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Replace passenger windshield wiper with driver's side wiper?

8739 Views 14 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  mikeme, 
ksing44
I hate my passenger side wiper. With that extra bend in the arm it comes into the middle of my field of view, just enough to get in my way but not enough to any good. It also leaves a mark where it stops that is always in the middle of my field of view. It looks like maybe I could buy a new driver's side wiper to replace the odd passenger side one to have a more typical matching seep of the wipers on both sides of the windshield.

I know I can go measure and can swap the wipers to try myself, and I will, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask the question here on the forums. What do you all think? Will a simple swap give me nice matching sweeps with the passenger wiper not coming into my field of view?

It was making me crazy today driving in in the rain. From my vantage point watching out at the wipers, I thought just the passenger was longer, but someone on another forum indicated it is shorter. I guess I will be hoping he is wrong. I hate it enough to maybe try buying the driver's wiper and trying to shorten it to get it to work if it is longer. Do you guys know if the wipers are the same on the MKV and MKVI, with the weird bent arm on the passenger side?

I measured tonight! I think it might be possible to swap. The driver's arm is shorter, but the blade is longer. It seems it would require reorienting the front wiper higher and with a shorter blade from the passenger side and then duplicating the configuration on the passenger side. I think it could work, but I tested my wife's Honda Accord and it was exactly the same. I'm just not sure it really is a great idea to do the swap, since the Honda was identical. Maybe that really is just the way it is. I guess I can't really blame VW, even though it bugs me. I had a single wiper for 15 years in my Mercedes, so I guess I was spoiled.
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glennmax
Today I was considering changing out my worn-out stock wipers.
So I searched here for "wiper blade" and found your post.
Thanks for the read.:thumbsup


Off topic:

You wouldn't happen to know what company makes the stock wipers?
I have been satisfied with their performance.

I think they might be PIAA SI-Tech blades.

Anyone know for sure?

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...ield-wipers/overview/windshield-wipers-ov.htm

:thumbsup
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ksing44
Sorry, I don't know who makes the blades, but I think I would buy them from Bud, the ask a parts guy over on vortex. He typically has great prices and he is great to deal with.
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T
ksing44 said:
I hate my passenger side wiper. With that extra bend in the arm it comes into the middle of my field of view, just enough to get in my way but not enough to any good. It also leaves a mark where it stops that is always in the middle of my field of view. It looks like maybe I could buy a new driver's side wiper to replace the odd passenger side one to have a more typical matching seep of the wipers on both sides of the windshield.

it bugs me. I had a single wiper for 15 years in my Mercedes, so I guess I was spoiled.
Click to expand...
Nailed it.

Liked my e320 wiper pattern much better too.
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switang
I have the same problem...

The passenger wiper comes too far into the driver-side window area, leaves a blob of water that the driver-side wiper has to clear on its return to the start position. Bad design.

If there was a solution with replacing the passenger-side arm that would be nice. It just needs to stop earlier, closer to the center of the windshield.

Honestly the best solution is to use RainX or wax your windshield. You shouldn't have to use your wipers at all at faster speeds. Unfortunately lower speeds will still require the use of the wipers. I get lazy with the RainX, so a solution would be nice.
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ksing44
I am planning to try Rainx. I never used it before. I read it might also help the squeaking and jumping of the rear hatch wiper. I operate the rear manually at a less frequent rate than is possible with the setting, but even then it will start to skip after a number of swipes. I tried super cleaning the rear window on the hatch, but I think we all know the hatch is hard to keep clean on these cars.

As far as being lazy with the RainX, how often does it need to be applied? I have also heard about a replacement blades that must have RainX impregnated in the rubber. You activate it somehow and then it continuously reapplies RainX as the wipers operate. I wonder how long those blades last.
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chittychittybangbang
I use rainx every time I wash the car or if I'm taking a trip and I know it's going to be raining. I can tell each time that there's still some left on the windshield because of how the water beads up but a fresh coat really repels the water and makes it much easier to see through the glass. Just make sure you buff it off or else you'll have streaks, especially in glare.
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ksing44
I just read a bunch of RainX reviews. It sounds like some people love it and some people hate it. For the haters, they say it is bad in misty conditions when it isn't raining hard enough to get the water beads and sheeting action. I still think it might be nice on the rear hatch, but maybe it won't be too great on the windshield. I guess I will have to try it myself to figure out if I am a lover or a hater.
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6
I used Piaa wiper blades on my previous car, and they were pretty good. Like the Rain-X blades, they are impregnated with the coating. In my experience, the blades are quite long-lasting, and TOTALLY silent and chatter free, even on completely dry glass.

But - they do have a minimal period after each wipe before the window completely clears. It's hard to explain, but I think that when the blade passes it wipes all but a tiny fraction of the water off the glass. That fraction that remains is like an extremely fine mist on the glass, and it takes a fraction of a second for the tiny droplets to coalesce. For that fraction of a second the visibility is very slightly blurred. This is not generally a problem in the daylight, but can be slightly bothersome after dark with oncoming headlights. It bothers some people more than others. I found it slightly annoying after dark, but my wife was rather more bothered.

I think a Piaa or Rain-X type blade on the rear would be a very good thing, especially the smooth, chatter-free part.
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Keithuk
Well I wouldn't be happy with those wipers 6thVW-1stTDI.

While we are talking about wipers.

Ever since I've been driving (37 years) I've always cleaned the windscreen and wiper blades with methylated spirits. Wiper blades pickup all the oil, grease and traffic film of the roads and makes the water streak as it wipes. Don't just buy new blades just clean them with methylated spirits with a kitchen roll and wipe the screen. The paper towel will turn black from the grease. Black will always come of them because they are rubber but wipe until it isn't obvious.

Now methylated spirits isn't widely available as it was many years ago. I tried my local hardware stores but they don't stock it. I even tried chemists but they don't stock it. I bougth a litre of eBay 2 years ago for £6.71. I've just Googled it and B&Q now sell 500ml for £2.98. I'm not sure if you have this in the States but you could try hardware stores or camping stores.

In an emergency you can add methylated spirits to the washer fluid it prevents it freezing as it alcohol based plus it cleans things. ;)

I've just google it it and it appears methylated spirits is called Denatured alcohol in the States.
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switang
ksing44 said:
As far as being lazy with the RainX, how often does it need to be applied?
Click to expand...
Seems like the more you use your wipers the less it lasts. After a while you can tell where the wipers touch the glass and where they never touch the rain-x on other parts of the window.

Keithuk said:
I've just google it it and it appears methylated spirits is called Denatured alcohol in the States.
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Yes denatured alcohol, you can get it a Lowes for sure. Comes in a metal can...smells great too. :)
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Keithuk
switang said:
Yes denatured alcohol, you can get it a Lowes for sure. Comes in a metal can...smells great too. :)
Click to expand...
Yes it smells ok but I wouldn't advise you drink it. In the UK many years ago tramps and drop outs used to drink it as an alcohol fix but its not readly available as it used to be plus booze has become cheaper to them. ;)
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mikeme
after a long trip to get here a link and a suggestion:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol

in a pinch, you can clean your wipers with a little vodka,
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Keithuk
And drink the vodka at the same time.
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mikeme
just don't try to lick it off the wipers.

(and for those too lazy to follow the link, denatured alcohol (aka methylated spirits) contains not only the good alcohol you can drink (ethanol) with the stuff that makes you go blind (methanol))
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