Reduced Vision When Wet

[JaysPrius]

I am quite tall and find that when it is raining the sweep of the l/h wiper finishes right in front of my eyeline leaving a blurred streak for me to look forward through :-( Does anyone else suffer this problem? Is it a simple job of "bending" the wiper arm to alter the finish position of the sweep?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I am quite tall and find that when it is raining the sweep of the l/h wiper finishes right in front of my eyeline leaving a blurred streak for me to look forward through :-( Does anyone else suffer this problem? Is it a simple job of "bending" the wiper arm to alter the finish position of the sweep?

I think I know what you mean. Mine leaves a blury area from the passenger side wiper in front of you before the driver side wiper gets there. I thought it was just mine and new-ness. Maybe it'll bed in or maybe it's to do with some sort of polish they put on them when the cars are new?

[JaysPrius]

I think I know what you mean. Mine leaves a blury area from the passenger side wiper in front of you before the driver side wiper gets there. I thought it was just mine and new-ness. Maybe it'll bed in or maybe it's to do with some sort of polish they put on them when the cars are new?

Yep - I am sure we are talking about the same problem. I have tried giving the screen a very thorough clean in case it was a coating of some kind. Fingers crossed that it does bed in - else I will get a pair of pliers to the wiper arm and bend it to reduce the amount of travel across my line of vision.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I think I know what you mean. Mine leaves a blury area from the passenger side wiper in front of you before the driver side wiper gets there. I thought it was just mine and new-ness. Maybe it'll bed in or maybe it's to do with some sort of polish they put on them when the cars are new?

Yep - I am sure we are talking about the same problem. I have tried giving the screen a very thorough clean in case it was a coating of some kind. Fingers crossed that it does bed in - else I will get a pair of pliers to the wiper arm and bend it to reduce the amount of travel across my line of vision.

It's been raining oop norf alot today and the problem slowly seems to be getting better.

[stompe]

I am quite tall and find that when it is raining the sweep of the l/h wiper finishes right in front of my eyeline leaving a blurred streak for me to look forward through :-( Does anyone else suffer this problem? Is it a simple job of "bending" the wiper arm to alter the finish position of the sweep?

http://www.aquapel.com/

Im Gonna try this

[flow]

I use rain-x on mine, Windscreen & side windows

http://www.rainx.co.uk/

Theres also a downloadable voucher to get £1 off at Halfords

[JaysPrius]

The solutions above combat the problem but the problem shouldn't be there in my opinion. I think the fundamental design of the sweep of the L/H wiper arm is wrong. Could do with a Toyota techie having a look to see if there is an better way of adjusting the sweeping arc, better that is - than me with a pair of pliers bending the arm.

[Sagitar]

The smearing on the front window seems to be a common problem. I spent a lot of time a couple of weeks ago getting the window really clean with Autoglym glass polish and thought that I had cured it. But when I washed the car this weekend with Autoglym shampoo the smearing returned. It was as though the wax in the shampoo picked up on whatever coating there is on the screen.

However, yesterday I drove a long way in heavy rain and I must say that it wasn't long befor the screen cleared and I was able to see very well. I was also interested to see how clear the rear window remained.

I drove from Telford to Ampthill in heavy rain on three different motorways. The traffic was pretty dense at times, with speeds varying quite a bit, but mostly in the high 60s. The lower part of the rear window on the Prius was obscured by water more-or-less immediately I started driving, but the upper part of the window remained absolutely clear. On the sections of the motorway that were illuminated, I could see clearly that no water was falling onto the upper rear window, so I can only assume that it was being carried clear of the top of the car down to the spoiler by the laminar flow over the car. I had no occasion to use the rear wiper.

Incidentally, indicated consumption for the out-and-return journey was 60.6 m.p.g. I did much better than that going (66+), when it was dry and I was able to do most of the journey with the cruise control set to 70, but the journey home was much more stop-go because of the traffic and the heavy rain.

[agfs]

There are two things you might like to try to reduce window smearing - one is to clean the Wiper Blades themselves with a mixture of water and vinegar on a cloth. You should find a considerable amount of black residue is removed, the other is, as already suggested, to use a rain-repelling substance on the two side (front) windows, the mirrors and the rear window.

[hertsnminds]

Does the same thing happen on LHD version of the car, have Toyota been lazy with the conversion? I know there are some manufacturers who have started doing things like not moving the handbrake lever position, only having a door lock on the passenger (LHD drivers) side and not changing the coverage area of the Wiper Blades when they create a RHD version of a vehicle.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Does the same thing happen on LHD version of the car, have Toyota been lazy with the conversion? I know there are some manufacturers who have started doing things like not moving the handbrake lever position, only having a door lock on the passenger (LHD drivers) side and not changing the coverage area of the wiper blades when they create a RHD version of a vehicle.

Possible but I would have thought it unlikely as Toyota is Japanese and they drive on the left in Japan like we do here. As such, I would have thought they would design the car from a RHD (home market) point of view and then convert to LHD or design it correctly for both markets. I seems to me that Japanese manufacturers are more switched on to this than say the French manufacturers who could treat RHD markets as an after thought. I know the Americans appear to do.

[hertsnminds]

As such, I would have thought they would design the car from a RHD (home market) point of view and then convert to LHD or design it correctly for both markets

I would have agreed with you until I experienced the lazy RHD conversion of the Mk III Mazda MX-5. The hand-brake has been left in the same place for both LHD and RHD cars putting it awkwardly close to the drivers seat in the RHD models. Maybe the cars are now designed for the markets where they may sell the most, so for a Prius that will most likely be the US market.

[JaysPrius]

I am quite tall and find that when it is raining the sweep of the l/h wiper finishes right in front of my eyeline leaving a blurred streak for me to look forward through :-( Does anyone else suffer this problem? Is it a simple job of "bending" the wiper arm to alter the finish position of the sweep?

Just a quick update, as I started this one off. My local dealer has lifted the wiper arm off the spindle and rotated it a couple of notches so that the smear mark (much reduced after advice on this thread) is no longer directly in front of my eyeline. The wipers now rest much lower on the screen and still function perfectly well - even tho I am now sensitised to looking for the smear mark, it is far enough to the centre of the screen to no longer be an issue.