Last night I had the car our for the first time in a real rain. Nothing special just a pretty heavy rain on the way home from the grocery store. No problems, but I must say, that little wiper in the back was virtually useless. This is the first car I have driven with a rear wiper. Are they all like that or is it just the Prius? The amount of clear glass was so small it was like looking through a small tube. To be fair, it wasn't a really big deal and the rear wiper my be a big help in the northern climates during winter. I also find that the little "dance" the passenger wiper does is pretty cool. Bob
"the little dance the passenger wiper does"??? OH what little dance? ... salsa? LOL For the rear window (and windshield also): try to apply rainX or similar product and let it do their magic. Rain just beads off and you may not even need to use the wipers under certain conditions.
At speed you won't need the rear wiper at all. The airflow over the Prius keeps the rear window dry. Tom
100% on the rainX, Prius_07 is absolutely right. I don't even use wipers. Been using it for years and I still have people ride with me and ask why the water is beading off my windows like that?!
I hear some people install a larger wiper and use RainX in combination. It's hard to wipe the window effectively considering the wiper is not centrally located. ZC1
Yeah, wasn't that special? I was down in Ft. Lauderdale and at actually decided not to go into the store I'd driven to because the street/parking lot had flooded and the water looked way to deep to even think about it. Based on what I could see of people going through it, it was deep enough that I probably wouldn't have done it in the truck or the Jeep. I've heard too many horror stories of people flooding their cars. This is the beginning of what, before the current drought, a mechanic friend of mine called "valve job season."
The rear wiper is so small it's almost comical. Yeah, it doesn't do much but I tend to use it from time to time just to get a chuckle. Mike
RainX is absolutely awful for those of us in my area. I did half of my front windshield this winter. It was a terrible experience. The non-RainX side was always easier to see out of. My guess for results so different from others is the salt chemicals used for the roads here in the winter don't react well with the RainX product. .
weird- i liked having rain-x on the windshield when i was up north. the hardest thing was applying it in low ambient temps
I suppose I should take the cover off the base of the passenger wiper and see how it is connected. Just from watching it appears to have some kind of double pivot action. Anyway I think it is kinda' cool. Bob
Looks like there are a lot of votes for Rain-X. My daughter used it a few years ago and liked it but I never got around to checking it out. Sounds like something I should check out next time I am in the store. As I got up around 45 it did appear that the air flow would do a pretty good job but then this wasn't really one of those tropical gully washers. (that came later in the evening, right, dwdean?) ZC1, I think you hit it. Being off center it is just too small to be very effective. mingoglia, I think that's where I'll be, since I never had a rear wiper before. I've seen the rear wiper on other cars. Kind of reminds me of a car wagging it's tail. Anyway, I'll get the Rain-X next time I am someplace that sells it. I know I've seen it in a lot of places. How long does a treatment last? Hmmmm...... I'm thinking rear camera mod????? Maybe in the future. Bob
Yeah, though we actually had two tropical downpours in my neck of the woods (the lawn is still doing the happy dance.) First one was around 4 and was kind of short, the really good one was around 6-7 and was enough to result in some minor flooding were I live (according to my neighbor) and some real street flooding down in Ft. Lauderdale. I left home just as it was starting and drove in the pouring rain all the way down. For what it’s worth I’ve also used Rain-X (back when I was living in Texas.) It did work, but you do have to apply it regularly though it really would help the rear wiper problem.
The main reason for the rear wiper is to clear off the dust and grime that can accumulate there if you don't wash the car for a couple weeks.
do you have a picture or even better a video of this, mine is quite normal there is no double articulation at all...
Wow - I can't wait until the video comes out. If it's any good we can enter it in "Dancing with the Stars". - LOL
OK, here it is.... Get ready! First, this is an 08 #2. I have no idea what this is like on earlier models. This first one shows the motion http://rsforkner.com/wiper/0526080922.mpg For this one I added some bits of yellow tape for those of you who can't follow the action. http://rsforkner.com/wiper/0526080923.mpg Since I couldn't figure out how to add them here directly they are out on my home site. Both are mpg-1. 922 is about 270K and 923 is about 255K. Taken with my cell phone and converted to mpg. Any problems let me know and I can send the original for you to play with. Bob
I am another Rain-X believer. I use the Rain-X brand for summer and winter, saves on the manual treatment. And stock up when it's on clearance as the seasons change. Jerry
Count me in as a Rain-X user as well. Does seem to apply itself better in the warmer weather. If it's not working well for some of you try putting on two coats of it, one left to right one up and down. Don't buff it off with a water soaked towel, cloth... Yes it streaks, use your wipers to buff it some, should clear up. Don't use your wipers in the foul weather unless you really have to, the Rain-X will work great. (Drives passengers crazy too!) I'll also agree that the back wiper on the Prius is a good thought but it doesn't work to clean the window worth a dam. My Civic Hatchback has a rear wiper, it clears enough (rain, snow) to get a good view out the window.
Boy, I might have posted "6 weeks -- first time driving on dry pavement" I skimmed through this, so, if someone else already mentioned, sosueme, but... A few years ago I started using Prestone brand de-icer....you know the stuff that sprays onto your windshield when you push the cleaner thing. The cheaper brands all seem to freeze on my windshield, a big help while driving. While it is technically a de-icer, I use it all year. Anyway, about a year ago Prestone had a big banner across the bottle claiming that they put some sort of /Dirt-X chemical in the mix and now windows would stay less grimy Did not believe it, but, hey, it actually seems to work....and rain seems to bead off easier also. Easier to apply than Rain-X, which I used to use, but it was too much of a hassle.Prestone :: Products : Windshield Washer Fluids
