Motoring Discussion > Wiper damage avoidance.	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Old Navy	Replies: 33

New Tue 7 Dec 10 07:42   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

I know of two people who have wrecked their wiper linkage, (one my daughter), by turning them on while they are frozen to the screen. This was a particular risk with my Focus which had auto wipers which would give one wipe on engine start if the switch was left to auto after the wipers had stopped automatically. If snow or frost is expected I lift my wipers from the screen having seen this done in alpine areas while there for skiing. Although a few people do this in the UK it is not common. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 07:56   Wiper damage avoidance. - L'escargot

I lift mine by starting at one end of the blade and peeling it away from the screen, rather than trying to pull the whole length off at one go. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:04   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

Maybe I didn't express myself too well, The should be lifted and left off the screen overnight. Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 7 Dec 10 at 08:06 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:28   Wiper damage avoidance. - R.P.

Well THANK YOU Old Navy ! CAR magazine's major complaint about the X1 was that you had to activate the auto wipers each time you switched the ignition on - I figured that this was the reason - obviously didn't occur to the foppish haired wassuck that it may actually snow in some parts of the country and that this may fool them into firing up when the screen was frozen. I may write to the pillock. Honestly the X1 was a long term car for them and this is all they could find to moan about every month it was written about. I hope his crepe soled shoes have deposited him on his trendy backside in the current freeze. It annoyed the hell out of me that a so-called motoring journalist couldn't work that out ! Last edited by: Pugugly on Tue 7 Dec 10 at 08:29 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 09:20   Wiper damage avoidance. - L'escargot

>> I hope >> his crepe soled shoes ............ Ah, that revived happy memories of my youth. Crepe soled shoes, Teddy Boy suit, DA haicut smothered in Brylcreem, ................ Last edited by: L'escargot on Tue 7 Dec 10 at 09:21 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 14:48   Wiper damage avoidance. - Hoseman

L'escargot You must have had Money we used margarine instead of Brylcreem Hoseman>> >> I hope >> >> his crepe soled shoes ............ >> >> Ah, that revived happy memories of my youth. Crepe soled shoes, Teddy Boy suit, DA >> haicut smothered in Brylcreem, ................ >> Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 09:55   Wiper damage avoidance. - Bill Payer

>> Well THANK YOU Old Navy ! CAR magazine's major complaint about the X1 was that >> you had to activate the auto wipers each time you switched the ignition on - My old Peugeot used to need resetting each time. Wifey's new Jazz doesn't though, and the salesman told us he'd been soaked by a CRV's wipers that activated after having warm water poured on the screen. "Good" I thought - you're not supposed to do that anyway! I think these things are wrongly named - they should be "auto delay wipers", so you turn them on and off like normal intermittant wipers, but the delay is automatic. And how come even with variable sensitivity, you still can't find a setting in a Honda (I've driven Jazz and Accord extensively) which is just right! Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 14:37   Wiper damage avoidance. - Oldgit

>> >> Well THANK YOU Old Navy ! CAR magazine's major complaint about the X1 was............. >> And how come even with variable sensitivity, you still can't find a setting in a >> Honda (I've driven Jazz and Accord extensively) which is just right! >> When it's raining 'properly' they're quite good but in intermittent rain they are easily flawed. How I wish for my old intermittent ones back (with adjustable intervals) so I know exactly when they would wipe and not have to keep on activating a wipe by operating a 'dry' wash action - a retrograde improvemnent in my humble opinion. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 14:49   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

>> a retrograde improvement in my humble opinion. >> Is that all ? I used to hate mine with a vengeance. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:24   Wiper damage avoidance. - hawkeye

I lift the C3 wipers overnight. The C8 wipers can't be lifted and left off the screen so blocks of wood under the wiper arms. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:41   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

PU, The Focus wipers will wipe once on engine start regardless of screen condition if left in auto, even bone dry and clean. Last edited by: Old Navy on Tue 7 Dec 10 at 08:43 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:42   Wiper damage avoidance. - swiss tony

>> I lift the C3 wipers overnight. The C8 wipers can't be lifted and left off >> the screen so blocks of wood under the wiper arms. >> Be careful if lifting blades, that they don't snap back onto the screen. If they do, you could be looking at a new screen as the impact may cause a crack. What I do, (with the old type blade) is lift, then turn the blade, so the back of it is resting on the screen. (remembering to turn back before wiping.....) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:57   Wiper damage avoidance. - Dog

>>What I do, (with the old type blade) is lift, then turn the blade, so the back of it is resting on the screen. (remembering to turn back before wiping<< Excellent logic! - we have another Vulcan in our midst :) Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Tue 7 Dec 10 14:44   Wiper damage avoidance. - Oldgit

>> >> I lift the C3 wipers overnight. The C8 wipers can't be lifted and left >> off >> >> the screen so blocks of wood under the wiper arms. >> >> >> Be careful if lifting blades, that they don't snap back onto the screen. >> If they do, you could be looking at a new screen as the impact may >> cause a crack. >> What I do, (with the old type blade) is lift, then turn the blade, so >> the back of it is resting on the screen. (remembering to turn back before wiping.....) >> Hmmm! Scratched windscreen here we come. Call out Autoglass, quick! Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:52   Wiper damage avoidance. - BiggerBadderDave

"I lift my wipers from the screen" Will you be adding 'lifting wipers' to your list of driving skills? I think it's equally as impressive as 'glancing in mirror' and 'sitting in front seat'. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:55   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

Having a BiggerBadderDay ? Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:55   Wiper damage avoidance. - BiggerBadderDave

Sorry, couldn't resist! Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 08:56   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

:-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 09:15   Wiper damage avoidance. - CGNorwich

You have to sit in the front seat? That's where I have been going wrong . Thanks BBD Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 09:27   Wiper damage avoidance. - BiggerBadderDave

Always here to help...! Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 10:28   Wiper damage avoidance. - Robin O'Reliant

Lifting the wipers overnight is great if you have a drive and live in a peaceful area, but not something anyone from Chavtown would do more than once... Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 10:35   Wiper damage avoidance. - AnotherJohnH

+1 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 11:48   Wiper damage avoidance. - hawkeye

>> Lifting the wipers overnight is great if you have a drive and live in a >> peaceful area, but not something anyone from Chavtown would do more than once... >> OK. How about parking the wipers vertically. I have a theory that doing this will make it easier to peel the rubber off the screen. As the screen cools you get liquid condensation which rests on the horizontal wiper blade. When ice forms you get a whole lot more adhesion than if the blades are parked to let the water run past them. Last edited by: hawkeye on Tue 7 Dec 10 at 11:51 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 12:17   Wiper damage avoidance. - Iffy

...OK. How about parking the wipers vertically... Good idea provided you remember to attend to them before getting in the car. My concern would be the wipers would try to park as soon as you turned the ignition key. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Tue 7 Dec 10 14:42   Wiper damage avoidance. - Oldgit

>> Lifting the wipers overnight is great if you have a drive and live in a >> peaceful area, but not something anyone from Chavtown would do more than once... >> And in order to lift my wipers to the vertical position on the windscreen, in my MK6 Golf I have to invoke the 'Service' action. That is, turn on the ignition and then turn it off and press down on the wiper stalk whereupon the wipers come away from behind the rear of the bonnet and then could be pulled away from the windscreen. However in this positon they are very easily detached from the wiper arms should any scrote be interested. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Tue 7 Dec 10 16:31   Wiper damage avoidance. - corax

You wouldn't have any of these problems if the damn things were manual like they used to be and should still be. Pretty soon you'll be sleeping in your autobed next to your autowife and getting up every now and then to sit on your autobog. Thats if you have the energy to get from one to the other, that may be getting too tiring as well, might as well cut off the legs as they're no use any more and creep around like davros. Last edited by: corax on Tue 7 Dec 10 at 16:32 Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 18:13   Wiper damage avoidance. - Robin O'Reliant

I'd love a windscreen washer that didn't give an automatic five sweeps of the wipers when you operated the damn thing. I sat behind a truck yesterday getting covered in muck and found the washer nozzles were frozen when I was plunged into instant blindness as I tried to clear it. Please can we go back to making our own decisions, we're all adults. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 7 Dec 10 20:32   Wiper damage avoidance. - -

Ye gods luddites galore here and i'm with you all the way..;) Even without the not needed fad of auto wipers some cars will still give the odd single wipe when you go to start it, i lift ours at home and have reminded She and meself to lift them before starting when parked elsewhere. Course by now you lot should be practised in 'parking' the wipers against their normal lean after wiper use anyway so this extra duty should soon gel. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 8 Dec 10 13:48   Wiper damage avoidance. - Kithmo

Lifting the wipers off the screen works a treat. I did it last night and guess what, there was no frost LOL. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 8 Dec 10 16:09   Wiper damage avoidance. - Glaikit Wee Scunner Snr. {P}

The Skoda Octavia wipers need to be parked vertically before they can be lifted off the screen. The arms hit the edge of the bonnet otherwise. However the arms do not auto park until I exceed 15mph thereafter.... Exciting stuff. The norm in ski resorts is indeed for the wipers to be lifted up for parking. The norm in the UK is for wipers to be mangled if sticking up. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 8 Dec 10 16:22   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

If you need to lift your wipers it is too cold for the low life to emerge from their breeding nests. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 8 Dec 10 16:27   Wiper damage avoidance. - Runfer D'Hills

Oh I dunno, years ago I had an MG Midget. I left it parked in the street outside my flat on a snowy night. Following morning discovered that someone had decided it was a jolly jape to take the roof down, fill the cabin with snow and then put the roof back up. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 8 Dec 10 16:32   Wiper damage avoidance. - Old Navy

Student infested, or crap area ? Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 8 Dec 10 17:02   Wiper damage avoidance. - Runfer D'Hills

Students, central Edinburgh circa 1977/8. Reply to this message | Report message