my wipers drag and make much noise on my windshield during lite rain showers or drizzle.(new blades,2003 jeep liberty)what can I do?
Did you replace the whole blade (not arm) or just the refill? If just the refill, try the whole blade. Fairly cheap and works much better. Try a good cleaning with Bon Ami or similar to remove all of the waxes and oils.
Actually, the whole arm can be replaced with an aftermarket arm from the parts store for about $15 each. The articulation joint in the stamped sheetmetal may be corroded. In aggressive environments like southern coastal areas that can heppen in 5 years.
Try a good cleaning with Bon Ami or similar to remove all of the waxes and oils.
Note: That must be the ORIGINAL Bon Ami in the yellow can not the new stuff in the gold can. The new stuff and almost every other cleanser can scratch the windscreen. I know, even though I know the difference we had both in the house and one day I used the wrong one.
However you are right, a clean window is very important and the original Bon Ami is great stuff. Also the advice about replacing the wipers is right on.
Do they “Chatter” when going one direction but not the other? If so they may need to be adjusted so the blade is exactly perpendicular to the glass when it is almsot touching it. The arm gets carefully bent to adjust that.
whole blade was replaced not refill
I have heard the same erroneous information on Car Talk on this topic several times… once again today. The ONLY way I have found to have crystal clear vision is to use Rain-X but its absolutely necessary to use it right. The m.o. is to get the windshield perfect clean first, as described above. Personally I use Soft Scrub instead of Bon Ami, but the idea is the same. Regular glass cleaners and the like can’t cut thru the amazingly tough grime that collects on windshields. Solvents like alcohol of lacquer thinner loosen it up but ultimately just spread it around. It takes an ultrafine abrasive like SoftScrub to cut through and remove it. The application of Rain-X serves a couple purposes. First it acts a solvent to clean up any remaining crud. It needs to be aggressively rubbed on, just as if you were using a cleaning agent. If you use a white cloth you wil see how much residue it removes. The other function Rain-X provides is to act as a wax- a lubricant of sorts- for the wipers to work perfectly. Once the windshield is properly cleaned, teh SoftScub cleaning step doesn’t really need to be repeated, although the vigorous application of Rain-X is required frequently. Here in Portland during the winter, where wipers can be required almost every day, weekly application is needed but for me its worth the effort to be able to see while I’m driving. Of course Rain-X also works as advertised, as the “wiperless wiper” but only at high speeds where there is enough windspeed to blow the water away. They probably do not advertise it as a windshield “conditioner” which in my view is its greatest value, perhaps because it?s complicated to describe and requires that users actually work at it some. Anyone like ? oh, say Tom & Ray - who say that it makes a windshield "smeary"aren’t prepping the glass right. No I’m not related in any way to the people who make Rain-X - just passionate that this is such an easy solution to a problem that so many people have.
Try a good cleaning with Bon Ami
Warning Warning Warning …
Only use Bon Ami in the Yellow can. The stuff in the Gold can is standard type scouring powder and can and will scratch the windscreen! However the stuff in the yellow can is great!
how about just isopropyl and paper towels. That should take off wax and oil. I tend to stay from commercial cleansers like Bon Ami; no only do you not know what’s in them, but as Joseph says, they can change the formulation at any time.
I have the same problem, and have been replacing blades. I’ll try a good cleaning. As soon as I get the ice off.
In my experience the better wiper blades cost more and do a better job. The dealer probably has the best (and most costly) ones. Replace the entire blade and look for natural rubber-it is quieter.