Rear wiper upgrade- anyone done this?

[X5 Meister]

I just think they could have developed a better implementation of the rear sprayer, that's all. As far as the OEM blades are concerned I honestly think they are garbage and after switching them to Icons, I proved it to myself. Personally I'd spend whatever it costs to have the clearest vision possible and $40 for wiper blades every 6 months is perfectly fine with me.

[FSETH]

I have Icons on the front and I love them, but I wouldn't put one on the rear window, personally.

[m5james]

I've got the most annoying chatter on the drivers front wiper, I can see where it skips and leaves water...no idea why. I've washed the car countless times, took 000 steelwool and Windex on a hand sander (btw - awesome for removing hardwater spots on the house windows from the sprinkler system) Rain-X'ed, etc and it still chatters in that one spot. Maybe I should get off my ace and try the Icons as well.

[nom3rcy]

The chatter is from too much friction and not enough suspension in the blade. A lot of times corrosion in the arm and wiper itself keeps it from flexing properly and results in chatter or missed sweeps. A little bit of WD-40 in the hinges and a new blade will probably help quite a bit.

[m5james]

They're new blades, I'm just going to have to change styles. The only thing I don't like about those Icons or hingeless type blades is that they're HUGE.

[FSETH]

Originally Posted by m5james

They're new blades, I'm just going to have to change styles. The only thing I don't like about those Icons or hingeless type blades is that they're HUGE.

I know what you mean about the Icons being a little thicker than traditional blades. KewlX5 did a comparison between the Icons and the Valeo Ultimates in the following thread and points out that the Valeo blades are a little thinner. I don't have any experience with them, but TireRack has them on a buy one get one free sale right now if you want to give them a shot.


http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-foru...te-wipers.html

I just noticed that the TireRack had the same offer going four years ago when that thread was started as well. Crazy...

[nigeyboy]

Make sure the drivers blade hasn't come out of the little clip. It does everytime they clean my windows in the petrol staion when they lift it up.

Also, the wifes E70 rear sprayer actually sprays properly as opposed to our E53s dribbling - is there a mod there then !!

[mgbmwx5]

If the rear spray nozzle is dribbling it is probably due to a couple of issues;

a) spray nozzle is clogged
b) rear washer pump is toast

The X5 has three washer pumps, each pump is for one of these three categories respectively, headlights, windshield & rear window.

Originally Posted by nigeyboy

Make sure the drivers blade hasn't come out of the little clip. It does everytime they clean my windows in the petrol staion when they lift it up.

Also, the wifes E70 rear sprayer actually sprays properly as opposed to our E53s dribbling - is there a mod there then !!

[rayxi]

I'm not too picky about how the rear wiper looks but I wished it was designed better. The hinge is exposed to the elements and gets dirty easily causing binding. The spring that applies pressure is undersized compounding the issue. It'd be nice if I could cover the hinge and/or get a different spring.

As for the washer spray, it can be fixed by adjusting the aim. Mine use to dribble a useless puddle until I re-aimed it. It's tricky because there's a fine line between useless puddle and missing the glass all together.

[LorraineS]

Originally Posted by 4MoJoe

... Now the question is will other X5 owners put Volvo wiper parts on their car!

Never...