My drivers side windshield wiper goes up smoothly but seems to bounce around on the way back down, as if its "gripping" something on the windshield itself and skipping. It leaves spots and is rather noisy too. I had both wipers replaced months ago (the old wipers did it too). I cleaned the windshield with windex and newspaper along with cleaning the wipers. Apparently there's some kind of adjustment of the wipers underneath the plastic and also a small metal clip on each wiper which I think is some kind of adjustment also. The passenger side does not really bounce around, maybe very slightly. The bouncing gets much worse as the rain comes down harder. Does anyone have any idea?

 

I have the same problem on the rear window of my X5, the dealer replaced the complete wiper motor and outer assembly including wiper but it only improved it slightly. If this was on the front it would be a real problem due to the amount of rain we get here. Someone suggested I wax the window ? I might give it a try.

If you do it first let me know how it works out.

Cheers

 

I do have the exact same problem as Lomag.

Have cleaned the blades but still same problem.
But as the rain comes in, mine betters.

Would not "wax" the windows nore the blades.

I would have said that the blades are dryed out but since
Lomag has new ones it can't be it, either.

 

I had the same problem, dealer changed the whole system (motor, linkages and wiper stalks) Touch wood, everything works fine now. I think its the linkage as when I looked at my old one, it seems to have a bit too much free play at the spot where the stalks sit on. Do not wax the windscrren, it'll do more harm and once the windscreen been waxed..... its difficult to get it out.

 

I had this on my car too about 4 months ago and I got some BMW OEM 1s it fix it but like cocy00 say it as abit of free play, maybe itis getting old W&T.
The blade was alright but it keeped hitting the side when full up so I got a new pair but not BMW OEM 1s, this time I got boosh 1s which did not hit the side and they look better than BMW 1s too.
I change my blades every 2 year.

 

I would try to stay away from waxing the windscreen or putting any kind of coating on it (Rain-X for example). I have found that putting this stuff on is great BUT, as it wears off, the wipers are more prone to smearing, juddering, jumping, etc.

 

Lomag,

A suggestion for your wipers, although it may not work in your case as your problems get worse with more water on screen.

Often, the "angle of attack" of the blades can be wrong, so the blade effectively tries to "dig in" to the screen, causing juddering on either the upstroke or the downstroke (not both).

If this is your case, get a small shifter and some cloth or card for protection, and bend the wiper ARM a little at the blade end to alter the blade angle.
For example, if your blade judders on the downstroke, twist the arm anticlockwise looking along the arm towards the spindle. Usually only a few degrees is sufficient.

This is a problem that usually goes away with heavier rain, as the reduced screen friction compensates for the angle, so the blade doesn't "dig in".

I would agree with not putting wax on the screen. RainX or similar have good reports, but I think as it wears off, it can cause more vision problems. Good for bikers helmet visors though!

Mike

 

I just noticed the same problem a few days ago. It also appears that the "high speed" setting isn't functioning as well (neither in manual or automatic). My blades are relatively new so it very much appears a mechanical issue. I'll have to take in, not going to 'fix' it with wax....

 

I find Rain-x to work well. I don't see that it cause a problem when it wears off. And it typically lasts for 2 months depending on the amount of rain and car washes. I would absolutely give rain-x a try.

 

I'm going to try this and will see what happens next time it rains. I just washed the car after this last rain event so I dont want to get my baby all wet with the hose again.

I'll add this to my list of stuff to fix for my dealer. I'm waiting to schedule my service appointment until around Novemeber or so as my warranty expires Feb 08. It'll hopefully be my final service visit to fix such issues, final software upgrade, etc... I have a rather long list, mostly minor stuff such as this, but they'll probably flip, lol.