Dear V-8 Buick all weather drivers, As the old saying goes: "It doesn't rain much in California, but when it rains - it pours!" That poses something of a challenge because cars can spend weeks getting dirty and then the wipers really need to perform well. For decades, I had a regime of Rain-X on the windshield glass and silicone lubricant on the rubber of the wiper blades. In recent years, I switched to Aquapel for the two Buicks that are garage kept. Since neither car gets out all that much, one application of Aquapel will last the entire wet season. We have one car that is kept outside and I have been trying to use Rain-X 2 in 2 glass cleaner, but I have trouble avoiding the fogging effect of excessive Rain-X. Two fellows on the 65GS.com forum use Rain-X on the wiper blade rubber itself. That seemed like a strange idea to me, but might turn out to be very clever. Rain has a line of wiper blades that they claim deposits Rain-X while wiping. So I'm going to run an experiment and see if this works. Another idea that I should have tried but never thought about is using a Teflon based oil like Tri-Flow. I have done some web searches but not found anything particularly helpful. The only advice I found seems really elementary and dubious. This Wiki-How page is typical: http://www.wikihow.com/Stop-Windshield-Wiper-Blades-from-Squeaking So what have you guys tried to reduce the chatter of windshield wipers? A curious mind would like to know! :idea2: Cheers, Edouard :beer
Rain-X should keep you from ever need to use the wipers; but good luck with that - and that is my experience. Regardless, I find that Rain-X eventually fouls the blade causing them to skip/shudder across the glass. I clean the blades with rubbing alcohol and that seems to renew their surface.
I wash the blades with mils soap and a terry cloth. I also replace the blades at least once a year on all my vehicles, sometimes more. Good refills are not expensive and work better than trying to keep old blades going. 2 of my vehicles use the same refill so I keep a set around in case one needs a fix right now. Lou
Not a Rain-X fan, seems to work well at first and the more you use it over time then you get the clouding and streaking if you have to use your wipers. The best way to clean your wiper blades is with simple rubbing alcohol, that will remove all the old contaminants and if they are in good condition will then work well. Just put the alcohol on a rag and clean the blades, alcohol pads in the little packets work very well.
Changed my mind on Rain-X! (Re: Lubricating windshield wiper blades - what works?) Dear Brad, Lou, Keith, and V-8 Buick "all-weather" drivers, Thanks for your thoughts. Agreed - even in California, wipers should be replaced every year and more often during wet years. You got me thinking and I decided to consult the Safety Data Sheets for Rain-X and Aquapel. I got quite a surprise!! http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.p...SDS-information-reveals&p=2644545#post2644545 Thanks again for your feedback. Cheers, Edouard :beer
In my experience, I have found that chattering wipers are caused by worn out linkage in the wiper transmission and/or wax type build-up on the windshield. BTW, I'm not a fan of any snake oil on the blades/windshield. Seems to cause more problems than it's worth. A clean windshield, good quality blades and a good wiper transmission, and the wipers should work perfect.
