Rear wiper upgrade- anyone done this?

[Litsie E53_05]

HI All,

So i just bought these:

BMW X5 (E53) REAR WIPER ARM AND BLADE SET.1999-2006 | eBay

They claim it's plug and play, but i can't seem to get the old one off the car?

removed the small black cap, removed the bolt.

And now what??

Can anybody tell me the next step, this old wiper arm is stuck on the car, with or without bolt...

[X5_E53_N62]

Just pull the old arm right out or loosen it with WD40.

[Litsie E53_05]

Originally Posted by X5_E53_N62

Just pull the old arm right out or loosen it with WD40.

Yep, put some force in it and it came off, thanx.

here the result:

[X5_E53_N62]

Great !

[Qsilver7]

Cool...thanks for posting. But what do you do for a replacement rubber refill when the original one wears out? Do you replace it with the blade from an e70? Or do you have to purchase another arm?

If there's no replacement rubber refill...perhaps the original arm & blade should be held onto in case the new style arm & blade can't be found in the future.

If the e70 rubber refill fits...then woo hoo!

[X5_E53_N62]

It is actually cheaper for me to buy a new set on eBay than to buy the original replacement blade locally...

[Litsie E53_05]

Originally Posted by X5_E53_N62

It is actually cheaper for me to buy a new set on eBay than to buy the original replacement blade locally...

same here..

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Trying to get clarification/understanding so that a mistake isn't made...are you saying the e70 rear wiper is an easy swap? We can assume that the nut (#4) that holds the e70 wiper arm/blade /cover (#2/#1/#3) to the wiper motor (#5)...will screw right on to the e53's wiper motor?

will E70 rear wiper arm assembly parts: #1/#2/#3/#4 swap directly over to the e53 rear wiper motor?


{Single parts for rear window wiper | BMW X5 E70 LCI X5 35dX M57N2 USA}




....can E53 rear wiper parts (#3 - #9) below be removed and swapped with the part mentioned above from the e70?

Single parts for rear window wiper | BMW X5 E53 X5 4.4i N62 USA

Well...6 years later I can answer my own question as to the simplicity of this mod. After several replacements of the rubber refill blade, and several sandings (of rust), lubrication of the metal springs, and respray to return the color to black...I gave up on trying to keep the original e53's rear wiper in working order.

I picked up an e70 rear wiper blade from amazon.com ($15.54) and installed it this morning.

All that is required is to remove the e53's cover (#3 in the e53 diagram) and undo the screw (#4) and washer (#5)...this allows you to gently pry/shimmy the entire rear wiper blade off.

Next, you take the e70's wiper blade arm (#2 in the e70 diagram) and place it on your e53's rear wiper blade motor's spindle, then take the e53's nut & washer you just removed to secure the e70's wiper blade arm...then put the e70 cover (#3) into place. All done in a few minutes. The longest part is probably prying the old blade off...you may need to lubricate it to get it goinig. On a scale of 1-10 in degree of complexity...its about a 1.

Tools required:

• A small flat head screw driver (to remove the cover & possibly the washer)
• A 13mm socket & wrench to remove the nut
• A non marring nylon/plastic pry tool to help dislodge the old wiper arm (optional...can use your hands to rock/shimmy it off if you don't have a pry tool)

[SlickGT1]

Nice. Got a link as to what you purchased. I’m sick of mine as well. Ty.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by SlickGT1

Nice. Got a link as to what you purchased. I’m sick of mine as well. Ty.

Here's a link to the amazon.com vendor I purchased from: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

FYI...the cover (#3) on the e70 wiper arm I purchased didn't actually come off separately...it levers upward but stays attached to the arm. So if you do get this one and it's the same...didn't want you to try to yank the cover off and break it. Just flip it up and mount over the spindle...and note you'll have to put light pressure on it and the blade sort of flattens out (I guess this is what give the blade pressure to stay flat against the glass as it articulates)...but don't be surprised or expect it to lay flush when you go to secure the arm with the nut and washer...you'll see what I mean when you install.

BTW...waiting 6 years to do this...the price has come way down for the e70 rear wiper arm & blade.