Warning - Boring Wiper Mod Discussion Point!!!
Discussion
WARNING - V.BORING TOPIC
The wipers on my car are, as I believe is common s
te! I know, I know... get the Leven kit instead - I've read the posts!
Anyway, I wanted to do something different and thought I'd fit the new-style flat/aero blades to my car and some proper fixed washers to the grille instead of the leaky pipe affair that TVR deemed appropriate.
1) I've sourced and bought the blades as the first step of the transformation, however the wiper arms and "hooks" appear to be wider than any other I've ever seen, and the Bosch clips (which are about the widest available) are tighter than a camels backside in a sandstorm on the arms?! The old clips are actually snapped on one side of each to make them fit, and even then they are almost impossible to remove. The offshoot problem is that the blades are not free to rotate on the arms as they should because the clips stretch outwards and bind on the wiper frames (whatever type of blade is fitted), thus making the wipers even less effective. Is this a common problem? It looks like I'm going to have to remove the arms and file/grind them narrower and respray them to make any kind of wipers work properly at the moment! I wouldn't mind, but until I solve problem 2 below I don't want to modify the arms as I'd rather do a job just once.
2) Has anybody put fixed washer jets on their car and which type have they used? I'd quite like some modern fan jets because of their screen coverage and effectiveness.
If you're still reading, well done!
I told you it was boring!
If nobody has done this before then maybe I'll take some photos before, during and after the transformation to show the effect?
Griffit
The wipers on my car are, as I believe is common s
te! I know, I know... get the Leven kit instead - I've read the posts! Anyway, I wanted to do something different and thought I'd fit the new-style flat/aero blades to my car and some proper fixed washers to the grille instead of the leaky pipe affair that TVR deemed appropriate.
1) I've sourced and bought the blades as the first step of the transformation, however the wiper arms and "hooks" appear to be wider than any other I've ever seen, and the Bosch clips (which are about the widest available) are tighter than a camels backside in a sandstorm on the arms?! The old clips are actually snapped on one side of each to make them fit, and even then they are almost impossible to remove. The offshoot problem is that the blades are not free to rotate on the arms as they should because the clips stretch outwards and bind on the wiper frames (whatever type of blade is fitted), thus making the wipers even less effective. Is this a common problem? It looks like I'm going to have to remove the arms and file/grind them narrower and respray them to make any kind of wipers work properly at the moment! I wouldn't mind, but until I solve problem 2 below I don't want to modify the arms as I'd rather do a job just once.
2) Has anybody put fixed washer jets on their car and which type have they used? I'd quite like some modern fan jets because of their screen coverage and effectiveness.
If you're still reading, well done!
I told you it was boring! If nobody has done this before then maybe I'll take some photos before, during and after the transformation to show the effect?
Griffit
FWIW I've just fitted new "original type" wiper arms to my '99 Chim and found that the multi-fit clips that came with my Valeo blades fitted fine [1]. I'd replaced the wiper arms as they had got old and corroded - this made the clips a very tight fit.
[1] only had to trim off a tiny bit of plastic from the clips.
[1] only had to trim off a tiny bit of plastic from the clips.
Griffit said:
2) Has anybody put fixed washer jets on their car
I think you'll find the reason convertibles often have the washers attached to the wiper blade is so that you can use them when tho roof is down. Obviously not going fast but stationary or at slow speeds the water is applied directly where you want it as opposed to being sprayed over everything including yourself and the interior! 
Not a boring subject at all Sir, I like wipers stuff oh dear!
As Richb says, if you have jets on the body you get covered in water when you've got the roof down - just like you do in the Mrs S2000 and which drives us nuts.
Also, if you watch any of the vids of TVRs you's notice the window wipers are all over the place because of the turbulence. So your water is going to be subjected to that and make them very difficult to set up for different speeds.
And lastly, although I'm sure you really won't want to hear this.
If there was a simple conversion for the jets, Leven Technology wouldn't have gone to the expense and trouble making a mkI and mkII wipers kit.
I told you you wouldn't want to hear it
As Richb says, if you have jets on the body you get covered in water when you've got the roof down - just like you do in the Mrs S2000 and which drives us nuts.
Also, if you watch any of the vids of TVRs you's notice the window wipers are all over the place because of the turbulence. So your water is going to be subjected to that and make them very difficult to set up for different speeds.
And lastly, although I'm sure you really won't want to hear this.
If there was a simple conversion for the jets, Leven Technology wouldn't have gone to the expense and trouble making a mkI and mkII wipers kit.
I told you you wouldn't want to hear it
Edited by barreti on Friday 16th February 14:15
Lots to think about there.
I appreciate the point about the fixed jets spraying you at low speeds, I always just used to duck closer to the windscreen to save the splatter on the sunglasses because of fixed jets on my MX5. Perhaps not quite THE solution to the problem though.... I get the same problem now with my sunroof open on my other car - again, I just lean to the right to solve the problem!
Really I just thought that the new flat/aero blades would work better on the very curved screen and of course they have inbuilt spoilers to keep them down at speed. They also look far smoother, which is why my other car has been similarly upgraded. Maybe I'll look into the Alfa kit so that I can keep my existing arms and aero blades. Any pics welcomed please or at least the year of the Spider so that I've got a starting point. (This will of course involve me dealing with an Alfa Romeo dealer which from past experience will probably be more difficult than fabricating a whole new system from scratch!)
Can anybody re-post pics of the Leven goodies please, (damn I'm crumbling so early!) all of the pics in the archive posts are dead now so I've no idea what they look like other than the pics on the Leven website.
I appreciate the point about the fixed jets spraying you at low speeds, I always just used to duck closer to the windscreen to save the splatter on the sunglasses because of fixed jets on my MX5. Perhaps not quite THE solution to the problem though.... I get the same problem now with my sunroof open on my other car - again, I just lean to the right to solve the problem!
Really I just thought that the new flat/aero blades would work better on the very curved screen and of course they have inbuilt spoilers to keep them down at speed. They also look far smoother, which is why my other car has been similarly upgraded. Maybe I'll look into the Alfa kit so that I can keep my existing arms and aero blades. Any pics welcomed please or at least the year of the Spider so that I've got a starting point. (This will of course involve me dealing with an Alfa Romeo dealer which from past experience will probably be more difficult than fabricating a whole new system from scratch!)
Can anybody re-post pics of the Leven goodies please, (damn I'm crumbling so early!) all of the pics in the archive posts are dead now so I've no idea what they look like other than the pics on the Leven website.
Andy, it's what's known as a Phase II 3.0V6 Spider but I believe they are all the same. I think you'll find the wiper blades and arms are too heavyweight for a Griff, I only cited it as an example. The bit I like is the way the water pump comes on 2 or 3 seconds before the wiper. I think the leven kit is probably the best solution.
Griffit said:
Really I just thought that the new flat/aero blades would work better on the very curved screen and of course they have inbuilt spoilers to keep them down at speed.
I've "often" thought about this (hmmm!), dunno about a Griff, but my Chim's driver side blade sweeps more than 90degrees which means that when clearing my side of the windscreen the blade is almost upside-down. Now if there was a spoiler on it, would this make the blade LIFT OFF the screen, rather than push it down?
jonathant said:
Griffit said:
Really I just thought that the new flat/aero blades would work better on the very curved screen and of course they have inbuilt spoilers to keep them down at speed.
I've "often" thought about this (hmmm!), dunno about a Griff, but my Chim's driver side blade sweeps more than 90degrees which means that when clearing my side of the windscreen the blade is almost upside-down. Now if there was a spoiler on it, would this make the blade LIFT OFF the screen, rather than push it down?
The rear of the blades are flat so I can't imagine them being any worse than normal blades in that respect?
On the plus side, I walked past a Fiat Coupe on the way to the pub last night and spotted what I believe to be the ideal solution (much to my GF's dismay - I did take photos
!) They have a really small jet piece attached to the arm near the blade clip and a clip further down the arm that retains the pipe. Not sure how many jets there are yet but a visit to my local Fiat dealer this morning could solve the problem.... although it does involve a visit to a Fiat parts department.... Would love to post the photo but haven't got a website to upload it to I'm afraid. I'll report on the success later.
Good news!
Saturday morning saw me manage to get hold of some clips from the big tub of spare clips at my local Halfords to fit my aero-blades without them binding on the wipers. It only took a little bit of filing of the ridges on the outside of the plastic clips to make everything spot-on, but the result is a set of far neater looking blades. I drove the car over the weekend and got caught in a bit of drizzle on the motorway last night on the way home and they performed superbly - clearing the screen fantastically, no juddering, no lift - couldn't ask for more! As an added bonus, my GF can now see through the screen better, which makes her feel safer and thus worry less - can't put a price on that. 
For reference the blades were Valeo Silencio XTRM UM620's. I paid £18.80 for the pair, which isn't cheap, but I reckon its worth it. The standard clips may fit fine, they just need a bit of modification that's all, you'll see what I mean if you try and fit them.
I also took a trip to the local Fiat dealer, which was worse than even I had imagined. The conversation went something along the lines of:
- Good morning, do you have any washer jets for a Fiat Coupe?
- Do you have a chassis number?
- No I'm afraid not.
- Can't do it then mate. I can't get into the computer without a chassis number.
- (Repeat various questions and same response for a further 2 minutes)
The result was therefore as expected - no new washer jets. Thankfully a trip to my local breakers yard revealed 2 Fiat Coupes with wiper arms intact, though sadly they were inaccessible at the time. One of the guys in the yard managed to retrieve one jet for me FOC to try before I went back to get a set next weekend. The jet unit is about 20x10mm and clips directly onto the arm. It has 4 jets aiming across the screen and achieves really good coverage. When I get the pair and the retaining clips I'll pipe them up properly and hopefully be able to show off the results some time soon.
Saturday morning saw me manage to get hold of some clips from the big tub of spare clips at my local Halfords to fit my aero-blades without them binding on the wipers. It only took a little bit of filing of the ridges on the outside of the plastic clips to make everything spot-on, but the result is a set of far neater looking blades. I drove the car over the weekend and got caught in a bit of drizzle on the motorway last night on the way home and they performed superbly - clearing the screen fantastically, no juddering, no lift - couldn't ask for more!
As an added bonus, my GF can now see through the screen better, which makes her feel safer and thus worry less - can't put a price on that. For reference the blades were Valeo Silencio XTRM UM620's. I paid £18.80 for the pair, which isn't cheap, but I reckon its worth it. The standard clips may fit fine, they just need a bit of modification that's all, you'll see what I mean if you try and fit them.
I also took a trip to the local Fiat dealer, which was worse than even I had imagined. The conversation went something along the lines of:
- Good morning, do you have any washer jets for a Fiat Coupe?
- Do you have a chassis number?
- No I'm afraid not.
- Can't do it then mate. I can't get into the computer without a chassis number.
- (Repeat various questions and same response for a further 2 minutes)
The result was therefore as expected - no new washer jets. Thankfully a trip to my local breakers yard revealed 2 Fiat Coupes with wiper arms intact, though sadly they were inaccessible at the time. One of the guys in the yard managed to retrieve one jet for me FOC to try before I went back to get a set next weekend. The jet unit is about 20x10mm and clips directly onto the arm. It has 4 jets aiming across the screen and achieves really good coverage. When I get the pair and the retaining clips I'll pipe them up properly and hopefully be able to show off the results some time soon.
My wiper arms are useless ... they clear the rain ok, it's just at high speed they go walkabouts. At a theoretical 130 they would move to practically vertical position on the screen!
My last Griff never had this problem with it's standard arms. Is it maybe the spring? I did notice that when washing the car, lifting the wipers off the screen meets with little or no resistance. Can you get new springs?
My last Griff never had this problem with it's standard arms. Is it maybe the spring? I did notice that when washing the car, lifting the wipers off the screen meets with little or no resistance. Can you get new springs?
burriana said:
My wiper arms are useless ... they clear the rain ok, it's just at high speed they go walkabouts. At a theoretical 130 they would move to practically vertical position on the screen!
My last Griff never had this problem with it's standard arms. Is it maybe the spring? I did notice that when washing the car, lifting the wipers off the screen meets with little or no resistance. Can you get new springs?
My last Griff never had this problem with it's standard arms. Is it maybe the spring? I did notice that when washing the car, lifting the wipers off the screen meets with little or no resistance. Can you get new springs?
No idea about whether you can get new springs but I can't see why not? FWIW mine are exactly the same and I reckon the blades would sit better on the screen with a bit more spring pressure holding them down. They do improve at speed slightly because of the foil shape of the blades pushing them onto the screen that little bit more than normal blades, which without spoilers do tend to lift off the screen.
Matt, Halfrauds don't sell them. I bought mine through a local motor factor but they are available on line at about £10-11 each.
Because of their reduced height you can straighten out the curve in the wiper arms as they don't need to clear the height of a metal blade frame now. That makes the arms look a little less obtrusive too.
It'll look even better with the Fiat Coupe washer jet conversion too!
griffit said:
.....
- Good morning, do you have any washer jets for a Fiat Coupe?
- Do you have a chassis number?
- No I'm afraid not.
...trip to my local breakers yard revealed 2 Fiat Coupes with wiper arms intact, though sadly they were inaccessible at the time....
- Good morning, do you have any washer jets for a Fiat Coupe?
- Do you have a chassis number?
- No I'm afraid not.
...trip to my local breakers yard revealed 2 Fiat Coupes with wiper arms intact, though sadly they were inaccessible at the time....
The chassis number would be handy then Ben
Dave
spend said:
griffit said:
.....
- Good morning, do you have any washer jets for a Fiat Coupe?
- Do you have a chassis number?
- No I'm afraid not.
...trip to my local breakers yard revealed 2 Fiat Coupes with wiper arms intact, though sadly they were inaccessible at the time....
- Good morning, do you have any washer jets for a Fiat Coupe?
- Do you have a chassis number?
- No I'm afraid not.
...trip to my local breakers yard revealed 2 Fiat Coupes with wiper arms intact, though sadly they were inaccessible at the time....
The chassis number would be handy then Ben
Dave
Ben?
(Checks to see he isn't calling himself Ben in his profile this week!) I had already thought of getting a chassis number when I can get access to the cars to enable the masses to follow suit should they want to? I was surprised to discover any Fiat Coupes at the first breakers I went to TBH, let alone two - I thought it was going to be a mission to get a chassis number.
I'm sending a pic of the system on the Fiat Coupe to Burriana as I have no means of hosting it at present. Perhaps he'll be good enough to post it in the forum on my behalf for all to see?
Andy
griffit said:
Saturday morning saw me manage to get hold of some clips from the big tub of spare clips at my local Halfords to fit my aero-blades without them binding on the wipers. It only took a little bit of filing of the ridges on the outside of the plastic clips to make everything spot-on, but the result is a set of far neater looking blades. I drove the car over the weekend and got caught in a bit of drizzle on the motorway last night on the way home and they performed superbly - clearing the screen fantastically, no juddering, no lift - couldn't ask for more!
To be honest, this is the bit I'm more interested in rather than the jets themselves ... to stop the wipers going walkabouts at speed.
Send the pic across though and I will gladly post it
e viola!
Edited by burriana on Tuesday 20th February 09:40
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