Wiper blade wobble

[kithmo]

My driver's side wiper blade has a very annoying wobble at the bottom end as it wipes, both directions, has anyone else got/had this and if so did you remedy it or are you just putting up with it as I am ?

I have twisted the blade a bit which did improve it a little but I can't get rid of it altogether. I was going to buy another Toyota blade but am not confident that it will cure it as they look flimsy to me.     

Anybody fitted another brand that doesn't wobble ?

[QuantumFireball]

I'm not sure about the Gen 4 wipers specifically, but I found Bosch Aerotwin blades worse than OEM.

[Sooty]

On my Gen 2 I had the same issue.

I bought a Tesco own brand with a spoiler and that worked very well without any wobble.

[furtula]

I bought expensive non oem blades, only to have smears on dash from brand new ones, this happened 2x with different manufacturers.

After this i started buying the cheapest possible ones from Tesco and they worked great.

Problem with cheapest ones is they are pretty ugly, so i would just take the rubber part from them, and install it onto the old OEM carriers. Takes around 10 minutes for a pair, looks great, works great.

[Ancient Nerd]

Keith,

Are you still using the original Wiper Blades? If so the rubber will have deteriorated over nearly three years. The rubber is almost always the problem.

I had no problems with my Gen 4, but replaced the rubbers after around 18 months. I used refills from Toyota, supplied by Parts King as my local dealer doesn't keep them in stock. These were expensive, but better that the complete blades, which were a silly price.

I am amazed that it has taken this long for Toyota to move to flat blades. I have usually ended up with problems using the old style blades, but never with flat types that I've used since having them as original fittings on a 2006 Honda Civic.

I've mostly used the Bosch Aerotwin (good), but also one set of Honda blades (very good) and one set of cheap blades (rubbish - worked, but corroded). However, I don't know what the availability is like from third party suppliers, as they don't seem to have a standard fitting.

 

[TonyHSD]

Yes from the rubber. Bosch use to do the best wipers not anymore, even probably worst one now. I use Michelin standard wipers and they are great, I change them 2-3 times a year as I drive a lot. Denso are OEM supplier and sometime can be found on good offers via eBay or from Opie Oils. 

[PeteB]

My driver's side blade does wobble a bit but as it clears the screen really well I've lived with it and barely notice it now.

The front ones are still original (37½k miles, 3 years old next month), but they still clear the screen perfectly with no streaks.  They did judder a bit the first few weeks when the car was new, but they've been fine ever since (as long as the glass is reasonably wet) I've elected not to bother with new ones.  I don't remember ever having blades so long before.

The rear one was replaced once last year as it was juddering a lot, and the current one is fine, again as long as the glass ins't too dry.

[kithmo]

5 hours ago, Ancient Nerd said:

Keith,

Are you still using the original wiper blades? If so the rubber will have deteriorated over nearly three years. The rubber is almost always the problem.

I had no problems with my Gen 4, but replaced the rubbers after around 18 months. I used refills from Toyota, supplied by Parts King as my local dealer doesn't keep them in stock. These were expensive, but better that the complete blades, which were a silly price.

I am amazed that it has taken this long for Toyota to move to flat blades. I have usually ended up with problems using the old style blades, but never with flat types that I've used since having them as original fittings on a 2006 Honda Civic.

I've mostly used the Bosch Aerotwin (good), but also one set of Honda blades (very good) and one set of cheap blades (rubbish - worked, but corroded). However, I don't know what the availability is like from third party suppliers, as they don't seem to have a standard fitting.

 

Original blades with less than 9K on the car and not used so much in the rain, but it's always done it from new.

[kithmo]

1 hour ago, PeteB said:

My driver's side blade does wobble a bit but as it clears the screen really well I've lived with it and barely notice it now.

The front ones are still original (37½k miles, 3 years old next month), but they still clear the screen perfectly with no streaks.  They did judder a bit the first few weeks when the car was new, but they've been fine ever since (as long as the glass is reasonably wet) I've elected not to bother with new ones.  I don't remember ever having blades so long before.

The rear one was replaced once last year as it was juddering a lot, and the current one is fine, again as long as the glass ins't too dry.

Mine is the same, it clears the screen ok but the slight judder is annoyingly distracting, I wonder if it will get better like yours did, as they wear a bit.  

[Chris Dance]

Hi Keith,

I have this problem. I had the dealer look at the drivers side wiper on two occasions. They said there was nothing wrong with drivers side wiper and refused to change it.

I agree the judder is distracting.. In heavy rain it does not judder. Over time it has got better but just as you think the wiper has "worn In" it starts to judder again.

I have cleaned the wiper rubber with methylated spirit; lubricated it with a smear of washing up liquid but still a problem.  No problem with passenger side wiper or the rear one. Why only the drivers side???

[kithmo]

Hi Chris,

I also mentioned it to the dealers on its first service and they said it was ok. I think the structure of the blade is too weak for such a length (28"), there are no stiffeners on it, like there are on SWMBO's Gen 2 wipers, although they are a bit shorter and I don't know if they are original Toyota blades. It does wipe the screen ok even where it wobbles and it doesn't make a noise or judder but it is so annoying and distracting. I was going to give it another twist but it seems to do it in both directions so I wouldn't know which way to twist it without risking making it worse. 

[Duffryn]

Have you tried a glass polish on the screen? Did something attach itself to the screen, unseen and undetected, during manufacture/installation (unlikely I know as more than one car affected similarly). I've used glass polish in the past on previous cars to pretty good effect.

In my experience windscreen wipers don't seem to operate trouble free for very long, but having said that the original ones still on my current 5yr old car are probably the most trouble free of any car I've ever owned. Reluctant to change them for that reason, so long as they are efficient and safe enough to pass the MOT.

[Gerg]

As well as Duffryn's suggestions above, I wonder if the wiper wobble is aggravated by the wipers always parking up with the rubber blade leaning to one side, and thence the wiper rubbers taking up a bias?

I have tried, for some months, to occasionally lift the wiper arm blades and set the rubbers to lie the other way on some of our cars, but then our wipers don't judder in the first place. 

I notice that on our Skoda Superb, every 4 ignition key cycles, the wiper motor reverses for a fraction of a second to set the blades in a different position.  This is quite a subtle operation and easily missed, but shows an attention to detail (it is mentioned about this feature in the handbook btw) that is most impressive.  Once upon a time, I would have expected such fitments (also global window closing, auto anti-carjacking door locks, cooled glovebox, heater ducting for rear passengers etc.) to be fitted first to a Japanese car, now they seem to be behind on this, Avensis apart, which is disappointing, maybe the newest cars are better? The Golf outshone the Auris handsomely when it came to these little design features.

I have had good and bad pairs of Valeo wipers and Bosch Aerotwins, the latter once leaving an unwiped strip at drivers-eye-level only on the return stroke i.e. the worst possible place.  Other Bosch have been excellent.  I think the Michelin ones are made under licence by another company, the same as their footpumps etc.  GoodYear wipers were made under licence too.

[Chris Dance]

Hi David, I have cleaned the screen with several different screen cleaners.

The drivers wiper blade has juddered since I first got the car new.  The wipers have not had a lot of use.. The car is garaged so I do not have to clear frost etc. I just hope it eventually "wears in". The Gen 4 Prius is the best car I have owned just a shame the wiper blade wobble cannot be sorted.

[kithmo]

1 hour ago, Chris Dance said:

Hi David, I have cleaned the screen with several different screen cleaners.

The drivers wiper blade has juddered since I first got the car new.  The wipers have not had a lot of use.. The car is garaged so I do not have to clear frost etc. I just hope it eventually "wears in". The Gen 4 Prius is the best car I have owned just a shame the wiper blade wobble cannot be sorted.

Ditto and my wipers get lifted every 2-3 weeks when the car gets cleaned

 

2 hours ago, Duffryn said:

Have you tried a glass polish on the screen? Did something attach itself to the screen, unseen and undetected, during manufacture/installation (unlikely I know as more than one car affected similarly). I've used glass polish in the past on previous cars to pretty good effect.

In my experience windscreen wipers don't seem to operate trouble free for very long, but having said that the original ones still on my current 5yr old car are probably the most trouble free of any car I've ever owned. Reluctant to change them for that reason, so long as they are efficient and safe enough to pass the MOT.

I have glass polished the screen a couple of times to no avail.

SWMBO has had the same wipers on her Gen 2 for at least 9 years, still going strong, she bought the car in 2010 at 4 years old so I don't know but they could even be the original wipers unless they were replaced by the first owner.

[Duffryn]

What about that Rain-X stuff? Has anybody tried that (I never have)? Would it have any beneficial effect, or just be a waste of dosh?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Years ago I tried Rain-X on the front and found it made the wipers smear.

[Gerg]

9 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Years ago I tried Rain-X on the front and found it made the wipers smear.

As above, and I seem to remember it was a swine to get off if you don't like it.

More recently we tried Rain-X on the side windows; half and half, we preferred where it wasn't.  Subjective, I know.

[QuantumFireball]

I use Rain-X and like it a lot, though it's more effective at higher speeds. The problem is it wears away fairly quickly from using the wipers, though you can get away with using them less. And once it starts wearing off it may cause smearing, and I'm too lazy to apply it frequently enough.

The new Bosch Aerotwin blades I got seem to smear and squeak badly, and I'm not sure how much of that is due to some remnants of Rain-X (maybe applied a month ago). They're awful compared to the OEM Gen 3 blades.

[Catlover]

Noticed today that my drivers side wiper wobbles (gen4, at the bottom few inches).  I assume it didnt just start today as if its come out in sympathy, so it must have been there and not bothered me. If it had'nt been brought up on this forum I dont think I would have noticed.  I will just blank it when I driving.

[GreenJuice]

I used Rain-X on my Gen4 this time and it was a bad mistake! I had more judder and more smearing. I had to wait several months before it eventually wore off.  Rain-X is great for the side windows. 

I have tried white spirits and various types of detergents on the front wipers to stop the juddering. Nothing seems to work. I am coming to the conclusion that new rubber is the only way; but would be interested to hear if anyone has another remedy...

 

[Catlover]

The only reason I can think of why the lower part of the driver wiper arm wobbles is....... that part of the arm, the lower part, has a tighter turn to make then say the top part, and therefore wobbles. 

Has anyone put ona new arm?  Did it stop the wobble or did the new one still wobble? 

[PeteB]

On mine, ti's only the bottom half of the blade that noticeably wobbles, so I hardy even notice it most of the time, and it doesn't bother me.  I'm just happy that the wipers clear the screen well without streaks and they don't make any noise.

The judder I mentioned before in the very early days was quite noisy (mostly thumping, with a little squeak occasionally), but since it quickly settled down I've just been amazed how long they've lasted.  I am careful it control their use so that they are not working on glass that's too dry.

At the last service, when I got my dealer to swap the rear blade as it was noisy, I specifically told them not to touch the front wipers as I feared if I'd got new ones I'd have to go through the juddery, noisy stage again.

[Mooly]

When I used to do a 40 mile a day commute on mostly A roads and motorway I became a big fan of Rain-X and similar products. In even torrential rain on a motorway you just turned the wipers off and the view was amazing, far clearer than a normal screen and wipers. If you find it smeary then you are not applying it correctly.

The days of the commute are over and my Auris (Feb 2010) is still on the original blades and rubbers all around. Mileage 60k.