How do you stop squeaky wiper blades?

nzporsche944s2 · 01-07-2016, 05:06 PM

Before anyone suggests changing the blades, this car is only 3 weeks old (mid December 2015).

There are no scratches, marks, or stonechips on the screen at all.

It has only rained twice here in that time (we are in summer) and it has the most irritating squeaking that I wouldn't expect on a brand new car. Today it's driving me crazy.

I thought Rainex might help but I recall someone (on this forum?) saying that Rainex is a coating that builds up and can make the squeaking worse (?)

Any suggestions?

stomachmonkey · 01-07-2016, 05:16 PM

So what they are only 3 weeks old.

Blades are cheap, change them.

nzporsche944s2 · 01-07-2016, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

So what they are only 3 weeks old.

Blades are cheap, change them.

You're right they are cheap - so if I changed them are those "silicone" blades any better?

onewhippedpuppy · 01-07-2016, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

So what they are only 3 weeks old.

Blades are cheap, change them.

Yup. Bosch Icon. I put them on everything, they never squeak. Most OEM blades are cheap.

nzporsche944s2 · 01-07-2016, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Yup. Bosch Icon. I put them on everything, they never squeak. Most OEM blades are cheap.

Thanks - I see those on Amazon pretty cheap

JavaBrewer · JavaBrewer's Garage

OEM blades for what car?

I got OEM 996 replacements from our host and they are awesome!

nzporsche944s2 · 01-07-2016, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

OEM blades for what car?

I got OEM 996 replacements from our host and they are awesome!

Ford Mondeo (Ford Fusion in the US)
The ones we get here are made at the new plant in Valencia, Spain

Bill Douglas · 01-07-2016, 06:33 PM

The blades are fine. The windscreen needs cleaning. Trust me, it will work.

nzporsche944s2 · 01-07-2016, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

The blades are fine. The windscreen needs cleaning. Trust me, it will work.

That's not a bad suggestion. I've been cleaning the car every weekend using one of those wash and wax that you add to warm water (Meguires or Mothers). Could it be residue from that wax on the window?

What would you clean it with? Normal ammonia based glass cleaner? Or a clay bar?

Steve Carlton · 01-07-2016, 06:49 PM

The blades on the car could be old. What is the manufacturing month and year of the car?

Bill Douglas · 01-07-2016, 07:36 PM

Give it death with ordinary ammonia window cleaner. It's evil stuff on (metal) cars but will be fine when it's well rinsed off. Yep I think it's the wax that does it. Let us know if it works

nzporsche944s2 · 01-07-2016, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

The blades on the car could be old. What is the manufacturing month and year of the car?

Another good point! The collective minds of Pelican...

I checked the VIN and although it is only 3 weeks old FOR ME it was actually manufactured in Europe in early 2015 so these blades are a year old having sat in whatever conditions they store cars in (I doubt it would have been an air conditioned sun-proof warehouse

)

Bill - I'll clean the glass because that's easy and essentially free. Hopefully that works.

Failing that I'll do as others suggest and get some Bosch Icon blades

Thanks all....

vash · vash's Garage

i had badass Bosch blade..man they clicked and squeeked.

i gave up, tossed them and bought the cheapest Trico ones. wow, they glide with a sexy hissing sound. i'm sticking with the cheapo trico from my neighborhood store.

speeder · speeder's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by nzporsche944s2

That's not a bad suggestion. I've been cleaning the car every weekend using one of those wash and wax that you add to warm water (Meguires or Mothers). Could it be residue from that wax on the window?

What would you clean it with? Normal ammonia based glass cleaner? Or a clay bar?

The wax solution, (God knows what it actually is), is probably the problem. You don't need that on your car, just keep it reasonably clean and park it in a garage if possible. If you don't have a garage, park in the shade if it's hot and sunny there but not under a tree that drops anything.

I'd say that the wiper blades are probably fine, even if they are one year old. If they have any build-up of anything on them, wipe the rubber blades with vinegar or Windex. The absolute best thing to clean glass that has a waxy or oily film on it is Bon Ami. It's a powdered cleaner for glassware dishes and it's sold everywhere in the U.S. It will not scratch glass but it's a mild abrasive powder. Use it with a soft sponge, do not ever use a scotch brand or other "scrubby sponge" on glass. The abrasive pad will absolutely scratch the heck out of glass and ruin a windshield. My poor mom found this out the hard way trying to clean dead bugs off of her w/s once.

Bon Ami, (comes in a cylindrical box like Comet or Ajax), and a sof sponge plus a little water gets glass amazingly clean. Clean the wiper blades. Thank me later.

bugstrider · bugstrider's Garage

My two bits:

Rain-X is always a crowd pleaser on window treatment. If your worried about build up, a clean cotton towel and denatured alcohol will remove it nicely if you do not like the results.

Another popular option...... Clay bar your window. Yes, the same clay bar you use on your paint.... Any automotive parts supplier will have it. Maguires, turtle wax brand are just a couple of manufactures. Just do a quick YouTube search will show you a couple of techniques that really work. At first, I too though the idea was crazy, however I am a believer in it really doing a great job cleaning and treating the glass.

Makes a huge difference in beading the water off.

Good luck & cheers

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

You can remove the top layer of rubber that is hard with a bit of fine sand paper. Fold it over and take a gentle pass along the length of the wiper blade.

RANDY P · RANDY P's Garage

Silicone spray. Remove them from the car, clean them, clean the glass then douse the wipers in silicone.

Did that for years. Works like a champ.

porsche4life · porsche4life's Garage

I just put new cheap blades on Thuy's car. I always get the cheapies out here, because it seems like no matter what I buy, they have sun rotted before it rains again!

porsche tech · 01-08-2016, 03:58 AM

The rubber on the blade must fold side to side depending on which way it is moving across the windshield. If it does not, it will result in chattering and all kinds of other noises. The easiest way to detect if they are folding properly is to turn off the key in the middle of the swipe and see if the rubber edge of the blade is folded to the correct side. Porsche actually had a special tool to adjust wiper are angle back in the day. It was a plastic cylinder with a slot that could be slipped over the arm to bend it so that the blade would sit squarely on the windshield and thus fold side to side depending on direction of travel. The same thing can be accomplished with a pair of duck billed pliers and a rag (to prevent scratching the arm). Even new blades will make noise if not adjusted properly. Hope this isn't TMI.--Dave

jhynesrockmtn · 01-08-2016, 04:58 AM

I had an Acura MDX for 10 years and for many of those battled a line that wouldn't clear forming with a variety of aftermarket blades. After a few months, it was like a clockwork. I spoke to the dealer service manager during a recall visit and he said "I know this sounds like a dealer sales job but the Acura blades are actually much better and put more uniform pressure on the glass". Bought some, he was right, never had the issue again.