Noisiest windshield wiper

I use my wipers and squirters daily to remove the layer of dew and/or dirt that accumulates the night before. (There sure seems to be a lot of dust in the air.) I'm happy to report that both the front and rear wipers are completely silent.

Do those wiper fluid solutions affect the rubber in any negative way? I don't think I'd want to use that alcohol, mentioned above. I think I've gone through all the factory fluid now, and I'm just using plain water. Works well enough. If I get ambitious, I might try a coat of that Rain-X wax on the glass.

 

I just came from the dealer. Wipers are making a noise like a concert. The guy said they are special wipers. Really only lasr 4 month. They have to order them. This never happen in any of my cars. Water leave water spot. All those liquid too.

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I'm guessing the dealer saw you coming a mile away.

 

Are these the original wipers that came on the car, nothing's been changed/replaced?

I would try cleaning the windshield thoroughly, and run your cloth with cleaner along the wiper blades a few times too. Get an automotive glass cleaner product. This is what I'm using:



Our car was built in August, 2009 (we purchased new in November 2010), still on the original blades, no problems. The car is garage stored, doesn't sit out in the sun much, that might help.

 

NOPE - the noisiest windscreen wiper I remember was a RENAULT 12 from the '70s. My PRIUS is quiet, but mine are different - set for RHD (like the Japanese where it was designed).

 

Clunk!

That's what I hear when the wipers upsweep, and stop... Clunk.

Down sweep and stop... Clunk. It's a motor noise I guess. Just another Prius Oddity...
(No problems with rubber blades on glass. They are silent.)

Also, have yet to find ANY automotive glass cleaner or wiper fluid that prevents water spots. Rain-X failed. It CLEANS well, but as soon as there is any dew or rain, spots will appear. I bought some Rain-X that you pour in the wiper fluid tank... SPOTS! I bought some Toyota wiper fluid... SPOTS!

No big deal. Least of my worries.

(CLUNK! SPOTS! )

 

I use the Toyota Fluid too, year 'round, keep all the fluids in there pink.

One caution though: I got pink washer fluid (some other brand, years back) with a white car, and it left some semi-tenacious stains on the hood. I got them out, but resolved to go back to the blue stuff. Maybe it was just that brand though, the dye was too strong.

It's not that expensive here: $3.99 for 4 liters; I'll pick it up when I'm getting oil and filter.

I do not know about that "clunk", don't get too complacent. Would be worth mentioning if/when you're at the dealership.

That's two clunks you've got now, if I'm not mistaken, lol. One from the rear too. Maybe that loose rear suspension bolt they have some service bulletin on? (nag nag)

 

Yep, I will get my rear nuts looked at / replaced at the next oil change. Thanks.

(Reminds me of when the Doc said: "Turn your head... and cough." )

 

I guess I could go sooner, and get the parking brake issue taken care of, too.

 

Call ahead!

 

Same here with the spots, mine got worse when I cleaned the screen with Rain-X glass cleaner and the water droplets started beading more. The only thing I haven't tried, which someone suggested, was wire wool. That is pretty abrasive (I've used it in the past to rub down varnish) and I wouldn't want to scratch the screen

 

My gen 4 has noisy wipers and so did my gen 2. I switched to silicone blades on the gen 2 and dead silence. I plan to do so on the gen 4 in a year or sooner if I go crazy. The silicone blades come with a windshield cleaning cloth soaked in a treatment of some sort.

 

My driver side wiper, the huge one, had a bit of a wobble/judder on the bottom end of the blade when I first got it, I pulled it off the screen and twisted it a bit and it's been ok since, something missed on the PDI I suppose.

 

That just is usually caused by diesel wax on the glass. If you clean the screen don't forget the blades as they will have accumulated was build up too.

Wire wool on glass should be no problem as glass is harder than steel. I have used it in the past without scratching the windscreen though.

Btw, surprisingly, wire wool does burn rather well . No, not a misprint, a hot flame can ignite the stuff
... And I've no idea how many of you are gonna try it out now, but some surely will and be amazed. Oh, don't use the stuff with soap in it. That's no use at all!

 

Burning steel wool is basically really fast rusting.

 

Hmmm - reminds me of my backyard chemistry experiments when I was about 10 or 12 yo. I remember copper in the flame burning blue-green, then putting steel wool and being surprised it actually burned away (orange I think). I then found something ALUMINUM - an empty ventolin spray container - it gave a whitish flame - till it exploded and flew quite high in the air. My first out-of-control rocketship.

I lived!!

 

I burned some magnesium ribbon, very bright light. Growing up in a Paper Mill town, I got stuff that would give parents fits now: phosphorus, mercury, sulphuric acid, and tamer stuff like Sulphur.

My dad and a guy we knew set me up with my first darkroom, making solutions from scratch. Now, it's Instagram.

 

Most of us lived through that phase - much the wiser, and well educated by it. I pity my grandchildren who are treated with kid-gloves for fear of a law-suit, or afraid of being deemed a bad parent (or grandparent).

 

My rubber wiper blades are good, they don't make any noise or skip and they wipe really well. I like the new style blade. Just one long piece of rubber.

The "clunk" I hear is from the wiper motor, and I only happened to hear it when I turned down the radio volume. I can live with it.

But about those water spots… They come off easy enough as soon as I clean the windows again. And I do that daily because of all the dust in the air around here, my windows get so dirty. (I actually put car wax on my windows when I first got the car. I wonder if that helps make the spots come off easier?)

 

Brillo, I guess you mean it's no good for burning not no good for cleaning the screen ?