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How to stop windscreen wiper juttering?


Fireman
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woah ... seems like alot of work. Will this gives me at least 80% chance of clearing the problem?

 

Sorry have to ask like that cos I wash and wax my car only once a week and it can be damm tiring by the time I reach cleaning the windscreen. [sweatdrop]

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Can it clear the juttering problem?

 

Boss, last I saw ,autoglym quite ex leh. Me buy those wipers, rainX cleaner, etc until boh lwee liao. [:/]

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Don't use RainX or any silane treatment. Such water repellants build-up causing the glass surface to non-wettable. The wiper will shudder as a result. The windshield like all glass should have water cascading down when you pour on it. Meaning, it does not bead water easily. It sort of forms a thin film as it runs down the windshield.

 

The theory is this. Glass is silica. What silanes do is make them hate water. So they bead water but if glass is etched by alkalis, the structure changes and as a result they love water. Because they love water, the water sticks on it and lubricates the wiper as they run across. If they hate water and the wiper moves across, it is as if you are using the wiper on a dry windshield. That is why you want to maintain a wettable surface by using Windex or any ammonia based window cleaner. Ammonia is an alkali. Not a very strong one but it will do.

 

OK about wiper blades. You must replace them at least every 6 months. Up to one year maximum. They get worn and the sun is not kind to them.

 

Actually there is a cheap way to replace them. Wiper blade refills. The rubber part. No need to replace the whole blade. Try to find those silicon coated or better PTFE coated ones. Glides over glass like ice on ice. Check out the Trico website. Lots of information about refills. You can counter check the cross section diagram for the ones you have so that you know what to get if you go to stores like Autobacs.

Edited by Genie47
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Thanks for the reply. Very informative. [thumbsup]

 

So I should be looking for Windex or any ammonia based window cleaner to solve my problem? By the way, where do I usually get these cleaners?

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Supermarket! I'm using Windex Powerized! Not your pump action squirt bottle but a pressurized can with nitrogen as propellant. Has ammonia and isopropanol. BTW, you still need the windshield to bead a little. This is to let droplets of water roll of instead of cascade away. Cascading water changes the RI of glass and so what you might be seeing be might nearer than you think it is [shakehead].

 

If you want inexpensive ones, get the housebrands with their regular pump squirt bottles. Usually in 2-for-1 package.

Edited by Genie47
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Neutral Newbie

any other places that sell the refills other than autobacs ?

 

Actually there is a cheap way to replace them. Wiper blade refills. The rubber part. No need to replace the whole blade. Try to find those silicon coated or better PTFE coated ones. Glides over glass like ice on ice. Check out the Trico website. Lots of information about refills. You can counter check the cross section diagram for the ones you have so that you know what to get if you go to stores like Autobacs.
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Beading means form droplets instead of spreading out wetting the whole surface. Much like a thin layer of oil on glass. Oil repels water and the water forms beads. If you noticed, on days with very heavy rain, your windshield will wet completely. There is a reason to this.

 

When you drive on the roads, there is enough grime blasted on the windshield. This is what causes the beading in the first place. But this grime also causes your wipers to jutter. So it is a fine balance. By cleaning with ammonia, you etch the glass a little so that it wets better for better wiper movement. To get rid of some grime AND get some repelling properties, you need isopropanol. It dissolves a little of the grime and spreads it out using it to repel as well as absorb some into your cleaning towel for removal.

 

Now in heavy rain, the impact from the rain and the volume of water washes everything away! This explains why the windshield wets very well during such conditions.

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[laugh][laugh][laugh]

 

Think I read in some mag is to run fine sand paper over the new blades to make it last longer [:p]

 

is it true? nv heard of this before ler [sweatdrop][sweatdrop]

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OK here are some pics. Not all wiper blade refills are the same, you got to check from the ones you are using. I will use Trico product numbers as a guide.

 

43 Series refill

43_series_schematic.gif

 

44 series refill

44_series_schematic.gif

 

45 series refill

45_series_schematic.gif

 

46 series refill

46_series_schematic.gif

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