Wiper Sucks

My windshield wiper on my Jetta really sucks. If you are from Vancouver (BC), then you would know how much it rains here. Apparently my brother’s new GTi does the same thing. Is there anything I can do?

Sucks in what way? Slow? bad wipe? Streaking?

Perhaps some Rain-X will make your wiper suck less?

From personal experience, all German cars have crappy wipers. I don't know what it's all about, but it is true.

Mine to! Just used them for the firs time in over a month here in CO.. bad dry spell. Then we went from 82F to below freezing in less than 24hours! After I scrapped, the wipers just streaked the whole way to work. I'm wanting to replace them, but haven't looked at them yet to see what would be the best replacements, anybody else have a suggestion?

The driver's side wiper streaks. It's almost better off not turning it on.

Having bought various 'off the shelf' autoparts inserts, my observation is that blade material, profile shape and length has a great deal to do with the performance of replacement inserts. I haven't had much luck with them. Streaking and chatter are pretty common. The OEM wiper inserts, however, available from Impex seem to be made of a soft, pliable material and have a longer blade profile than many aftermarket brands. They work quite well on my Golf. I've yet to find any other brand that works better. No streaks/chatter/skips, just smooth, quiet operation and last reasonably well. The longer profile seems to be able to allow full contact and switch directions without complaint despite variations in alignment between the arm/holder and the windshield itself. Just my $.02 but they work well for me. BTW, I am not a Rain-X fan.

P.S. We get LOTS of rain where I live...

FlyTDI Guy
Can you enlightening me with the web page of Impex?
I did a google search and came up w/
this
can't seem to find the wiper section.
/images/graemlins/confused.gif

http://www.vwparts.com

Be Advised: These are inserts only. That means you only get the rubber part itself, not the arm or pivot rails. You must change out just the rubber wiper portion on your current arms. This is kind of a PITA to do. If you are the kind who has trouble changing out toilet paper rolls, you might think twice about it but... It's not that tough with a little patience and dexterity and certainly cheaper than all the other options. When last I checked, they were $9.20 a pair.

Addendum: They are located in the 'Electrical(Body)' section for your year/model car. Could they have hidden them any better? Gees...

duh! thanks...that one was tagged #8 on my favorites.
I'll give it a shot, my wife thinks I have trouble changing out the toilet paper, I won't tell her that I'm just to lazy to do it! /images/graemlins/cool.gif

For another thread on changing out inserts, see >HERE<. This includes a gruesomely long-winded attempt to describe the changeout procedure. /images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

German cars have great wipers. It's called dried up inserts that streak and cause issues. Change them every 6 months and you won't have issues.

I agree our wipers are fine. We got our first rain since April yesterday and my wipers worked fine even during heavy downpours and despite little use in the past 5 months.

The wipers on the Passat even at 7 months old chattered for the first couple of minutes of use but then loosened up and worked flawlessly.

I agree the wipers are fine when it's warm. When it's cold, they are a drag. Here in Denver, I had to use mine for the first time this last week in freezing rain. The one on the passenger side only contacted the windshield on the ends, probably 20% of their total length. The driver's side one left a big patch right in front of my face. If I kept the defrosters on full blast, the driver's side wiper did better but not great. The passenger's side was useless.

2003 Golf, 2 months old.

Howdy Desmond,
From my experieance ....based upon several type & brands of wiper blade replacements....In my opinion (for what ever that is worth) the Wal-Mart "LEXOR (Narrow B) Inserts" are the best value.

A few words of note: Read the instructions closely.....making sure not to trim off the wrong end of the insert when you make your cut.

It happens with ALL wipers. Get winter blades if you have ice building up under the rubber betwen the frame. It has ZERO to do with the rubber blade, you need to get the crap out from behind it.

you know why the passenger side makes all kind of noise. take a good look at it and you will see the blade is in a slide curve, which make it less flexible especially when the rubber got old and hard. the steel insert inside are straight so it been force into the slot to stay in the curve position. replacing it with the shorter 16" (i believe oem is 18") complete blade might help. the driver side blade is straight.

I second the use of rain-x.....reduces the need to use wipers...

I have been using OEM with results better than aftermarket. They should be changed every 6 months at least. It does appear to be soft rubber, so any abrasive on the windshield (all that dirt) or pits in the glass surface will abrade the wiper rubber edge and cause it to streak. There appears to be no substitute for regular chang-out.

Keep in mind with the OEM refills that the metal stiffeners need to be saved because the refills do not come with them.

I like rainX in some situations like on the highway when you don't need the wipers. But, when it is sleety I don't like the product because it makes a streaky film that lasts a few seconds reducing your visibility. Dangerous at night especially. But it does make snow/ice easier to remove.

I have found that, in addition to regular insert changes, a good scrubbing with Bon Ami cleanser helps. The cleanser removes wax, sap and other gunk that builds up on the windshield.

Spend the extra money on PIAA blades. The pre-installation treatment is basically Rain-X, or so it seems to me.

Tried the Triple Edge, but its plastic construction does not distribute the blade evenly, causing it to chatter annoyingly.

get the PIAA wipers they work great so far about 2 months but are very expensive about $37

when i first got my 03 jetta, the blades chattered terribly. I took it back to the dealer and they fixed it right away. They said they adjusted the angles of the wipers. Now they work perfectly. Maybe yours just needs an adjustment?

Jeff