making parts available except through the manufacturer and each car is different. They ordered the parts 5 times before they got the right ones in. It was frustrating.
To clean out your nozzles, get a welding tip cleaner. They come in a little toolset for a couple bucks and have about 10 different sized wires with sharp cutting edges. You run them through the nozzles a few times, and the sharp edges remove the mineral deposits and other crud, making your nozzles work like new. Just be sure not to enlarge the holes, as the cleaners can remove metal as well.
Driver visibility: I once rode in a semi-tractor during a heavy rain. They have two-piece windshields made of flat panels.
I was amazed at how much better wipers work on those flat windshields. The wipers are really only necessary when it is raining fairly hard.
I REQUIRE EXTRA WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADES THE WHOLE METAL AND RUBBER WIPERS OR JUST THE RUBBER WIPERS OR JUST THE METAL PIECE. CAN YOU SU
MY COMPANY AT 2145 AVENUE RD. TORONTO,ONTARIO,M5M-4B2,CANADA.
ASK FOR LEA HEATHERTON BY CALLING (416)441-2888.
I wanted to let everyone know about the best windshield wipers on the market. They are called Silblade (also known as Flexblade). These are a Silicone blade with a Teflon spray coating. They also have the one piece spring loaded frame which is all the craze right now. The manufacturer has a 5 year UNCONDITIONAL replacement warranty.
I have had them on my car for a year and they are awesome.
Paul: That’s an odd coincidence. I am currently awaiting the arrival of 4 new Silblade windshield wipers. I will be posting a review after I’ve used them for a while.
i just bought one new Reflex wiper for the driver side on my Vrhysler Concorde. The wiper is fine The problem is that probably because of the not enough arm pressure, the wiper doesn’t wipe at all. As a consequence I can barely see when it rains. Does anyone has an idea how can be corrected the pressure apllyied by the wiper arm?If anyone knows please send me an e-mail.Thank you.
Tavi: I would imagine your wiper arm could be adjusted somehow. You could take a look in the Haynes manual at your local auto parts store to see if there’s some way to adjust it.
Tavi: It could also be the linkage is worn out. Sometimes it wears out and you can replace it. If one side works but the other doesn’t I would have someone check that out. Or perhaps you can adjust the tension on the nuts holding your wiper in place which could fix it if that is your problem.
who knows who discovered the windshield wiper
karen: I don’t believe anyone discovered it, because as far as I know, they don’t occur naturally in the wild.
The invention of the wiper is attributed to Mary Anderson, who was granted a patent for her idea in 1905. I find it very interesting that people laughed at her idea and teased her, thinking it would distract drivers, but by 1913 the windshield wiper was standard equipment. It’s a perfect example of why people shouldn’t pay much heed to criticism from others.
I can’t believe I’ve run into a windshield wiper forum. LOL. I typed “reflex windshield wipers” into google so I could find their complaint department, and I found a windshield wiper forum. Who’d believe it.
I suppose while I’m here I could give a quick report on the reflex wipers. I put them on my ’93 GMC truck and they chatter like crazy. The old ones didn’t chatter. But the new ones sure do. No big deal I thought. Then I noticed a set on a lady’s car and asked her how she liked them. She hated them because they chatter so badly.
One day while at a parts store with my ’96 ford taurus, my driver’s side wiper came apart right there in the parking lot in the rain. So I went back inside and stupidly bought a reflex to replace it, trying to give the reflex another chance. LOL. And for $20 I now have a chattering wiper on the driver’s side of my car.
I’ll be returning all of them to the store. Do not buy these horrible wipers.
By the way, for what it’s worth…if it’s raining really hard they don’t chatter and they do a great job. The spring frame idea is a good one if they can stop the chattering.
Steve: Thanks for the warning.
I just bought two new sets of windshield wipers that I’ll be writing a review on in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.
i am lookin for pink wiper arms for my 05 pt crusier and im havin trouble finding them can some1 help me out with a site that i can order them from plz. Thank U
im looking for pink wpiers for my truck and i need help finding them? plz some one help.. if not im getting white and putting pink lines on them so i can have so pink on them