Leven Upgrades!
Discussion
Feel free to discuss ANY of their products, but to be more specific, the wipers for a Griff.
During my test-drives the one thing I wasn't overly impressed by was the almost non-existent effectiveness of the seemingly standard wipers and that they didnt even fit the curvature of the screen, quite quaint I thought.
. I now understand this to be a common complaint, and I don't fancy that first trip when indeed the heavens open!
So, are they a complete redesign, and are they worth swapping the oem wipers for? Incidentally is there a particular wiper blade itself that is to be recommended?
During my test-drives the one thing I wasn't overly impressed by was the almost non-existent effectiveness of the seemingly standard wipers and that they didnt even fit the curvature of the screen, quite quaint I thought.
. I now understand this to be a common complaint, and I don't fancy that first trip when indeed the heavens open! So, are they a complete redesign, and are they worth swapping the oem wipers for? Incidentally is there a particular wiper blade itself that is to be recommended?
Personally I don't think they are worth changing the originals for.
ETA I'm talking about the wipers in that case.
My issues with both the standard and replacement wipers are that they're too long for the curvature of the screen and the area they can effectively wipe. I believe there are some of these new non-sprung blades that have built in sprays that do a good job. Currently investigating those.
I've loads of Leven bits on the car but I also have some Zertec bits which are slightly different and look/feel more like aluminium as they don't treat them with spark anodising which imo makes some of the Leven parts look like they're made from plastic. Again personal preference & opinion.
ETA I'm talking about the wipers in that case.
My issues with both the standard and replacement wipers are that they're too long for the curvature of the screen and the area they can effectively wipe. I believe there are some of these new non-sprung blades that have built in sprays that do a good job. Currently investigating those.
I've loads of Leven bits on the car but I also have some Zertec bits which are slightly different and look/feel more like aluminium as they don't treat them with spark anodising which imo makes some of the Leven parts look like they're made from plastic. Again personal preference & opinion.
Edited by V8 GRF on Monday 25th February 19:25
"Leven" (now run by Prestige Performance) wipers and arms on Chim are a vast improvement... I've had loads of "Leven" bits on my Tuscan and Chim and the quality is always very good...
Chim...Pedals,wipers&spray bars,fluid caps,air vents,resin badges,petrol cap,Andersen jump leads
Tuscan..wipers&spray bars,kick plates,indicator covers,fluid caps,resin badges,Andersen jump leads
occasionally need to re-super glue spray bars, but the curvature on the passenger side is a lot better. The standard TVR tubes with holes in are crap for the screen washers. All the TVR plastic ones on the Tuscan is melt
.
Chim...Pedals,wipers&spray bars,fluid caps,air vents,resin badges,petrol cap,Andersen jump leads
Tuscan..wipers&spray bars,kick plates,indicator covers,fluid caps,resin badges,Andersen jump leads
occasionally need to re-super glue spray bars, but the curvature on the passenger side is a lot better. The standard TVR tubes with holes in are crap for the screen washers. All the TVR plastic ones on the Tuscan is melt
.Edited by glow worm on Wednesday 27th February 17:48
BliarOut said:
The more curved arms create additional drag, if your motor isn't in tip top shape it can stick then burn itself out.
The wipers are a bit of a weak area not helped by lack of use on the typical Tiv...
I guess that is the usual PH anti-logic ... I must have a wiper blade that only covers half the sweep of the screen because otherwise my wiper motor will be eppy ... Whatever the fThe wipers are a bit of a weak area not helped by lack of use on the typical Tiv...
k that means 
Get your car serviced properly .Turning wipers on when it is dry without a washer is a bad idea
Edited by glow worm on Monday 25th February 20:20
glow worm said:
BliarOut said:
The more curved arms create additional drag, if your motor isn't in tip top shape it can stick then burn itself out.
The wipers are a bit of a weak area not helped by lack of use on the typical Tiv...
I guess that is the usual PH anti-logic ... I must have a wiper blade that only covers half the sweep of the screen because otherwise my wiper motor will be eppy ... Whatever the fThe wipers are a bit of a weak area not helped by lack of use on the typical Tiv...
k that means Get your car serviced properly .OK, I started off being helpful as its a design weakness. Nothing new there on a Tiv...
What's the correct operational voltage for the wiper motor?
I'm only passing on the info from the guy who does all the rebuilds. Run it up on battery alone and there's a risk of it sticking and burning out the motor. If you add blades with more friction the chances increase. The Griff is particularly bad as the bulkhead is weak and allows the wiper boxes to move and risk a mechanical lockup.
Just something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
Just something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
paulppc said:
If anybody has an issue with any of our products ( including constructive criticism) we are more than happy to discuss this if you would like to telephone us directly on 01664 481065.
Hi Paul, we did have quite a long chat at Chatsworth just after you'd taken over the business about the finish of the parts and I showed you the different look of the Zertec parts I had fitted, you said at the time you'd look into it.BliarOut said:
I'm only passing on the info from the guy who does all the rebuilds. Run it up on battery alone and there's a risk of it sticking and burning out the motor. If you add blades with more friction the chances increase. The Griff is particularly bad as the bulkhead is weak and allows the wiper boxes to move and risk a mechanical lockup.
Just something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
I've never had any issues with the action of the wipers but I suspect the motor is probably from a car with smaller wipers and so is 'over bladed' with the use of 16" blades which imo are way too long anyway as you usually have 2" wiping fresh air due to the curvature of the screenJust something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
BliarOut said:
I'm only passing on the info from the guy who does all the rebuilds. Run it up on battery alone and there's a risk of it sticking and burning out the motor. If you add blades with more friction the chances increase. The Griff is particularly bad as the bulkhead is weak and allows the wiper boxes to move and risk a mechanical lockup.
Just something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
I've experienced this problem!Just something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
Fitted Leven wiper arms and blades at the weekend since the originals (even with new blades and much buggering about adjusting them) were hopeless, wiping only patches of the windscreen.
Leven wipers now clear the whole screen - but they stick unless the screen is wet (eg 3rd sweep after squirting). Motor has not burnt out (yet) but I do need to get it sorted......another for the list
Happened on my old Griff also - didn't catch it in time and the motor wiring went pop.
V8 GRF said:
BliarOut said:
I'm only passing on the info from the guy who does all the rebuilds. Run it up on battery alone and there's a risk of it sticking and burning out the motor. If you add blades with more friction the chances increase. The Griff is particularly bad as the bulkhead is weak and allows the wiper boxes to move and risk a mechanical lockup.
Just something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
I've never had any issues with the action of the wipers but I suspect the motor is probably from a car with smaller wipers and so is 'over bladed' with the use of 16" blades which imo are way too long anyway as you usually have 2" wiping fresh air due to the curvature of the screenJust something worth being aware of, I 'uprated' my blades and that was the start of my probs. I had to have a rebuilt motor in the end...
Better to know in advance
My 450 is a daily driver so the wipers get used regularly. I've tried a few different wash/wipe systems and recently switched to the Leven ones as the blade mounted jets on my existing arms had fallen off and the OS arm had loads of play at the hinge pin and the blades hit the bodywork on both sides of the car (how are you supposed to stop that!).
I had a chat with the guys at Leven beforehand and they were very helpful and said I could return their products if not satisfied, which you can't complain about !
On opening, I was surprised that the Leven wash system was absolutely identical to the non-Leven one that I was removing, bought from a company on EBay. Initially this was a little annoying as the EBay stuff was certainly cheaper. Not sure who came up with the system first but someone's been copying. However, the Leven arms appear to be of higher quality so I fitted them to try them out. Also, it did mean that the Leven arms fitted easily as they my existing pipework was identical to theirs, so already cut to length and just needed transfering across.
Under initial tests, the wipers did stick badly when trying to wash the screen - motor not strong enough to complete the cycle. This is in part not helped by the washer fluid taking a while to come out of the jets (that's not a fault of Leven, just the distance from the bottle to the screen - could fit a non-return valve but I think a bit of drop back helps to prevent it freezing in the tubes in the Winter). However, in rain, the wipers do not stick and after a few days driving in rain, the wipers drag seems to have reduced slightly. The new arms also seems to have fixed my problem with the blades hitting the bodywork on both sides, which was presumably due to slack in the arms. Also, they are a lot quieter than the old system. So overall, I am pleased.
IMHO Leven seem to be a pleasant company to deal with and I get the impression, if I am unhappy at any point, they will be helpful.
I had a chat with the guys at Leven beforehand and they were very helpful and said I could return their products if not satisfied, which you can't complain about !
On opening, I was surprised that the Leven wash system was absolutely identical to the non-Leven one that I was removing, bought from a company on EBay. Initially this was a little annoying as the EBay stuff was certainly cheaper. Not sure who came up with the system first but someone's been copying. However, the Leven arms appear to be of higher quality so I fitted them to try them out. Also, it did mean that the Leven arms fitted easily as they my existing pipework was identical to theirs, so already cut to length and just needed transfering across.
Under initial tests, the wipers did stick badly when trying to wash the screen - motor not strong enough to complete the cycle. This is in part not helped by the washer fluid taking a while to come out of the jets (that's not a fault of Leven, just the distance from the bottle to the screen - could fit a non-return valve but I think a bit of drop back helps to prevent it freezing in the tubes in the Winter). However, in rain, the wipers do not stick and after a few days driving in rain, the wipers drag seems to have reduced slightly. The new arms also seems to have fixed my problem with the blades hitting the bodywork on both sides, which was presumably due to slack in the arms. Also, they are a lot quieter than the old system. So overall, I am pleased.
IMHO Leven seem to be a pleasant company to deal with and I get the impression, if I am unhappy at any point, they will be helpful.
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