Putting a cloth down when changing wipers
Discussion
I never had the wiper arm (edited: hook->arm) spring down when changing the wipers but it happened today (E92 M3). I always put down an old karting balaclava when changing wipers (something my dad always did). Luckily this time it stopped the wiper arm slamming into the windscreen.
BMW designers .. sigh .. "Ja, gutes Design!"
BMW designers .. sigh .. "Ja, gutes Design!"
Edited by fido on Saturday 21st February 15:36
My company used to get our company cars serviced at Halfords, I guess they offered the cheapest quote out of everyone. Guy I work with needed new wipers so I just suggested he fitted them himself for all the hassle of going to Halfords. He ignored this advice, and whilst at work got a call to say they had broken the screen.
To their credit they did pay to fit a new one, but I would never have let them touch it in the first place.
To their credit they did pay to fit a new one, but I would never have let them touch it in the first place.
fido said:
I never had the wiper arm (edited: hook->arm) spring down when changing the wipers but it happened today (E92 M3). I always put down an old karting balaclava when changing wipers (something my dad always did). Luckily this time it stopped the wiper arm slamming into the windscreen.
BMW designers .. sigh .. "Ja, gutes Design!"
The spring on the arm is what holds the blade on the screen! You cant have the arm without it or it will lift at speed and be useless. Even Airplanes have a spring loaded arm!BMW designers .. sigh .. "Ja, gutes Design!"
You're blaming a design that is on AFAIK every car on the planet for your inability to work correctly!
Heres my tips,
1) only take the old blade off when you have the new blade ready to be fitted in the next 3 seconds.
OR
2) When the blade is off the arm, place the arm back down on the screen so it cant "just fall"
Hmmm .. my MX-5 (for example) has a flat hook which whilst I wouldn't deliberately let it go will probably not break the screen .. the BMW one is waiting for an accident to happen!
BunkMoreland said:
1) only take the old blade off when you have the new blade ready to be fitted in the next 3 seconds.
Pretty sure it didn't snap back when I let it go - it literally spring back 1s after I left it go (and 0.5s before that brown pants feeling) to pick up the new blade. Your point 2) is a good one - will do that if i ever risk changing wiper blades again!Edited by fido on Saturday 21st February 16:07
And related, but if any Porsche 996 owners are reading this, never leave the rear wiper ‘up’ on the spring when washing the car and rear window.
If it gets knocked back down and the wiper blade spins round, you get a nice deep scratch in the C pillar.
I say this from bitter experience and I’ve seen plenty of other 996s with the telltale scratch!
If it gets knocked back down and the wiper blade spins round, you get a nice deep scratch in the C pillar.
I say this from bitter experience and I’ve seen plenty of other 996s with the telltale scratch!
Robertb said:
And related, but if any Porsche 996 owners are reading this, never leave the rear wiper up on the spring when washing the car and rear window.
If it gets knocked back down and the wiper blade spins round, you get a nice deep scratch in the C pillar.
I say this from bitter experience and I ve seen plenty of other 996s with the telltale scratch!
Whilst it appears to be quite a common practice, I don't understand why anyone would cock the wiper arm into the up position when washing the car. Just lift and wash underneath and rest it back down in one movement?If it gets knocked back down and the wiper blade spins round, you get a nice deep scratch in the C pillar.
I say this from bitter experience and I ve seen plenty of other 996s with the telltale scratch!
Glassman said:
Whilst it appears to be quite a common practice, I don't understand why anyone would cock the wiper arm into the up position when washing the car. Just lift and wash underneath and rest it back down in one movement?
One of my neighbours leaves front and rear wipers up if it's going to be frosty, as if we live in a ski resort, or the US.I always put a towel across the screen when changing wipers - years ago I watched a valeter let a wiper arm spring onto a toughened screen and it went straight through it. Could still happen in a rear screen, I suppose.
Glassman said:
Whilst it appears to be quite a common practice, I don't understand why anyone would cock the wiper arm into the up position when washing the car. Just lift and wash underneath and rest it back down in one movement?
Because the wiper arm will contact and may damage the bonnet on my F30 BMW. The design has the wiper arms located out of the wind stream at rest, and to avoid that annoying dribble up the screen. Thus the process is, switch car on, but do not start, hold wiper actuation lever on for 2 seconds and they will park at the vertical position. Works a treat.E-bmw said:
The Mad Monk said:
BunkMoreland said:
The spring on the arm is what holds the blade on the screen! You cant have the arm without it or it will lift at speed and be useless. Even Airplanes have a spring loaded arm!
What about aircraft?What happens on aircraft?
Sheepshanks said:
One of my neighbours leaves front and rear wipers up if it's going to be frosty, as if we live in a ski resort, or the US.
That sounds like the sort of habit born out of being bitten before...I had an MG where I knocked the wiper stalk before the windscreen had any chance to defrost after a very cold night, and the torque of the motor and the strength of the ice-wiper bond were both clearly greater than the strength of one of the joints on the wiper drive. So it snapped.
Apparently a common issue on that car as there was a readily available kit to upgrade the joints, so I was able to repair it a few days later. But I can see how that experience would lead to people taking extra precautions.
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