Quote:
Originally Posted by zuvarak
... bought a new (not OEM) E53 wiper arm and I'm having the same issue...
Call me crazy but I actually think the E53 wiper arm suits the E53 better. It's an old, mean, bulky barge, no place for subtleties  |
I installed two rear wipers on my X5, almost two years ago; one was an E53-style, and the other was an E70- style. The E53-style wasn't working any better than the original, bent wiper, which
X5only said "sounded like someone wiping the windscreen with a closed umbrella",
https://xoutpost.com/1216423-post11.html, so I bought an E70-style wiper (also not OEM) a month later. It worked a bit better, as it was quieter, and skipped less.
Fast forward to yesterday, 9-25-24: I had just returned home from getting my '04 Chevy 2500HD inspected/tagged for the year.
It hadn't been driven for 6 months, starts slow everytime now (battery is 7.5 y.o., but checks out OK), and set a TPS code & CEL the day before (making me have to do a "drive cycle" to reset the emissions monitors)...it's always something...and I looked over at my X5, and saw this
one of my semi-feral yard cats must've slid down the back windshield glass, and bent it (more than once); I attempted a temporary repair a week prior
When I installed this E70-style wiper arm in Nov'22, it wasn't a tight fit, and I had to use epoxy to secure it in place. It sagged a bit, overnight, before it dried, and pointed down at an 8 o'clock angle, but it worked. Until lately. The wiper's rubber blade was heat-cooked, and skittered across the glass, so I was going to replace it before the X5's inspection in October.
I still have the E53-style wiper arm (used only one month) in my parts storage; I'm going to try it again (if I can pry the other wiper arm off), because I also think the old-style arm better suits the looks of my aged vehicle. I'm ordering a wiper arm puller to assist in removing the bent arm.
I really don't need a rear wiper anyway, so the original style arm will probably get used once or twice a year (if I drive, if it rains). I can always get out, and use my long-handled squeegee to clean the glass, if need be.