How the heck do you stop wiper chatter?

Brandon1

Brandon1

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ITS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!!:buffing:

I put on new wipers...no help.

I put Aquapel on the glass...no help.

I put 303 Wiper Treatment...seemed to get worse.

I wax, treat, quick detail, clean, polish the glass...nothing helps.



Other cars I detail in the family the same way, have no problems, mine does it after about the 2nd wipe on the windshield.

If I may, wth can I do to stop chatter?
 
Increase the tension at the base of the wiper arm. If they are not adjsutable and you dont want to replace them bexause the vehicle is newer. A cable tie loop through one row of the spring will tighten it up 3 to 5%.
 
I replace the blades, was told the design of some blades (not adhering to glass) can often be the culprit of that chatter.
 
I usto be a milton bradly mechanic and mb has tools and gauges for every thing .
what you do is twist the arm so the blade rides 90 deg to the glass
 
Mbkite is correct i do have a gauge that you use to adjust the arm.Also no need to use a tie wrap to increase tension.What you can do is lift the wiper arm up hold the end in one hand and give it a slight bend in the middle of the arm just enough to make a small arc not enough to do damage.Also try removing all the wax and any other treatments on the windshield i use prep-sol.Hope that helps a little
 
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Remove any trace of any product on the windshield, that should help a lot.
 
It's funny you bring this topic up. I have this problem and it drives me nuts. When I had my 2003 G35 Coupe, I had to have the wiper arm motor replaced because the chattering was so bad and there was a Technical Service Bulletin for this issue. Both my 06 G35C and my 08 WRX have a bit of chatter on the driver's side wiper of both vehicles but nothing I can't handle. Using Rain-X or different waxes and sealants seems to not have much of an effect, especially since windshield wipers seem to wipe away that initial slickness of the product very quickly.

My resolution has been to use the more expensive flexible wiper blades such as the Bosch ICON or Rain-X Latitude wiper blades. They seem to provide smoother wiping action which usually eliminates the chatter. Also, right when it starts raining, I like to use the windshield washers for a few seconds as for whatever reason, that also helps to minimize chatter.
 
I have the Latitude blades and it's horrible. Never had a problem with stock blades, I may just pick some of the stockers up.
 
I think any product on the windshield, including aquapel, can cause chatter. I'd really clean the windshield as well as possible, clay, IPA, glass polish, window cleaner, etc... everything you can throw at it just to try to get everything off. Don't use a wash that has polymers or wax in it, that'll get on the windshield and can cause the same issues.
 
Also, some glass cleaners contain either silicone or wax in them to make the glass shine, try to avoid using those types of glass cleaner on the windshield as it will make the wipers smear and chatter sometimes as well.

I find that a good way to test, is to take a clean (drinking) glass from the dishwasher, one that's not beading water in any way because it is so clean, then spray some glass cleaner on the outside of the glass and wipe it off like you would do with your windshield. Do this a couple of times, and if you notice that the glass then repels, or beads the water, the glass cleaner has silicone of some sort of wax in it.
 
Well if the waxes/cleaners/aquapel is whats causing the chatter, then how do I keep the windshield beading up in a rainstorm or protected from water spots?
 
wax is a #1 cause of chatter on a windshield...it is grabby on the rubber....I would clean the windsheild with a glass polish or a AIO type product.....and start over with either Aquapel or a sealant..no wax....some rubber will not chatter..but most will....some blades are made from silicone rubber also...

i just use either DG rain repell or Aquawax..never a chatter and do not need wipers over 40MPH...water just blows off

Al
 
Anything on the windshield can cause chatter, use the wipers to remove water when it rains. As far as water spots, glass can be polished if they are bad, otherwise you can keep a QD with you in the car to wipe them off.
 
Gotta bring this back up.

bcwang said:
I think any product on the windshield, including aquapel, can cause chatter. I'd really clean the windshield as well as possible, clay, IPA, glass polish, window cleaner, etc... everything you can throw at it just to try to get everything off. Don't use a wash that has polymers or wax in it, that'll get on the windshield and can cause the same issues.
Click to expand...


Al-53 said:
wax is a #1 cause of chatter on a windshield...it is grabby on the rubber....I would clean the windsheild with a glass polish or a AIO type product.....and start over with either Aquapel or a sealant..no wax....some rubber will not chatter..but most will....some blades are made from silicone rubber also...

i just use either DG rain repell or Aquawax..never a chatter and do not need wipers over 40MPH...water just blows off

Al
Click to expand...

No. Can't buy into that. Wax actually makes my chatter go away. I hate to be the guy that posts conflicting information because I know when I'm looking for solutions online and see two answers totally contradicting each other I get frustrated but this information is just not true. Wax or coatings on a windshield only causes chatter SOMEtimes. When I did the ole' "Super clean your windshield then wipe your blades down with alcohol" my chatter QUADRUPLED lol. It's all on what's going on with your specific problem. Most of the time either your blades are dry rotted, they took a set, or your arms are bent, but bent arms are RARELY the case. I mean really, how often do you bend your wiper arms? If you're having chatter, try just cleaning your window with a standard window cleaner like invisible glass, not some high speed home made concoction of pure denatured alcohol, ammonia and baby's tears with news paper. Just use the standard towel and glass cleaner, see what that does. If it fixes it, then you're done. If not, wipe your blades down with a damp towel and try that. If not, then super clean your windows with something like an aggressive glass cleaner then use a glass scrub afterward and see what happens. If it gets worse, try a coating like a wax, rain X or aquapel. In my experience glass coatings have helped my chattering.
 
Brandon1 said:
ITS DRIVING ME NUTS!!!!:buffing:

I put on new wipers...no help.

I put Aquapel on the glass...no help.

I put 303 Wiper Treatment...seemed to get worse.

I wax, treat, quick detail, clean, polish the glass...nothing

Other cars I detail in the family the same way, have no problems, mine does it after about the 2nd wipe on the windshield.

If I may, wth can I do to stop chatter?
Click to expand...
Usually wiper chatter is caused by waxes or sealants applied to the glass making the wipers not free flowing across the glass.you mentioned you installed new wiper blades and the promblem still exist.I would clean the windshield throughly with a dedicated glass cleaner,and some fine steel wool to help give your cleaning process a little more bite to ensure cleanliness and start from there.from experience on my own cars many moons ago I applied sealant and waxes to windshield and had the same promblem,and was so bad it left wiper rubber marks.so try that first.
 
My contribution to an old thread brought back this month.

I found a very reliable fix that combines a few things but has resulted in perfection for me and our vehicles.

What you will need:

  • Bar Keepers Friend. You'll find it in the cleaning supplies of a hardware or grocery. It's a cleanser of sort.
  • Microfiber pad or rags (3) - 2 pads and 1 Clean MF Rag
  • Denatured Alcohol
  • BLACKFIRE Crystal Seal Paint Sealant or Optimum Opti-Seal - I like Blackfire and fine it better overall for paint and for this fix

Proceedure:

  1. Start by washing and using a microfiber pad or a small peice of MF cut from a rag you may have with Bar Keepers Friend to scrub and strip the windshield of all the crap that is built up. This really does a great job of clearing off the debris, bugs, gum/sap, oils, etc.
  2. Wipe the glass dry and then use another peice of MF or another pad and wipe it down really good with Denatured Alcohol. This will insure 100% of everything left is gone. The glass will be completely virgin and clean. Wipe it dry completely and insure it's clean and streak free.
  3. Lastly, apply 2 coats of the sealers I've noted. They go on ultra thin and if you've not used them before, they are truely clear and essentially evaporate as they self level. If it's warm it will take just a minute, if it's below 50* it could take 5. After that grab a clean MF cloth and wipe / buff any excess left and you will have a completely sealed and squeak/skip proof windshield.

I've found that this technique is perfect and does not wear down easily like many other treatments. I do reapply it on a regular basis as I use both the above sealants on my car every 2-3 washes. They are so, so, so very nice and work great. Like liquid lube on your car if it's detailed and corrected. Work the same on windows.

Now the one difference you will notices is that the product does not "sheet" away water like a hydrophobic coating but it does bead up allowing the wipers to do their job without streaking or skipping. I've used both Rain-X and Aqua-Pel and they both even with such different formulations only work for a short time and then skip. I reserve them for the sides and rear window...but not on our van as it has a wiper on the back. That I treat as noted here.

Hope this helps you and do post back your results. I just did my wife's van and she noticed instantly that her wipers are nearly silent and seem to float across her windows. :cool:
 
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