Wiper Noise

1996 SL2

Just did some highway driving through light rain and drizzle and a lot of
road spray. As the windshield is wiped dry, but not too dry, the wipers make
a god-awful noise. Mainly this is bad design I think. Has anyone found a way
to quiet these down? I've thought of using the Teflon blades but I don't
want to spend $30 without knowing if they will help.

I had a Mazda Protege rental recently and even dry the wipers didn't make
noise. I think on the SL2 the wiper arms are too flexible and they start
oscillating when you get the wipers go through the stick-slip phenomenon.

 

How about just cleaning your windshield?

 

If you are talking about the wipers chattering, I think this is because the
blades on your car (and my 98 SL2) spend their entire life pressed against
the windshield. This causes the blades to get permanently bent slightly in
one direction. As the rubber gets older, it loses some of its flexibility.
So when the blade needs to go in the other direction, it tends to
hop-chatter, especially when the windshield is not very wet.

On some cars (especially more expensive ones), a mechanism lifts the wipers
off the windshield to a park position, when the wipers are shut off. I had a
Toyota Cressida that did this. So the blades have less tendency to get bent
in one direction.

-- Jay

 

Have to say the ones on my Ion are crap,with my 3rd oil change,i asked to
look at them,they replaced them!,new & soft.It wasn't that hot this
summer,but,that's a good point on pressure when not in use,they BETTER NOT
start scratching the windsheild!.

 

Hop-chatter.... excellent description. You've described it perfectly. I have
noticed that when the blade changes direction, on the driver side, it rolls
over and spatter the wiped area. On my car this phenomenon isn't
age-related. This was happening as soon as I replaced the wiper blades, in
fact, now that they are worn down it's a bit better, but not much. Also, I
replaced just the blades, not the blade and arm. I think the refills were
noisier than replacing the arms.

Yeah, I don't know if there's any cure for this other than a re-design.

 

I've had a number of cars that did this and think it is a horrible idea
if you are anywhere near pine trees. The #$$#% needles get under the
blades when they are parked and if you forget to clean them out on a
daily basis sooner or later you are going to turn on your wipers and be
confronted with a bunch of needles streaking up the windshield.

If taking a "set" is the problem, why is one "set" better than another?

Properly designed / decent quality wiper blades are the answer to this
problem. A clan windshield helps also.

Regards,

Ed White

 

I should have mentioned earlier, I have 91K on my 98 SL2. I replace the
wiper inserts yearly, from the Saturn parts dept. The rest of the wiper
assembly is original. Chicago area.

This guy http://www.garageboy.com/bmw/bonami.html says Bon Ami is good for
cleaning windshields. I have never tried it, but I might, especially for the
insides of the windows. I hate the film that products like Windex leave on
the glass. I occasionally apply Rain-X, but it wears off long before I
reapply it. Garageboy also says that Rain-X creates a safety problem when it
wears off after a couple weeks. I have never noticed this.

-- Jay

 

I use water and liquid car washing detergent. I scrubbed down the windshield
inside and out a few times and finished by rubbing with a towel. This is the
only method that leaves the windshield clean enough for me! I think a very
clean windshield makes the hop-chatter worse. I hoped someone had tried the
Teflon blades, as Teflon has very low friction properties.

Incidentally, I like to keep the inside of the windshield squeaky clean
because frost nucleates around dirt particles. Not long before that's a
concern.

 

If you have not tried Rain-X, you might like it. It is like wax for the
exterior windshield. It needs to be reapplied every week or two.

 

Unless you live in a rain forest, every month or two should suffice. Oh,
and I've been known to Rain-X the windshield of my rental cars because I
can't stand not having it.

 

I used Rain-X or something like it years ago. I'll give it a try. It will
also make me feel good to bum something from my son, as he has some!

 

I just saw Rain-X wipers at a WalMart. Anyone used these and if so, any
comments on these wipers?