lupo wipers smearing

[yalan 0]

guys ... put some of these on a while back & the drivers side one always leaves a 1-2" smear from the upright position on its way back down.

 

Any sugestions?

[daves16v 1]

Perhaps it's wearing out, how long you had them on?

 

Not sure when the blades should be changed, I don't think peeps on here have had them on long enough to judge.

[Nick_Micouris 0]

the wiper blades do seem to have a seriously short lifespan. Mine get little use but really need changing after 6 months

[yalan 0]

hmm - don't think they're worn.... only put them on after inters & probably used less than 10 times in total!

[edit - sorry this should really be under 'problems']

[Henny 0]

...and, as if by magic, the thread appeared in problems.... ;) :lol:

 

give 'em a good clean with a clean rag... odds are you've got a little bit of oil on 'em which is causing 'em to smear... :|

[chrishill 0]

I've found that because i use turtlewax car shampoo that contains a bit of wax, unless I clean the windscreen with proper glass cleaner after i've washed the car, the wipers smear.

[andihaz 0]

Any recommendations on a good glass cleaner to use on a windscreen as most of the ones i've looked at say not to be used on the windscreens.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah the Lupo wipers don't last long at all.

 

I've done a special haywire mod which uses the Lupo arms with traditional Bosch wiper blades.

 

You get the advantages of the stronger springs in the lupo arms and the advantages of the superior wipe quality of ye old fashioned blades.

 

Works a treat and cheaper :lol:

[VR6 0]

Kev - I thought the advantage that the Lupo blades brought was the curvature of the blade, meaning they would hug the screen even at the top of the sweep.

 

I always thought the pressure of the standard arms wasn't too bad :?:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

No not necessarily. The old style blades still hug the screen at all sweep angles. The 'aero' blades are sprung to mimmick traditional metal blades. They both do exactly the same job. The pressure of the old arms was totally inadequate which is why the blades never touched the screen at the top.

 

I was getting tired of the dealers fart arsing around with these lupo blades so this is a good solution for me as it's just a simple trip to Halfords now.

[dubster82 0]

ermm

 

good time to add that my mate used lupo wipers on his.. not gti aero ones.... just lupo ones.... and they were cheaper, and have all the benefits kev just pointed out.....

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I've been out in the rain at 100+ tonight and I can honestly say the normal blades are a lot better than the aero ones. No juddering, dry spots or slowing of the motor.

 

I'm not suggesting you all rush out and do this mod as I know the majority of you are happy with the aero blades, but the way I've done mine is I can swap between aero and non-aero in seconds.

 

It's just a personal thing. The aero blades are cool and do the job but the normal ones are better.

[Roger Blassberg 0]

I've modified the standard arms as follows and the problem of smearing disappeared.

The cast boss of the arm, the bit which is splined onto the shaft, has projections which bear against the inside of the pressed steel part to which it is hinged; this stops the spring from pulling the blade against the screen hard enough.

 

If you take the complete wiper off the car, push the arm back to over-centre the spring, then the projections are there before your very eyes. Mount the arm LIGHTLY in a vice, then take a small file, or even better a Dremel, and grind these projections back a millimetre or two- there's plenty of material there so not much danger of weakening the boss. Take care not to scratch the black paint off where you don't want to. Blow out the filings, put it all back together, treat youself to new aerofoil blades and you too can see through the screen in the dark and the wet, even at 100 (KPH of course!!).

 

I find that the Rainex glass cleaner and repellant work well, but need to re apply quite often.

 

Good weekend to all.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

A lot of us tried the dremel trick but it's the actual spring strength in the original arms that is the problem. At around 100mph, the spring strength just isn't strongh enough to over come side winds etc, and they invaribly leave the screen, especially at the top of the sweep. That trick is fine for moderate speeds though.

[Scott 0]

Why not just replace the spring then? :!:

[dr_mat 0]

TBH I've found that windscreen wipers are useless, so I removed the screen altogether. Visibility is much improved!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Why not just replace the spring then? :!:

 

LOL, have you tried doing that???

[Kevin Bacon 5]

TBH I've found that windscreen wipers are useless, so I removed the screen altogether. Visibility is much improved!

 

Gets you one step closer to nature I suppose.... bird shit and 80mph wasps could prove painful tho......